TA and sessionals union speaks of significant gains for members
Since September of last year, CUPE 3913, the union that represents TAs and sessional lecturers, has been in the midst of negotiations with the University of Guelph over their collective agreement. The most recent collective agreement between the University and CUPE 3913 expired on Aug. 31, 2016.
On Feb. 25, the parties reached a tentative settlement on the new collective agreement; this agreement was then ratified on March 8.
Both the University and the union went into these negotiations with their own goals and values in mind, however taking into consideration the needs of their counterparts across the table. In the spirit with which the University entered the negotiations, associate vice-president of faculty and academic staff relations, Tracey Jandrisits told The Ontarion that, “The University values positive labour relations and, as such, we conduct each round of bargaining in the context of the longer-term relationship between the University and CUPE 3913.”
The Ontarion spoke to CUPE 3913 president Ashley Wilson to discuss the terms of the agreement and the union’s satisfaction with the changes that were made. Wilson shared that she is unsure if there is ever going to be a completely fair agreement, but then added, “I think that we made some good gains for members and I think that it’s an agreement that members will feel the effects of. […] They will actually see changes in their day-to-day working conditions.”
Jandrisits explained that the bargaining team represented their union well and, in the end, they were able to achieve “Some significant improvements in both language […] and in total compensation.”
Among the agreed upon changes were increased wages, including higher wages for undergraduate TAs, and a more clear and consistent process for staff hiring and evaluation. One of the most important terms for CUPE 3913 was increased benefit pools for both units.Wilson explained that the new agreement saw the collective benefits pool increase from $145,000 to $275,000 per year.
In the past, the union has seen the pool emptied before the end of the year, leaving members with no benefits. Wilson believes this increase will make a significant difference, especially for sessional lecturers as this is often their primary insurer.
Although Wilson was pleased with the gains they were able to make, there were a few things the union was unable to achieve with this round of negotiations.
“We wanted to get to right of first refusal, which is the job security for sessional lecturers,” she said.
Right of first refusal, along with tuition relief or tuition indexation, were not achieved during this round of negotiations.
At this time, CUPE 3913 is still in talks with CUPE 1281, the union that represents the only staff members working for the TAs and sessionals union. Wilson said that an agreement had not yet been reached. Should these negotiations persist without a resolution, another lockout is still possible.
Photo by Heather Gilmore.