U of T workers are stronger together.

Members of CUPE 3902 Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 6, and Unit 7 are fighting together for better workplace conditions, pay, and job security!

Bargaining Survey 2425
  • Coordinated Bargaining
  • General Questions
  • Unit-Specific Questions
  • Next Steps

CUPE 3902 Bargaining Survey 2024-25

Coordinated Bargaining: United We Win! 

We do important work to make our university’s community a world class institute of higher education. Our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions.

Your Bargaining Committees (Units 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7), representing thousands of educators at UofT, St. Michael’s College, and Victoria College, are preparing to negotiate improvements to your next collective agreement and they are seeking your input. No personal information will be shared with your employer.

One of the most important principles of a union is unity. It is through our unity – across disciplines, across departments, across campuses, and across bargaining units – that we have the power to make our university communities better places to work. For years, your employer has engaged in a pattern of bargaining that divides our power, even though we have many common interests.

The leadership of CUPE 3902 is committed to breaking this pattern of division, but it will require every one of us to unite. As long as the status quo exists, so will inequality and disrespect in our workplaces. We cannot allow this to continue.

Our collective work starts with completing this survey. If you have any questions, please call 416-593-7057 or email organize@cupe3902.org and an organizer will follow up with you.

In solidarity,

Unit 2 Bargaining Committee

Enioluwa Aminu 
Jaclyn Piudik 
Tal Isaacson 
Janine Rivière 
Dan Brielmaier (Staff) 

Unit 4 Bargaining Committee

Liz Poliakova
Jackson Tsang
Tal Isaacson
Janine Rivière
Pamela Arancibia (Staff)

Unit 6 Bargaining Committee

John McGaughey
Tracy Manning
Rebecca Pearson-Fischer
Janine Rivière
Eriks Bredovskis
Dan Brielmaier (Staff)

Unit 3 Bargaining Committee

Erich Vogt
Megan Harris
Leila Azimian
Robert Luzecky
Steven Logan
Gerald Mak
Eriks Bredovskis
David Simao (Staff)

Unit 7 Bargaining Committee

Willis Opondo
Huda Salha
Alexander Vesuna
Marie Haines
Eriks Bredovskis
Sam Easy (Staff)

 

Your CUPE 3902 bargaining committees have committed to coordinate their bargaining efforts, presenting a united front to the University of Toronto, St. Michael’s College, and Victoria College. This strategy will provide all of us with the strength and unity required to achieve our goals.

The membership is the most important part of any bargaining process, and your feedback is important.

Questions for All Members

Some description about this section
12345
Wages/Salary
Improvements to healthcare benefits
Improvements/access to funds (professional development, reimbursement, etc.)
Paid sick time
Retirement security
Workload
Overtime pay
Health and safety issues
Intellectual property rights
Job security
Workplace harassment and bullying
Other (please specify below)

Unit-Specific Questions

Unit 2

Questions for ALL Unit 2 Members:

Workspace

Does Victoria College provide you with adequate office or workspace to fulfill your duties (e.g., to prep before class, meet privately with students, safely stow materials while you teach, etc.)?

Training

Meeting student’s needs and keeping up with changing technology is a challenge university educators are facing. Do you feel adequately supported by Victoria College to meet the challenges you face as a teacher/tutor/instructor?

Undergraduate Tutors:

Wages

Undergraduate Tutors at Vic perform many of the same duties performed by Undergraduate TAs at UofT. UofT Undergraduate TAs are paid $51.93/hr, while Vic Undergraduate Tutors are currently paid half that at $25.54/hour, despite making essential contributions to the Victoria College community.

Is it important to you to achieve wage parity with the Undergraduate TAs performing the same work you do?

Hours of Work 

Do you feel the number of hours you receive as an Undergraduate Tutor are sufficient?

Other Issues

Do you have any other concerns you’d like to discuss with the Bargaining Committee?

Writing Instructors:

Job Security

Each year, the job security provisions in the Collective Agreement require the College to offer eligible Writing Instructors (i.e., those who have worked 600 hours over 4 years) at least the average number of hours worked over the previous three years.

Is this level of jobs security sufficient, or would you like to see it improved (e.g., a lower eligibility threshold, a higher payrate for eligible Writing Instructors, etc.)? 

 

Professional Development 

Universities are increasingly seeking candidates for writing instruction with a current research agenda or recent credentials in the field, despite the financial difficulty contract educators face. 

Would you like to see the creation of a research or professional development fund that would allow you to fund research projects, attend conferences, participate in relevant training or courses, etc.?

 

Other Issues

Do you have any other concerns you’d like to discuss with the Bargaining Committee?

Sessional Lecturers:

Job Security

Job security is a perennial concern for Sessional Lecturers (SLs) everywhere. Your Collective Agreement has provisions that allow SLs who have taught 8 half-courses to apply to “advance” to Sessional Lecturer II rank, which confers hiring preference.

In Unit 3 (UofT), the requirement to advance is now only 5 courses, and SLII rank comes with course guarantees. Is it important for SLs at Vic to make similar gains?

Are there are other ways you can imagine improving job security for SLs at Vic?  Please expand. 

Professional Development 

Universities are increasingly seeking candidates for sessional teaching work with a current research agenda, despite the financial difficulty contract educators face maintaining one. 

Would you like to see the creation of a research or professional development fund that would allow you to fund research projects, attend conferences, etc.?

