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MEDIA RELEASE YORK
TEACHING/GRADUATE ASSISTANTS REJECT YORK'S OFFER WE WANT TO RETURN TO THE BARGAINING TABLE For
immediate release... January 5, 2001 |
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(Toronto)
- The executive of CUPE 3903 is pleased that our teaching assistants
and graduate assistant's have voted against the administration's offer
during this forced ratification vote. We are pleased that this strike has
drawn public attention to the crisis in post-secondary education and
the move
towards inaccessible and unaffordable education at York University.
We are
angry that the administration chose to pursue a forced vote on December 19,
2000, rather than committing to reach a settlement through collective bargaining. requested,
an agreement could have been reached so classes could resume January
8, 2001. Management's decision to walk away from the table has endangered
the school year and prolonged this strike. We now call upon the employer
to meet with our bargaining team tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. to resume
negotiations and come to an agreement that our members will accept. As
Clarice Kuhling, CUPE 3903 bargaining team member, insists: "A
refusal to bargain
will only illustrate to the community that York does not have the best
interests of students at heart." |
protection.
For the last two contracts, CUPE 3903 has negotiated protection
against
the erosion of our wages by tuition increases. The administration's
offer
was rejected because it only offers us protection against tuition
increases
up to 2% a year. We are asking for language in our collective
agreement
that guarantees a tuition rebate in the event that tuition
increases.
•
For graduate assistants, the lowest paid workers at York, we are committed
to
negotiating a fair first agreement. The issues remaining on the table
include
a compensation and health benefits package. The value of these
proposals
represents a minuscule .05% of the university's total budget, but
would
make a huge difference for workers whose wages barely cover tuition
fees.
Contract
faculty in CUPE 3903 have agreed to the current offer, and we look
forward
to winning similar progress for the teaching assistants and graduate
assistants.
The
administration's current offer includes gains in some areas and
rollbacks
in other areas. We feel that despite the outcome of this vote,
that
our contract faculty have gained a victory in their new collective
agreements.
The administration should however, be ashamed at how they have
treated
our members during this long and bitter strike.
The
amazing solidarity seen in this strike will remain until this dispute is
resolved.
All members of CUPE 3903 remain committed to winning a fair
settlement
for our teaching assistants and graduate assistants.
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Contact:
Michelle Lowry: 877-2109
Mike
Ma: 831-2984
Joel
Harden: 887-7270
Joe
Kispal-Kovacs: 877-2103
CUPE
3903 represents over 2100 contract faculty, graduate assistants and
teaching
assistants at York University.
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