McMaster and union for teaching assistants in talks Friday, before possible strike on Monday

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local representing teaching and research assistants (TAs and RAs) and McMaster University are expected to be back at the bargaining table Friday afternoon. If they can't make a deal, the workers could be on strike Monday. 

"We just want a deal that helps #McMaster TA's get ahead rather than falling further behind," said CUPE local 3906 on Thursday. 

"McMaster is committed to bargaining in good faith, keeping negotiations at the bargaining table and achieving a renewed collective agreement," the university said earlier this week.

If a deal is not reached, over 2,600 TAs and RAs at McMaster could be headed to the picket lines Monday — the same day education workers in Ontario could also be striking.

"We make up about a third of the university's workforce," said CUPE Local 3906 president Chris Fairweather, "but our wages only account for about 3.7% of the payroll."

According to a news release, on Nov. 4, the bargaining team set the strike deadline in their negotiations with the university after a "record-breaking strike vote" where "90% of TAs and RAs voted 'yes' to send a strong message to the university's administration."

CUPE Local 3906 said their workers must prepare for a strike on Monday.

In a news release posted Wednesday night, McMaster asked the community to "plan for normal activities on Monday."

The university added that in the event of a strike, the campus will remain open and most classes will continue as usual.

Fairweather said in the release, CUPE hopes McMaster will listen to concerns of "the profound affordability crisis student workers at McMaster are facing."

CUPE says the union is concerned about financial security, mental and physical well-being, and working conditions. 

"At the graduate level, which is most of our membership, these are people in their late 20s, or early 30s, sometimes older ... Many of our members have children," Fairweather told CBC Hamilton.

"People are concerned about their ability to continue to pay to keep up with the cost of rent."

He added that the bargaining survey showed 40 per cent of TAs rely on financial support from family to get by, one third live off student and bank loans and 12 per cent are living off of credit card debt.

McMaster is "woefully out-of-touch, not only with the day-to-day struggles we face, but also those that the majority of students, workers, and community members face."

Working four jobs to make ends meet

According to the union, almost all TAs and RAs are students. 

Shalen Prado has been a TA at McMaster for four years and is currently assisting with an archaeology course. She says she puts in at least 10 hours of work a week. She said that a lot of TAs only make about $11,000 a year and many need to take up other jobs to make ends meet.

Prado works three other jobs along with being a TA, for a total of over 40 hours a week, all while working on her dissertation as a PhD student.

"I am 100 per cent in support of the strike action." Prado told CBC Hamilton Thursday. McMaster's "excellence in education is built on the backs of TAs and RAs who are living in poverty, effectively."

Prado said that TAs and RAs handle a large portion of the grading of assignments and tests in their classes. They also act as the connector between students and the professors and do the majority of the work that directly deals with students.

"I'm hoping that McMaster comes to its senses and puts money where its mouth is and actually pay TAs and RAs what they deserve," she said. 

Fairweather said McMaster is facing a crisis. "Perhaps the McMaster Administration will only understand the extent of this crisis by facing a picket line," he said.

He expects, however, the university will take the threat of a strike seriously. 

"[Students] don't deserve any more disruption, but we also don't deserve any more disruption in terms of our ability to keep up with the rising cost of rent, and all these sorts of things."