Bargaining Status and How to Get Involved
Bargaining is heating up, and it’s getting hotter! The union’s filing for conciliation has landed at a meeting date with a Ministry of Labour appointed conciliator on Thursday, October 29 at 9AM. A general reminder that CUPE 3903 practices open bargaining, in a hybrid format, which means all members are welcome and encouraged to attend, listen in, read the captions, and pass virtual notes to your bargaining team — we care about member feedback. For a guide on bargaining stages, and where we have landed in our best efforts to work for a fair deal, consult this link: Bargaining Stages
Hotshot Clause Use: Still No Real Answer
This week’s bargaining opened with the union’s request for information on hotshot clause use during the 2025–2026 academic year. The Employer’s initial response was a non-committal “commitment” to provide the data, accompanied by a signal that no system exists to track it — reportedly the source of the delay. When the answer finally came, it was few words: “approximately half a dozen”. For members unfamiliar with the hotshot clause and its long history at the 3903 bargaining table, more background is available here, and the union’s current proposal can be read here.
Unit 1: Ticketed Course Directorships
The union engaged with the Employer proposal Unit 1 10.01.1 – Ticketed Course Directorships to seek clarity on inconsistencies in how ticket course directorship opportunities are posted and allocated — including off-cycle offerings (tickets offered outside the start of each semester) and how they are distributed per faculty. There was also confusion about the accuracy of the data and how it is communicated, both at the bargaining table and in the unionized workplace, given the diminishing value and quantity of work across the bargaining units.
Overwork and the Intensification of Labour
When it comes to overwork, the union takes this matter with utmost seriousness, especially when it is not compensated. Unit 1 has been offered compensation at the overwork rate for such duties as grade appeals or academic dishonesty, as well as other potential workload issues arising due to the intensification of labour by virtue of AI systems introduced into the workplace without union consent.
For Unit 2, by contrast, the Employer has continued to propose that two hours of free labour for overwork is acceptable, and to only compensate at the marker/grader rate when overwork goes beyond those two hours. The union is pushing back on this inconsistent practice as our work in both Units 1 and 2 becomes increasingly truncated.
Unit 2: LSTAs and CSSP — Turning Discretion Into Rights
Our union counter Unit 2 – Article 24 LSTAs keeps equity at the centre of Long Service Teaching Appointments (LSTAs), with 50% of LSTAs guaranteed to Indigenous and racialized members and a $10,000 deposit to the Support Fund whenever equity commitments go unmet. The union’s counter recognizes members who have given years of service to this university, setting clear pool-inclusion criteria for 2, 3, and 5 years of service so that long-serving members are not left behind. It also aims to secure transparency and accountability, requiring the Employer to report on LSTA recipients and equity data to the union by May 31 every year.
Our Unit 2 – Article 12.01.2 CSSP counter gives members what they have long deserved: a clear, dated appointment process for the Continual Sessional Standing Program with real deadlines, written offers within 10 days, and a fair window to accept. Together, these proposals turn seniority and equity from Employer discretion into enforceable rights — transparent, dated, and guaranteed, with outcomes the union can monitor and the Employer cannot quietly walk away from.
Unit 3: Classification of Bargaining Work
The employer expressed concerns about how tracking of bargaining work would operate in motivating further discussion on 3.05.02 Classification of Bargaining Work. The union and employer did find common ground on the importance of integrity in the hiring of Graduate Assistants (GAs) as research assistant labour, agreeing, in spirit, that all faculty should be aware of and follow proper hiring practices. By way of example, the union noted that assigning Unit 3 scope work to York University’s Work/Study undergraduates rather than unionized Graduate Assistants reflects poorly on the University’s commitment to fairness and equity in employment practice.
The union also raised concerns about a climate of fostering trust and truth in connection with this important bargaining matter, which has spanned many years of sustained advocacy at the bargaining table. The union remains firm: the integrity of Unit 3 work must be protected, and the Employer must answer for ensuring that bargaining unit work stays with bargaining unit members.
Health and Safety: The Importance of the Labour Management Committee (LMC)
The union posed a number of questions about the Employer’s updates to the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) language. Among the changes of concern is the Employer’s deletion of the LMC’s power to request protective equipment for members who require it. In response, the Employer stated that the JHSC is “the highest mechanism” and that the York University’s Health and Safety Executive Council (HSEC) carries the “force of law” and that the “JHSC operates even without unions”.
The naming of the LMC itself in the language remains contested, and there was considerable back-and-forth on accountability mechanisms and the scope of “employer responsibilities”. The union invoked the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) — the provincial law that sets out the duties of employers, workers, and joint health and safety committees — including the Employer’s duty under s. 25(2)(e) to assist and co-operate with those committees. The naming of the LMC in the collective agreement feels pertinent to uphold that commitment!
AI and the Diminishment of Human Labour
The Employer responded to the union’s AI proposal; the contested matter is the consent of the union in order to intervene on the diminishment of human labour. Speaking of which, we hope to have members present to respond to these timely concerns as our workplace environments change, while we fight for a fair human-powered future.
Signed: Printing of Our Collective Agreements
Last, but not least, the Union and Employer signed off on Printing – All Units, U1/2 21.03 & U3 13.02, for us to have our Collective Agreements on paper! A signed collective agreement in members’ hands — with the possibility of being held — can be the difference between rights that are enforceable and rights that exist only at the Employer’s discretion. The Employer’s push toward electronic-only copies with just ten printed copies for the union office must be met with the understanding that accessible, physical copies of our rights are not a printing cost but the very record of what we fought to win, and what we continue to fight for!
Stay Engaged: Upcoming Dates and Mobilization!
- General Membership Meeting: October 20, 11AM – 2PM — click here to register!
- The BT invites all members who want to get more involved in the bargaining process to email outreach@cupe3903.org
- Next Bargaining Mobilization Committee Meeting (BMC): October 21, 1 – 2PM — Open to all members!
In solidarity,
CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team (Units 1, 2, & 3)
bargaining@cupe3903.org
Click here to read previous BT reports, and check the calendar for upcoming bargaining-related happenings.