Bargaining Bulletin #8
Executive Summary
- Bill 124 has been struck down by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice!
- CUPE 3902 Unit 3 has now been without a Collective Agreement for 456 days.
- Your Bargaining Team (BT) has now met with the Employer 21 times and continues to make progress on your behalf.
- Given the strike deadline of December 8, the Employer has finally demonstrated a sense of urgency to meet your BT at the table as much as possible. Dawn-to-dusk bargaining sessions are set for December 5, 6, and 7.
- If your fall grading is already completed, consider holding off on uploading final grades for now, with the strike deadline just around the corner.
- If you’re interested in being a picket captain, please contact Tom Robles (vp2@cupe3902.org) or Tzazna Miranda Leal (organizer@cupe3902.org).
- Sign up for a workshop about what you need to do to prepare for a strike. New dates have been added. Please see below for details and registration information.
- Check out and share this op-ed from one of your BT members, highlighting reasons why maintaining precarious employment does not serve the interest of you, your students, or U of T.
Expanded
As you know, in 2019 the Ford government passed Bill 124 (Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act), which severely limited collective bargaining rights for all public sector workers in Ontario. The Act limited wage increases for approximately 780,000 workers in the province, including you as a member of CUPE 3902 Unit 3. You and your colleagues knew immediately this was an appalling and unconstitutional overreach on the part of the Ontario government. On November 29, Judge Markus Koehnen of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found Bill 124 “to be contrary to section 2(d) of the Charter, and not justified under section 1 of the Charter.” Justice Koehnen’s ruling stated, “If responsible fiscal management justified limiting collective bargaining in an ordinary, unremarkable environment, it would mark the end of collective bargaining in the public sector.” Let’s celebrate striking down Bill 124!
However, it is important to note that a number of questions remain. Will the Ford government follow through on its threat to appeal the decision before the Court of Appeal for Ontario? If the appeal goes forward, can CUPE 3902 Unit 3 bargain without the limits set by Bill 124? This ruling could change the bargaining landscape, but, ultimately, much remains uncertain. Your BT and executive will make decisions informed by the legal and political context.
CUPE 3902 Unit 3 has now been without a Collective Agreement for 456 days. Your Bargaining Team (BT) has now met with the Employer 21 times and continues to make progress on your behalf. We are currently deep in discussions on Advancement for Sessional Lecturers and Writing Instructors and a proposed Advancement process for Music Professionals.
Given the strike deadline of December 8, the Employer has finally demonstrated a sense of urgency to meet your BT at the table as much as possible. Dawn-to-dusk bargaining sessions are set for December 5, 6, and 7. During these sessions, your BT expects to debate some potentially-contentious issues related to advancement, job security, and finance. Knowing Unit 3’s bargaining priorities, your strong strike mandate, and the political climate in which we all find ourselves, your BT approaches bargaining with renewed confidence and determination to get a respectful, fair Collective Agreement on your behalf.
What can you do to help?
- If your fall grading is already completed, we urge you strongly to hold off on uploading final grades for now, with the strike deadline just around the corner.
- If you’re interested in being a picket captain, please contact Tom Robles (vp2@cupe3902.org) or Tzazna Miranda Leal (organizer@cupe3902.org).
- Your co-workers are hosting workshops on how to prepare for a Unit 3 strike, and what to do about your courses and other Unit 3 work. Please register for a workshop on one of the dates below:
- Check out and share this op-ed from one of your BT members, highlighting reasons why maintaining precarious employment is a shortsighted approach on the part of U of T governance.
- Frequently check weareuoft.com for updates and share this webpage with colleagues, students, and other allies.
- Check out the strike FAQs.
- Talk to your students about the strike!
We. Are. U. Of. T.
In solidarity,
The Unit 3 Bargaining Team
Erich Vogt
Frédérique Vézina
Thomas Robles
Kenneth McNeilly
Steven Logan
Thomas Laughlin
Amy Conwell
David Simao
Leila Meskine
