Today was our third day of negotiations with SFU Administration for the first Collective Agreement for Research Assistants and Grant Employees (RAs). SFU accepted our common clauses list, which is a first win in this round of RA bargaining! The common clauses are the articles which are in the TSSU/SFU Collective Agreement that will be applicable to RAs. Some of the key common clauses that have been included are: Article 9 which protects against disrcimination and harassment, Article 21, which outlines health and safety rights, and Appendix I, which is the tuition deferment system which lets TSSU members pay tuition off their paycheques and avoid late fees. These basic protections, which SFU has denied to RAs for so long, were some of our members’ key priorities in voting to unionize. Once we reach a complete agreement, and the membership votes to approve the agreement, these protections will apply to RAs.
During the negotiations today SFU Administration presented a short counter proposal to the TSSU’s March 23, 2021 comprehensive proposal package.
TSSU’s proposals are a complete and comprehensive expression of RAs’ needs as they have been expressed in surveys and conversations with members. Once again, the Employer presented a short counter proposal that dealt superficially with only a few of the TSSU’s issues. During the caucus breaks, TSSU quickly integrated the acceptable parts of the contract language changes that SFU Administration had proposed into our proposals, and countered within four hours. TSSU moved toward more specific definitions and categorizations of positions and roles, and emphasized that the different parts of our proposals work together as one piece.
TSSU’s perspective has always been that we are bargaining academic workers’ contracts, and, in the past, SFU Administration’s perspective has consistently been that TSSU is bargaining Graduate student contracts with the Employer, even when bargaining for Sessional Instructors. Things have apparently changed, and SFU Administration’s new argument insists that the Research Assistant contract is not connected to graduate student funding or academic standing, even as that funding or standing relates to employment contracts, and that it cannot bargain within that framework. TSSU stays steadfast in its belief that it is always working to achieve, among other things, better working conditions for all RAs, including graduate student workers.
In addition, there are many ways you can help us get to the first RA Collective Agreement:
- Sign and Share our petition! You can share our social media posts (Facebook, Twitter)
- Share your RA Stories (either anonymously here or send them to organizer@tssu.ca)
- Get involved in our campaign! Join our Membership Mobilization Committee (contact organizer@tssu.ca for more info)
Share this bargaining update with your caucus & discuss the details with your department stewards. Does your department have questions? We’d be more than happy to come answer them. Email organizer@tssu.ca or chief_steward@tssu.ca Want to see the details of TSSU’s proposal? No worries! Email chief_steward@tssu.ca