Search
Close this search box.

A Union for Academics???: 50 Years of CUPE 3903

In fall 1975, the York University Graduate Assistants’ Association (GAA) won (enough of) their case before the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) to allow for the certification of the third union representing “part-time” academics in Canada. This was the first academic union in Canada to include both teaching assistants and sessional instructors, and the first example of graduate students receiving legal recognition as workers at the university at which they were enrolled.

Two name changes, three new units, seven strikes, thirty collective agreements, and one national affiliation later, CUPE 3903 marks this fiftieth anniversary with a public exhibition of records, artefacts, and memories from the CUPE 3903 Archive.

Beginning Monday, September 22nd and continuing through Friday, October 3rd, CUPE 3903 welcomes you to A Union for Academics???: 50 Years of CUPE 3903. Highlights from the CUPE 3903 Archive — the largest archive of “part-time” academic labour in Canada — will be on display throughout the exhibition, inviting visitors to imagine new ways of understanding York University; academic work in the Canadian university; and the many social, cultural, and activist histories latent to these records. Special presentations of additional documents, artefacts, videos, music, and digital objects will be presented over the course of the two-week run. 

The exhibition is open weekdays, from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., at the Eleanor Winters Art Gallery (129 Winters College, York University, Keele Campus). Admission is free, and pictures are welcome!

A Union for Academics???: 50 Years of CUPE 3903 is organized by the CUPE 3903 Archive Committee and numerous volunteer members of the local, with support from the Canadian Committee on Labour History’s Small Grants Program and the Eleanor Winters Art Gallery.

The CUPE 3903 Executive Committee is in solidarity with the staff at the York University Faculty Association (YUFA), who are represented by CUPE 1281. As...

This October, CUPE 3903 brought eight delegates to the 2025 CUPE National Convention, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. While there were multiple frustrating...

At our recent October General Membership Meeting, three members were acclaimed in committee by-elections! Congratulations to Rory Sharp and Christopher Sorio on the Employment Equity...

Over the summer, CUPE 3903 achieved yet another arbitration victory!  This case continues a trend of wins at arbitration to protect the rights of graduate...

Calling all CUPE 3903 members! Please consider running for open committee positions in the upcoming committee byelections at the October 21 General Membership Meeting. We...

To the York University Administration, We write this letter to call on you to take a stand against anti-Palestinian racism. We do this in the...

This post was updated on October 16, 2025. In September 2025, York informed many Unit 1 members that they may not receive a Teaching Assistant...

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is on September 30th. This is a day to recognize and grapple with the horrific legacy of residential...

At today’s Executive Committee meeting, two members were appointed via pro-tem nomination to the Employment Equity Committee (EEC) and one member was pro-temmed to the...

Skip to content