In a bulletin issued last Thursday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3902 announced a strike deadline for sessional instructors at the University of Toronto. That date is Monday, November 9—exactly three weeks before the current semester ends.
In the same bulletin, CUPE announced it had rejected the University’s latest offer because it would only “benefit a minuscule number of the Units current membership.”
So far, the University of Toronto’s sole acknowledgment of the strike is displayed on the Human Resources and Equity section of its website, where an announcement dated last Thursday—two days before CUPE’s confirmation of the strike deadline—stated that “negotiations continue between the University of Toronto and CUPE [Local 3902]” and that the University remains “committed to making every reasonable effort to conclude a responsible and responsive collective agreement.”
Sessional instructors at U of T add up to around 900, representing about 30 percent of the teaching staff at U of T’s campuses, including UTM.
UPDATE
November 5, 2:30 p.m.
On the University of Toronto website a message was posted warning that “several matters remain outstanding” between the University and CUPE 3902, Unit 23. The message also recommended that students plan to attend courses even if the strike does happen. Teaching staff who are not represented by the union “are expected to engage in their regular activities.”
Read the message here.
