FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
General Questions:
Unions are groups of workers who use collective action to improve the economic, social, and working conditions of their members and the community.
There are three ways of doing this: providing mutual aid; advocating for political, industrial, and social rights; and collectively bargaining for workplace improvements for their members.
CUPE (pronounced “Q.P.”) is the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and sub-groups of workers within CUPE are called “locals.” CUPE 3902 is the local that represents academic contract workers here at the University of Toronto.
There are five CUPE 3902 groups currently in bargaining (Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 6, and Unit 7).
3902 – Unit 2 are Writing Instructors, Undergraduate Tutors, Teaching Assistants, and Course Instructors at Victoria College.
3902 – Unit 3 are Writing Instructors, Sessional Lecturers, Sessional Instructional Assistants, Applied Music Sessionals, and Music Professionals at UofT.
3902 – Unit 4 are Writing Instructors, Teaching Assistants, and Course Instructors at St. Michael’s College.
3902 – Unit 6 are workers in the International Foundations Program and the International Summer Academy at New College.
3902 – Unit 7 are Graduate Assistants at OISE.
A strike is a full withdrawal of our labour. It means that we all stop our contracted work for our striking unit. It can also include other activities that slow or limit work such as teach-ins or sit-ins, work to rule, and rotating strikes.
For CUPE 3902 Members:
The University of Toronto is Canada’s richest and largest university. Its wealth comes at the expense of its most precarious workers. U of T is unwilling to treat us with respect and dignity and give us the conditions necessary to provide the high quality research and education that our students deserve. You and your coworkers can engage in the ultimate expression of collective power: striking.
Your local will call a strike only if all other reasonable efforts to arrive at a collective agreement are unsuccessful.
If we go on strike, it’s because the employer refused to address the systemic problems that prevent you and your co-workers from providing a world class educational experience.
The strike deadline for Unit 2, Unit 3, and Unit 7 is 12:01 AM on April 1st. These Units cover the following positions when they are performed at U of T: Sessional Lecturers, Sessional Instructional Assistants, Writing Instructors, Music Professionals, and Graduate Assistants; and any of the following contract work at Victoria College: Course Instructors, Teaching Assistants, Tutors, and Writing Instructors.
Your employer will NOT pay you for your bargaining unit work while you are on strike or lockout. In the case of a strike, you will receive strike pay of $350/week (non-taxable income) for 20 hours of picketing per week.
If you are physically unable to picket 20 hours per week, alternative duties (like supporting picket lines and pay administration) are possible, but please note that all requests for alternative duties are subject to approval by the CUPE National Secretary Treasurer. Alternative duty requests related to the Ontario Human Rights Code-based accommodations will be given priority. Find out more about alternative duties here.
IMPORTANT! In order to get paid, you must fill out a Strike Pay Application Form (Form E).
Your graduate funding from your funding package (i.e., the non-Unit 7 income from your funding package) is usually not affected by a potential strike.
No. All workers are covered by labour law and enjoy the same rights regardless of citizenship status. You cannot lose your visa or work permit by taking part in a legal strike or job action. For more information on your visa/work permit during the strike, see this information sheet from CUPE.
We have asked your Employer to honor your current benefits coverage during a strike, but they have yet to confirm. If they honor your benefits, the CUPE Strike Fund will pay both the employer and employee share for the existing level of benefits for all members participating in the strike and our existing level of benefits are expected to continue as normal. CUPE’s Strike Fund will ensure no member experiences a break in benefits coverage during a strike.
A picket line is a physical barrier whose purpose is to block and/or delay entry to a facility and disrupt operations. We strongly encourage you not to cross a picket line! If you see a picket line, talk to the picket captain, or wait for the line to move.
Move as much of your research, work, or campus activities to off-campus sites as possible.
We do the work we do for our students. If a strike happens, it will be because of U of T‘s refusal to address systemic problems that prevent us from providing a world class educational experience. If we strike, we do so because our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions—they are one and the same.
If there’s a strike or lockout for your unit, you should stop your bargaining unit work and join your coworkers on the picket line. Your bargaining unit work as a Sessional Lecturers, Sessional Instructional Assistants, Writing Instructors, Music Professionals, Graduate Assistants, etc. is separate from your academic research work.
BEFORE A STRIKE: You should tell your students about bargaining ASAP and about the April 1st strike deadline. Let them know that they can stay up to date online.
DURING A STRIKE: You should not engage in any of your bargaining unit work. This includes holding classes or tutorials, marking, prep work, and consulting/emailing with students. For Graduate Assistants this may include attending regular meetings with your GA project team/supervisor and participating in project related activities.
