Kathy Thomas/fs/YorkU
01/09/2009 05:18 PM |
|
York University initiates Supervised
Vote on Offers for Settlement
Membership vote could get students back to class
TORONTO, January 9, 2009 – In light of the refusal by the CUPE 3903 bargaining
team to take the University’s last offer to their membership for a vote
as requested two days ago, York University has requested that the Minister
of Labour direct a supervised vote on the comprehensive offers for settlement
made by the University on January 7 to its employees represented by CUPE
3903.
At a meeting between the two parties today, CUPE 3903 did not bring forward
any modifications to its existing positions, nor did it bring forward a
counter-offer.
A separate vote will be required for each of the three bargaining units
of CUPE 3903 which represent approximately 950 contract faculty, 1,850
TAs and 550 GAs. The votes will be conducted as soon as they can
be arranged by the Ministry of Labour. A simple majority vote in
favour of each contract offer would mean the end of the strike and have
students back in class as quickly as possible.
“After five months of unsuccessful negotiations, we see this as a necessary
step because it will give employees in each bargaining unit a chance to
vote on our settlement offers, end this strike and get our students back
to class,” said Alex Bilyk, spokesperson for the University.
Talks between the University and CUPE 3903 resumed on January 3 and after
5 days of renewed bargaining the University tabled enhanced settlement
offers for all three units. The total value of the University’s offer
now stands at 10.7% over 3 years.
Bilyk said there are few options left to end the strike: “The union still
has some 75 outstanding demands totalling 15.8% over 2 years that would
cost the University $9.9 million annually.”
The union has previously refused to take all outstanding contract issues
to binding arbitration, which would also end the strike.
The University has recently successfully negotiated 3-year contracts with
other campus unions, including CUPE 1356, which overwhelmingly ratified
a 3-year contract with a 9.25 percent wage increase plus other
contract improvements.
Under Ontario’s labour relations laws, employers can ask for a secret-ballot
vote of union members on a contract offer. The vote is conducted and supervised
by the Ministry of Labour, with the voting location and days allocated
for voting to be decided by the Ministry of Labour, after input from both
the employer and the union.
Full details of the University’s comprehensive offers for settlement
have been posted on the York website.
Richard Fisher
Chief Marketing Officer
York University
Toronto, CANADA
Tel. (416) 650-8230
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www.yorku.ca
Kathy Thomas
Executive Assistant to the Dean
Faculty of Health
York University
4700 Keele St., HNES 443
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3
Tel: 416-736-5031
Fax: 416-736-5760
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www.yorku.ca/health
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