Unit 5

📌 Bargaining Bulletin 4: World-Class Cheap Labour?

Byofficeco November 3, 2023November 3, 2023

Unit 5 Bargaining Bulletin
November 3, 2023
Bulletin #4

CAMPAIGN UPDATES

Yesterday, the Bargaining Committee (BC) met with the employer to present a proposal for meaningful wage increases.

The BC told the university administration about the real suffering that low wages have caused postdocs, with many of us having to put our lives on hold in order to do the research we are so passionate about. We reminded the university that the current cost of living crisis is disproportionately affecting postdocs and other low-pay contract workers. In Canada, professors are some of the highest-paid in the world, while postdocs are some of the lowest-paid. Postdocs deserve a livable wage!

What’s in the proposal?

An increase to the minimum salary from $36,061 to $50,000 for 2023 (retroactive to Jan. 1, 2023), $52,500 for 2024, and $55,125 for 2025.
An across-the-board wage increase (for workers earning more than the minimum) of 9% for 2023 (retroactive to Jan. 1, 2023), 4% for 2024, and 3% for 2025.

At the bargaining table, the university has told us that they consider your work “mission critical.” Will they prove this by agreeing to this modest step towards a livable wage for postdocs?

Our next table dates: Nov. 16 and 23.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

You have made it clear that improving wages is your single greatest issue. You know how valuable your research is to the university and the world, but the university relies on the cheap labour that postdocs supply. The only way to turn the tables in contract negotiations is for you to take collective action.

The good news is that you are part of something bigger. As the editors of Nature wrote recently, “In Canada and the United States, early-career researchers are getting organized and are taking industrial action to demand higher salaries.”

This round of bargaining represents a real opportunity not only to earn retroactive wage increases, but also to help change the direction of future postdoc labour and compensation.

TAKE ACTION

Start by signing the bargaining pledge below to tell the university that you deserve fair pay and are willing to fight for it!

The next step is to join the Contract Action Team (CAT). CATs are integral to getting the word out to fellow workers about the collective bargaining process.

Click here to sign the bargaining pledge, where you can also join the CAT.

MEET YOUR BARGAINING TEAM

“I am fighting for a fair contract because I want to provide a decent life for my family. Our current salary does not even cover the basic expenses and cost of living in Toronto, let alone plan for the future!” ~ Andrey Gornostaev, Unit 5 Lead Steward