K-12 school employees from across the province gather to support striking York University academic workers in a rally March 27, held at the university’s nearly-completed Markham campus.
CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn speaks at a rally to support striking York University academic workers, held at the university’s Markham campus, March 27.
Joe Tigani, president-elect of CUPE Ontario School Board Council of Unions, speaks at a rally to support striking York University academic workers, held at the university’s Markham campus, March 27.
Erin McIntosh, spokesperson for CUPE 3903 and a PhD student at York, speaks at a rally to support striking York University academic workers, held at the university’s Markham campus, March 27.
K-12 school employees from across the province gather to support striking York University academic workers in a rally March 27, held at the university’s nearly-completed Markham campus.
K-12 school employees from across the province gather to support striking York University academic workers in a rally March 27, held at the university’s nearly-completed Markham campus.
Waving signs and chanting “poverty wages,” over a hundred K-12 school employees from across the province gathered to support striking York University academic workers in a rally March 27, held at the university’s nearly-completed Markham campus.
Since Feb. 26, approximately 3,000 academic workers at York University have been on strike, demanding their employer address the escalating costs of living, increasing economic obstacles to fair access to higher education, and concerns impacting the quality of education within the university.
The striking staff at the North York-based university include contract faculty, teaching and graduate assistants, research assistants and part-time librarians, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local 3903.
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CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn speaks at a rally to support striking York University academic workers, held at the university’s Markham campus, March 27.
Yoyo Yan Metroland
“These skilled, talented, passionate workers do more than half of the instruction at York University, and yet their wages condemn them to poverty,” said CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn.
“And much of the time they spend doing their jobs is considered unpaid time,” said Hahn. “This is not a sustainable model. It’s not sustainable for workers. It’s not sustainable for students. It’s not sustainable for our future.”
Joe Tigani, president-elect of CUPE Ontario School Board Council of Unions, speaks at a rally to support striking York University academic workers, held at the university’s Markham campus, March 27.
Yoyo Yan Metroland
Joe Tigani, president-elect of CUPE Ontario School Board Council of Unions, said those “overworked and undervalued” York University workers have the support of 55,000 front-line elementary and high school education workers in every part of Ontario.
“Workers walking out was the only thing that stopped bad education and labour policy in its tracks,” said Tigani, an education assistant at a high school in Stratford.
York has stated contingency plans for “all aspects of university operations are in place” and assured courses and ongoing academic activities “that can continue will continue.”
However, some students have reported the strike has already impacted their education.
Erin McIntosh, spokesperson for CUPE 3903 and a PhD student at York, speaks at a rally to support striking York University academic workers, held at the university’s Markham campus, March 27.
Yoyo Yan Metroland
Erin McIntosh, spokesperson for CUPE 3903 and a PhD student at York, urged the university to prioritize the quality of education by investing in those who dedicate their lives to learning at York.
“It’s clear our lack of wages is not due to a lack of spending and funds. Our lack of wages and our poverty is a choice,” said McIntosh.
“Today we are at the Markham campus, a project that the university did not do a thorough cost analysis for, and a project that goes further and further over budget by the millions while workers and students pay the price,” she said.
The previous strike involving York University academic workers occurred in 2018, during which Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government intervened by legislating them back to work.
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During the 143-day-long strike, the province passed Bill 124 restricting wage increases to one per cent per year.
“That law was subsequently struck down by the courts because it was unconstitutional, but York has yet to address the imbalance it created,” the union said in a statement earlier.
K-12 school employees from across the province gather to support striking York University academic workers in a rally March 27, held at the university’s nearly-completed Markham campus.
Yoyo Yan Metroland
“If they did not hear us at the beginning, let them hear us now,” said McIntosh. “We are organizing, we are mobilizing, and we will not stop until we get what we deserve.”
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