Hello TSSU members,
In this bargaining update you will see:
- An update on last week’s RA bargaining session
- Our next bargaining date: September 10 from at 12:30pm in Halpern 114
- An RA social to discuss our fight for wage increases and extended benefits for all: September 25 at 4:30pm – 6:30pm at Biercraft
Last week we resumed bargaining for Research Assistants’ first Collective Agreement. This is a huge culmination of years of work and we continue to fight to secure what RAs deserve: RESPECT, FAIR WAGES, JOB PROTECTION, and BENEFITS.
Because this is a continuation of bargaining for RAs, TSSU and the Employer previously made tradeoffs over two years of negotiations and reached common ground on many items. We at TSSU want to move forward without rehashing the things we’ve already agreed to and the Employer has indicated some willingness to do so.
At this session, both TSSU and the Employer exchanged proposals with the understanding that monetary and other controversial issues will be exchanged later. Our TSSU proposals were a package that:
- includes RAs in the common language available to all TSSU members, including academic freedom, harassment protections, and the grievance procedure; and
- addresses non-monetary items for Research Assistants where common ground was previously reached, such as ensuring RAs get contracts, paid training, and rights around their work schedules.
The Employer’s proposals were mainly modifications of teaching-centric language to be more generally applicable to research workers. Our committee, in many places, agrees with these changes. However, there were some instances where their proposal was not a minor change, and could make working life more difficult for TSSU members. These we pushed back on. The Employer indicated they needed time to review TSSU’s proposals and respond in light of bargaining for all RAs.
At the end of our session, the Employer would not agree to a next bargaining date, but after some pressure we were able to secure one. After 4 years of relentless delays and many sessions with the previous negotiator where they refused to offer a timeline within which they would work or bargain – we are cautiously optimistic that we are now making some progress, however small.
You are invited:
- Our next bargaining date: September 10 at 12:30 PM in Halpern 114
- RA social to build our RA community: September 25 from 4:30-6:30pm at Biercraft in the back room.
Your involvement in building the RA community, and building RA power for our contract is needed. A strong presence at the bargaining table will show the employer the membership is serious about getting to the deal we deserve. We will continue to push for living wages, benefits for all, and respect every day in our workplaces.
In solidarity,
Your TSSU Contract Committee