50,000 Students Still Out Of School As Talks Continue At York University
Posted January 6, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Negotiations are continuing but nearly 50,000 York University students still aren’t back at school.
They’ve been out of the classroom for two months, since a November 6 job action by CUPE 3903 effectively shut down the campus.
The union represents teaching assistants, contract faculty and graduate assistants who walked off the job. They’d been without a contract since August 31 following a dispute over wages and other issues.
Tuesday marked the fourth day of talks, a positive signs for students but not a guarantee.
“It’s taken a really long time to get to these negotiations and if they break down, the [school year] is lost,” pointed out Lyndon Koopmans from the group “York Not Hostage.”
Both CUPE 3903 and the administration have been back at the table since Saturday. That came after three weeks of no communication at all between the two sides.
Contract employees appear to be holding out for an 11 per cent raise over two years, rejecting the University’s offer of 9.25 per cent over three years. They also want job security and are asking for a two-year deal that will expire at the same time as other university contracts.
The York Federation of Students presented each side with a petition bearing 4,000 signatures urging an end to the strike (pictured).
Whenever a resolution is passed, it will be 72 hours until classes can resume.
Students have also been holding a sit-in outside the university president’s office since Sunday at 7pm.
The group would like to meet with Mamdouh Shoukri and has said they will not leave unless he answers 12 of their questions, and agrees to participate in a public forum about the strike.
The Strike From All Sides On The Web
York University’s site for students
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