Strike Mandate Vote 2025 – FAQ
What is a strike mandate?
The Strike Mandate Vote is a necessary step in any round of bargaining. The vote asks members of CUPE 3902 Units 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 to decide whether or not they grant the Union’s Executive Committee the right to call for strike to reach a fair contract with your employer.
Why do we strike?
The University of Toronto (U of T) is Canada’s richest and largest university, and it expands this power at the expense of its most precarious workers. U of T hires an army of lawyers, consultants, and well-paid bureaucrats specifically trained in diluting the ideas we bring to the bargaining table, to protect their bottom line and sow divisions between workers. You and your coworkers are not powerless against this. Together, you can enact the ultimate expression of collective power: going on strike.
Why should I vote YES for a strike mandate?
The University prefers it when you and your coworkers are disconnected from each other and apathetic about the bargaining process. They will never agree to your demands—no matter how reasonable or necessary—unless they see that you and your coworkers are serious about your proposals and prepared to take action to win a fair contract. The best demonstration of your collective willingness to strike is the strike mandate vote. If you and your coworkers participate in the vote and an overwhelming majority say “yes” to a strike mandate, it sends a strong message of worker unity and organization to U of T, and it puts your Bargaining Committee in a more powerful position to make critical gains at the bargaining table.
Does this mean we’re going on strike?
Not necessarily. A majority “yes” strike mandate vote can take place at any point during the bargaining process, and it does not automatically trigger a strike or put a stop to negotiations: a strike mandate gives the Union the right to call for job action, up to and including a strike, in the event that your employer refuses to reach a fair deal. Without a majority “yes” strike mandate, your Bargaining Committee has virtually no power at the table.
How is a strike vote initiated?
You and your coworkers in Units 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 need to authorize the opening of the strike vote, and you will do this at the General Membership Meeting. Once approved, the online voting system will open at the end of the membership meeting.
Units Membership Meeting:
When: Wednesday, March 5, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Where: OISE 5170, 252 Bloor Street W, Toronto M5S 1V6 (also via Zoom)
Register via MemberPortal!
Strike Mandate Vote 2025
Where: Online Electronic Vote
When: Wednesday, March 5 at 3:30 p.m. – Friday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m.
How: You will receive an email from CUPE 3902 with a unique voting link, username, and password for SimplyVoting. You can only vote once. If you do not receive an email within 6 hours of the start of the voting period, please email our Chief Returning Officer at cro@cupe3902.org.
Results will be available on Saturday, March 8.
