UNIT 1 BARGAINING BULLETIN #5

DAYS 4 AND 5 AT THE TABLE!

Your Bargaining Team met with your employer on Friday, January 26 and Tuesday, January 30. Here’s what you need to know about your fourth and fifth days at the table: 

Transit

Transit is one of many day-to-day expenses that are increasingly difficult for you and your coworkers to manage as the cost of living continues to skyrocket. After hearing how important free transit is for so many of you, your employer is still not yet prepared to offer any kind of transit subsidies. Why? Because, according to your employer, you and your coworkers choose where you live (and by implication, you choose to commute to your workplaces from far away). Do you really have a choice of where to live given your current wages and salaries?

New wins in your fight against discrimination and harassment

Last Friday, you won two important amendments to your tentative agreement that affirm your commitment to fighting against abuse of power and discrimination in your workplaces. 

In a historic move, you and your coworkers proposed the addition of caste as a protected category to the No Discrimination policy in your Collective Agreement. Your employer accepted your amendment, and will hopefully follow your lead by including caste as a protected category under the University’s official policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment.

You also proposed an amendment to Article 4 of your CA to enshrine zero tolerance towards reprisals or retaliation against any employee who files a harassment or discrimination-based grievance.

Discussion and Counter-proposals

You proposed that all Unit 1 workers should be able to attend all departmental meetings that are open to all faculty and staff. U of T has not submitted a counter-proposal, but did indicate that you and your coworkers should only be able to attend meetings taking place during the term in which you are actively employed as education workers. 

Your employer is also hesitant to adopt your proposed language around defining Course Instructor duties, particularly relating to defining how many students a CI should be allocated to grade for before being offered TA support (your team proposed 20 students). Your Bargaining Team will continue to discuss these proposals with your employer and advocate for resolutions that meet your workplace needs and demands.

U of T’s bargaining team (finally) offered some counter-proposals this week, including:

Current Collective Agreement	Your Unit 1 Proposal	Your Employer’s Counter-proposal
1 day of paid sick leave for those working 30+ hours	1 day of paid sick leave for those working 15+ hours	1 day of paid sick leave for those working 30+ hours
2 days of paid sick leave for those working 100+ hours	2 days of paid sick leave for those working 70+ hours	2 days of paid sick leave for those working 90+ hours
3 days of paid sick leave for those working 200+ hours	3 days of paid sick leave for those working 140+ hours	3 days of paid sick leave for those working 180+ hours
3 days of paid bereavement leave	7 days of paid bereavement leave	5 days of paid bereavement leave

Your Bargaining Team is discussing these counter offers. Check out Unit 1’s Proposal Tracker to keep up with your proposals and your employer’s counter-proposals.

STAY CONNECTED AND TAKE ACTION!

• Attend your Winter General Membership Meeting to get updates about contract negotiations and to initiate the Strike Vote process!
  
  Wednesday, February 7, 5:30 to 7:30pm
  Health Sciences Building, Room 610 (155 College St.)
  
• Haven’t made it to the first installment of the Unit 1 + Unit 5 Bargaining and Strike Info Sessions? Join your coworkers at Sid Smith Hall (Rm. 3130) this Thursday, February 1 from 3:00 to 4:30pm to learn more about the bargaining process and where we’re at.

MEET YOUR BARGAINING TEAM