Other Issues

Do you have any other concerns you’d like to discuss with the Bargaining Committee?

Teaching Assistants:

Workload

Some TAs have expressed concerns to your Unit 2 Stewards about their workload.

Do you have any concerns about the number of hours in your contract and the amount of work expected of you? 

Other Issues

Do you have any other concerns you’d like to discuss with the Bargaining Committee?

Unit 3

Unit 4

Questions for ALL Unit 4 Members: 

Workspace

Does St. Michael’s College provide you with adequate office or workspace to fulfill your duties (e.g., to prep before class, meet privately with students, safely stow materials while you teach, etc.)?

Training

Meeting students’ needs and keeping up with changing technology is a challenge university educators are facing. 

Writing Instructors:

Job Security

At UofT and Victoria College, experienced, long-serving Writing Instructors can apply for promotion to higher job rankings that provide some job security (e.g., a minimum guarantee of hours each year) and higher pay. 

Would you like to see a similar promotion system in place at St. Mike’s? If so, what job security provisions do you imagine would be appropriate?

Professional Development

Universities are increasingly seeking candidates for writing instruction with a current research agenda or recent credentials in the field, despite the financial difficulty contract educators face.

Would you like to see the creation of a research or professional development fund that would allow you to fund research projects, attend conferences, participate in relevant training or courses, etc.?

Other Issues

Do you have any other concerns you’d like to discuss with the Bargaining Committee?

Teaching Assistants:

Workload 

Some TAs have expressed concerns to your Unit 4 Stewards about their workload.

Do you have any concerns about — for example — the number of hours in your contract and the amount of work expected of you, or the time you are given to complete marking, or keeping track of your hours, etc.? 

Other Issues 

Do you have any other concerns you’d like to discuss with the Bargaining Committee? 

Course Instructors:

Job Security 

Job security is a perennial concern for Course Instructors (Sessionals) everywhere. Your Collective Agreement has provisions that allow CIs who have taught 8 half-courses to apply to “advance” to Course Instructor II rank, which confers hiring preference. In Unit 3 (UofT), the requirement to advance is now only 5 courses, and CIII rank comes with course guarantees.

Is it important for CIs at St. Mike’s to make similar gains? Are there are other ways you can imagine improving job security for CIs at St. Mike’s?

Professional Development 

Universities are increasingly seeking candidates for sessional teaching work with a current research agenda, despite the financial difficulty contract educators face maintaining one. 

Would you like to see the creation of a research or professional development fund that would allow you to fund research projects, attend conferences, etc.?

Unit 6

International Foundations Program:

Promotion/Opportunities within IFP 

Currently, there are few opportunities for promotion or movement within the IFP.  How would you like to see the lack of mobility and opportunities for professional development and experience in other roles in the IFP addressed?  (E.g., creating curriculum development roles, leadership opportunities, etc.) 

Hours in Person at IFP 

IFP managers have mandated that IFP instructors be available on Teams 10-4pm. 

How does this fixed schedule reflect the hours in which you perform your work?  Do you find this requirement to be available during business hours onerous?   

Working Jobs outside IFP 

Many IFP instructors need to work jobs outside the IFP.  Is it important for you to be able to take on extra work beyond the IFP?  If so, why? 

Pension 

In the first round of bargaining, the Employer cited Bill 124 (the law that capped all public sector gains to 1% per year) as the reason why IFP instructors could not be enrolled in the University Pension Plan.  As a compromise, both parties agreed to create a GRRSP (6% matched contribution, managed by ManuLife).  

The UPP is a defined benefits pension with c.40,000 members and $11.7 billion in assets.  It requires employees to contribute roughly 10% of income, while the Employer contributes another 10%.  Defined benefits pensions are generally less subject to market volatility and offer a guaranteed minimum income after retirement.    

More info is available at myupp.ca. If there is interest in moving to the UPP, your bargaining team will provide an info session so you can make an informed decision.

Other Issues 

Are there any other issues with your work at the IFP you’d like to see addressed? 

IFP-H Course Instructors:

TA Support

Currently, the threshold for TA support is 60 students.

Is reducing the threshold for TA support a priority for you? What do you think is a reasonable number?

Benefits and Pay

In the first round of bargaining, Bill 124 prevented your bargaining committee from being able to negotiate any benefits or increase wages beyond 1%.

Other Issues

Are there any other issues with your work at the IFP you would like to see addressed? 

International Summer Academy:

ISA Restructuring 

Do you have any concerns about the impact of the recent restructuring of the Summer program (e.g., smaller 3-week contracts, how contracts are posted, etc.)? 

Non-Teaching Duties 

Some of your colleagues have raised the issue of instructors being required to perform non-teaching duties (e.g., attending graduation, student orientation, etc.) that were not included in their contracts.  

Covering Leaves 

ISA Instructors have reported taking on additional sections to cover for a sick colleague and not being compensated for their work.

Advancement/Job Security 

Currently, to gain hiring preference, ISA Instructors are required to do go through the Advancement process (teaching observations, submission of a teaching dossier and statement of teaching philosophy).  Should simplifying Advancement (e.g., a right of first refusal, seniority points, etc.) be a priority for the bargaining committee? 

Other Issues

Are there any other issues with your work at the ISA you would like to see addressed? 

Unit 7

Other Issues 

Do you have any other concerns you’d like to discuss with the Bargaining Committee? 

Next Steps:

Stay connected and join the unified fight for better working conditions for U of T education workers.