Did you know that the York administration is planning to undermine the UHIP Fund? The employer has stated that starting next September, they will no longer top-up the UHIP Fund to cover all international student members of CUPE 3903 Units 1 & 3 and their dependents. If we take healthcare and equity for international students seriously, we can’t allow this to happen!
What is the UHIP Fund?
The University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) is a mandatory program for all international students. It acts as the equivalent of OHIP or other provincial healthcare coverage. The cost of UHIP starts at $792 per year and can increase up to $2,376 per year if you have multiple dependents (such as a spouse or children) who also need coverage.
The CUPE 3903 UHIP Fund covers the cost of UHIP premiums for Unit 1 and Unit 3 members (Teaching Assistants and Graduate/Research Assistants, respectively) who are international students. This fund has existed for at least 26 years. This is a vital fund for supporting international students, yet the employer has put us on notice that they don’t intend to resource the fund adequately going forward.
What is the Problem?
The text of the Collective Agreement guarantees $81,737 (around $154,000 with fund protections) for the UHIP Fund. However, this has not been sufficient for many years. Both the union and the employer acknowledged this by negotiating transfers from other funds so that all members and their dependents could be fully covered. Starting this September, the employer has said that they do not intend to ensure that international students are not paying out of pocket for basic healthcare.
The employer has the funds to provide coverage for these essential costs. We know this because they’ve always done it. This change in policy is a choice the employer is making: a choice to refuse to protect the health of many workers who make the university function.
In 2024, the employer attempted to unilaterally remove coverage for members’ dependents, an unprecedented shift in policy that was made without notice to the union (see here for more info). They did this shortly after the 2024 bargaining round concluded. In those negotiations, we had discussed that the UHIP Fund did not need a top-up as long as the prior practice remained.
We were able to file a grievance which resulted in coverage for all members and dependents for the current collective agreement (see here for details). However, it was during these discussions that the employer announced they will no longer cover dependents or top-up the fund for members going forward, impacting both members and their dependents.
How Do We Protect UHIP for International Students?
Bargaining for new collective agreements for Units 1, 2, & 3 will begin as soon as June 2026. For those of us who aren’t international students, this is our opportunity to act in solidarity to maintain the UHIP Fund for the international student community. For international students, know that your union colleagues have your back in the fight for everyone’s right to healthcare.
We can negotiate improvements to the UHIP Fund that will meet the needs of our colleagues, including protecting their dependents. International students are classmates, coworkers, and friends who make this institution function as a place of learning. It is unacceptable that the university is refusing to provide for their dignity and well-being whilst profiting off of their efforts and exorbitant tuition fees. Especially in this moment, when there is a rise in xenophobic sentiment against international students, we need to push back against this rhetoric. International students: you are not second-class colleagues. We need to protect the UHIP Fund.
Want to stay plugged into UHIP as a key bargaining issue? Make sure to raise your voice at upcoming meetings and check the newsletter for updates about getting involved.