In June, your elected Unit 4 Bargaining Team presented a series of monetary proposals to the Employer. These proposals essentially form a draft Collective Agreement with everything we’re hoping to achieve at the bargaining table. Once we negotiate/bargain these proposals to language that both us and the Employer can agree on, we put all the agreed language together to form our Collective Agreement (contract for all workers).
Monetary proposals are separate from the non-monetary language we have already been negotiating because monetary proposals cover our terms of employment which have an associated cost (eg. contract language around wages). While still important, the language we have been bargaining for the past several months has pertained solely to terms of our employment without an associated cost (eg. policies for health and safety).
Our monetary proposals outlined demands for the following, as voted as priorities by us:
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A wage increase to a living wage for all Unit 4 members and a new monetary wage in addition to housing as compensation for Community Advisors
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An employer-paid meal plan for Community Advisors
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A supplementary health benefits fund for all Unit 4 members for when the student plan isn’t enough (including reproductive and gender affirming care funding)
In response to our proposals, the Employer shared their idea for the future of Unit 4 compensation, which included:
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A shift towards a pay-to-work model for Community Advisors, with insufficient hours to make a net income after paying rent. This effectively means a 40% pay cut for CAs.
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No change to the existing mandatory meal plan policy, again leaving Community Advisors out of pocket after even a whole year of work.
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Negligible wage increases for GRAs, PAs, ROP/As, resulting in lower wages than workers in similar roles at other Ontario universities.
The Employer’s proposal is concerning, but that’s why we unionized – to stop unfair changes from happening without our say.
Bargaining process overview & next steps
As our Unit 4 Bargaining Team continues to negotiate against the Employer’s insulting offer, we (the workers) need to be ready to stand up.
In the near future, our Unit 4 Bargaining Team may choose to escalate by requesting the help of a conciliator (a neutral government-appointed mediator) and calling a Strike Vote. While a positive strike vote does not necessarily mean we will go on strike, it sends a powerful message that we are ready and willing to take action to secure fair wages and better working conditions.
These are both important steps that demonstrate to the Employer that we’re serious about our proposals.
We (the workers) need to be ready to show our support for fair wages now! ✊
Stay tuned for more information in the very near future!