(The following article is from the December 1-31, 2008, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

PV Ontario Bureau

On November 4, the 3400 members of CUPE 3903, representing Teaching Assistants, Graduate Assistants and Contract Faculty at York University in Toronto hit the picket lines. After four months of negotiations, members solidly rejected management's offer that failed to address the main issues - a wage increase above inflation; a 2-year Collective Agreement; job security for contract faculty and improved working conditions and employee resources.

     Spirit and attendance on the picket lines and weekly rallies have been strong. At a major rally held on November 19, every union leader in Toronto pledged support for the local, with many making donations to last for the duration of the strike.

     Student support for the striking workers has grown over the course of the strike. A group of anti-union students made a feeble attempt to organize a mass rally on November 17, using Facebook as their organizing tool. Less than a hundred students actually showed up to hear a guest speaker from the Conservative Party, while being watched by about the same number of supporters of the strike. On the same day, the Canadian Federation of Students organized a successful support rally with students coming up to York from the downtown campuses of the University of Toronto and Ryerson.

     "I am a 4th year undergraduate student, and I am concerned with the quality of post-secondary education," says Victoria Barnett, who has shown support on the picket lines along with many other students. "With government cutbacks on education and the increasing commercialization of universities, I support my TAs, GAs and Contract Faculty in their fight for a fair contract, and for quality education. This is our fight as much as it is the members of CUPE 3903."

     The CFS has been instrumental in broadening support amongst students; the York Federation of Students passed a resolution supporting CUPE 3903's demand for fair wages and job security, but did not endorse the strike itself. The York University Faculty Association have had a strong presence on the line, as has the York University Staff Association.

     CUPE's strike comes at a time when the university is in the best financial shape since the Harris years. According to the University's 2008 Financial Report, as posted on CUPE 3903's website, "operating revenues are running ahead of last year due to the impact of the increased tuition rates... and the cash balance is very strong." CUPE 3903 members, who do 50% of the teaching at York while making poverty wages, are the main reason York is doing so well. The University appears only to be using the current economic crisis to put pressure on the union to settle for less in order to maintain their corporate profit margin.

     However, unlike the big automakers, an economic downturn results in a boom for post-secondary attendance - for when unemployment goes up, people go back to school to upgrade their skills. York's class sizes have increased dramatically over the past few years, and are forecast to continue rising for the foreseeable future. Larger class sizes in turn contribute to an increased workload for CUPE 3903 teaching assistants, who are only supposed to work 10 hours a week. In reality most TA's work more than 25 hours per week while being paid for only 10.

     Instead of returning to the bargaining table, York President Mamdouh Shoukri has been holding off to put pressure on the provincial government to order the workers back to work by moving into binding arbitration.

     Showing their excellence in the area of research, members of CUPE 3903 dug up this statement from York University administration on their assessment of binding arbitration: "Arbitration, in effect, places the academic future of York in the hands of an individual who has no continuing interest in, or commitment to, the University. The administration does not consider this to be a responsible way of resolving the dispute."

     Graham Potts, CUPE 3903's chief negotiator, told PV that York's position in this strike has been very transparent: "York has refused to bargain; they have also refused to respect our rights as a trade union. It's not surprising that support from our members, York students, the community and the labour movement has been growing. York is trying to play divide and conquer - only to be a key factor in the growing solidarity on our lines!"

     The province has not entered into the debate on binding arbitration. However the government may be hesitant to enter into this dispute, knowing that the contracts for their own provincial workers and Toronto municipal workers expire at the end of this year.  

     The demand for a two year contract is one of CUPE 3903's major demands, as two years will align expiration dates for all of CUPE's university workers. Coordinated bargaining would significantly strengthen the ability to pressure the provincial government for fair funding across the sector.

     As our press deadline approaches, CUPE 3903 has requested a continuation of talks with York University on December 2, but union officials say university negotiators are holding up an agreement by refusing to address the key issues: job security for contract faculty, a reinstatement of benefits and funds to 2005 levels, and subsistence wages adequate for the cost of living in Toronto.

     "York would rather sit back, fold their hands and let 50,000 students lose their term than make us a workable offer to take to our members," said union spokesperson Rafeef Ziadah.