CUPE 3906 stands in solidarity with students across Ontario mobilizing for accessible, affordable, and publicly funded post-secondary education. We support our members’ right to organize, speak out, and demand an education system that serves students and communities, not one that places an evergrowing financial burden on those pursuing an education.
On November 5, 2026, students across Ontario will take action against austerity, including major changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), the lifting of the multi-year tuition freeze, and the ongoing underfunding of post-secondary education. Organized by Ontario Students Against Austerity (ONSAA) and supported by allied Campus Unions and Students Associations, this day of action calls for meaningful change, including reversing OSAP cuts and addressing the growing barriers to accessing and completing a post-secondary education.
Students are not just students; they are also workers. Many balance classes, assignments, and exams with paid employment, often in precarious or low-wage jobs, just to afford tuition, rent, food, and other basic necessities. They are our teaching assistants, research assistants, campus workers, residence workers, sessional instructors, and future colleagues. They contribute to our workplaces, our campuses, and our communities while working to build a future for themselves. When education becomes less affordable, the burden does not stop at the classroom door, it affects students’ livelihoods, working conditions, and futures.
As a union representing academic workers at McMaster University, CUPE 3906 recognizes that the struggles of students and workers are deeply interconnected. Accessible education, fair working conditions, and economic justice are not separate issues. They are part of the same fight for a more equitable society. We believe that access to education should not depend on a person’s income or their ability to take on debt. No one should have to choose between paying rent and paying tuition, between putting food on the table and purchasing course materials, or between their education and their economic well-being.
On November 5, we encourage our members and the broader university community to stand in solidarity with students and support their call for an accessible, affordable, and adequately funded postsecondary education system. Their fight is our fight, because a stronger public education system benefits us all.
CUPE 3906