You can set up an automatic reply for emails from within U of T that says: CUPE 3902 Unit 2, 3, or 7 is currently on strike. I will not be performing my Unit 2, 3, or 7 work, including email with students, marking, or conducting tutorials/labs.
You do not need to talk to your boss about a strike.
It’s illegal for your boss to start a conversation about striking. If they do and you are uncomfortable, ask them to stop. If they insist, report it to CUPE 3902 (president@cupe3902org).
If there’s a strike or lockout for your unit, you should stop your bargaining unit work and join your coworkers on the picket line.
Your bargaining unit work is separate from your academic research work.
If you are on strike or locked out from your work, move as much of your work or campus activities to off-campus sites as possible. If you’re in coursework, ask your professors to hold classes off-campus or on the picket line. If you are able to pick up materials and data before the strike deadline and bring them home or to an off-campus office, do so. If you must use university facilities, you are encouraged to show your support for your picketing coworkers by wearing a button or other union swag.
Ignoring a strike undermines the Union’s position at the table and significantly weakens our chances of getting a fair contract. The employer has refused to address systemic problems that prevent us from providing a world-class educational experience. Workers are being insulted at the bargaining table by being offered concessions that will cost us jobs, security and that will limit our benefits and pensions.
Collectively we are fighting for better workplace conditions, pay, and job security. A strike may last for a few weeks, but breaking a picket and ignoring a strike can lead to an unfair contract, effective for years to come. Your actions have long-term consequences. Remember: We are stronger together!
For Undergrads:
It’s sometimes impossible to tell whether your instructor is faculty or a contract educator. The only way to know is to ask them.
Some may stop entirely; some will have lectures but no tutorials or lab. For many, assignments will not be marked for the duration of the strike because contract academic workers do the vast majority of marking at U of T.
We’re letting you know this information because we enjoy working at the University of Toronto and enjoy teaching our students. We want to be able to provide the high quality education you come to U of T to get.
The University of Toronto will insist on pinning students against workers—as they always do. We do the work we do for our students. If a strike happens, it will be because of U of T’s refusal to address systemic problems that prevent us from providing a world-class educational experience.
If we strike, we do so because our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions—they’re one and the same.But it is not a zero sum game. Investing in contract academic workers by providing a living wage, good healthcare, and fair workloads is a commitment to a high-quality education and world-class research.
The university may implement an Academic Continuity Policy which circumvents the work educators do (marking, labs, tutorials). This is at the expense of the quality of education U of T provides to students. Whether this policy is implemented is up to the university and its priorities—quality education or their bottom line; a quality degree or dollars in their pocket.
Professors who do the work that would otherwise be done by Sessional Lecturers or Graduate Assistants or by their colleagues on contract are crossing the picket line.
Because teaching assistants and course instructors write most of your feedback and grade your work at U of T, during a strike, there shouldn’t be any new grades released. After a successful conclusion of a strike, it’s up to U of T to make a reasonable plan to resume marking—unless your department waived assignments.
Take as much of your university work and activities off-campus as possible, including clubs and classes.
If you see a picket line, do not cross!
Crossing a picket line is when you walk through a group of workers and enter a building or property that unionized workers are picketing.
If you have a class in a building that is being picketed, you are not required to cross a picket line to attend, and professors are expected to accommodate students who refuse to cross. However, if you must cross, you should respect the fact that a picket line is a physical barrier whose purpose is to block and/or delay entry to a facility and disrupt operations. If you see a picket line, talk to the picket captain, respect the delay, respect our right to picket, and wait for the line to move.
Not all buildings may be picketed every day. If there’s no picket line outside the building that your course is in, you will still be expected to attend. Non-CUPE 3902 undergrads are welcome to join the picket lines.
Crossing a picket line shows that you are siding with management and U of T’s administration over Sessional Lecturers, Sessional Instructional Assistants, Writing Instructors, Music Professionals, Graduate Assistants, Course Instructors, Teaching Assistants, and Tutors.
CUPE members will go on strike only if all other reasonable efforts to arrive at a collective agreement are unsuccessful.
If we go on strike, it’s because U of T refused to address the systemic problems that prevent Sessional Lecturers, Sessional Instructional Assistants, Writing Instructors, Music Professionals, Graduate Assistants, Course Instructors, Teaching Assistants, and Tutors from providing a world-class educational experience.
Send an email to the Governing Council and tell them to support contract education workers in CUPE 3902! https://cupe.ca/fair-deal-now
Click here: https://weareuoft.com/
Follow CUPE 3902 on social media for the latest updates.
Talk to your instructor about CUPE 3902 negotiations!
Don’t cross picket lines!