|
Dear TAs and RAs,
Our bargaining team met with Carleton’s bargaining team on November 20. After months at the table, the two sides remain far apart on key issues.
After three months of bargaining, the university brought their opening monetary proposal.
Their opening monetary offer is a tiny raise that is significantly below inflation on food prices and rent, below our opening proposal, below sector standard, below what other unions on campus have won, and drastically below the increases that the senior administrators sitting across the bargaining table from us are getting.
We cannot agree to anything close to their opening monetary proposal.
We, your bargaining team, are asking you to vote “yes” in the online strike vote, Dec 1-7.
We are not asking you to strike this term.
A “yes” strike vote now, is one part of giving the bargaining team the option of striking in early winter term, should negotiations fail. To get into a legal strike position we also need to file for conciliation, meet with a conciliator, and file a no board. We have not yet taken these steps, and we will keep you updated should we need to take them.
We, the bargaining team, are asking for a mandate from members to strike in the winter term should negotiations fail. And while issues can change unexpectedly and fast at bargaining, at present the bargaining team is only seriously considering striking if:
The university continues to bring financial offers below inflation The engagement on TA to student ratio continues to be unreasonable We do not get sufficient protections from AI The university attempts to take away TA-ships that we got with our admission offers
A strong “yes” vote to strike shows that we are serious about our proposals, and that we have the power to fight for them.
Our grocery bills, our rent, and our workloads keep increasing. Give your bargaining team the option of leveraging most of the winter term, to win us better working and living conditions. Strategically it is the time to give our bargaining team our support and to show our power.
Our next bargaining dates are November 26, December 4, and December 5, and we will continue to work hard at the table, trying to both win what we need and to avoid a strike.
We will have a caucus to discuss bargaining and the strike vote on November 27 from 1-3pm in Mackenzie 4332.
Refer to our website for more details about the strike vote, including how to vote.
A union is its members, and we need your support:
Tell your coworkers to VOTE YES in the strike vote Dec 1-7 Sign the TA to Student Ratio Petition and the Unpaid Labour Petition. Come to the caucus on November 27 and bring a colleague Email Ruva at mobcor@cupe4600.ca to sign up to do picket captain training on January 12th
In solidarity,
Ariel Becherer
Vice-President Unit 1
CUPE 4600
|
