When people think of a collective agreement, they often think about the benefits that it provides them, such as decent wages, dental insurance, the health care spending account, child care reimbursement, and the UHIP rebate (for international students).
The collective agreement also provides unionized TAs and RAs (in lieu) with a variety of rights, including job security language (in the form of four year guarantee for PhD students), regulations on hours worked, limitations on the type of work that can be asked of you, fair working conditions, a variety of leaves, an ability to prioritize academic work over employment duties, and a grievance procedure. Please CLICK HERE to access the Unit 1 ‘Know Your Rights’ document, which provides simplified version of many of the rights contained in your collective agreement.
We have developed a brochure to explain harassment and discrimination in the workplace, and what to do if you experience it. Please CLICK HERE to view the brochure.