McMaster University teaching and research assistants to strike Monday in Hamilton

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local representing teaching and research assistants (TAs and RAs) at McMaster University says its members will be on strike as of Monday morning, following unsuccessful attempts at bargaining with the university. 

CUPE Local 3906 released a statement Friday evening announcing that McMaster's TAs and RAs will begin striking at 7 a.m., with picket lines set up "at entrances around the campus." 

"Faced with once-in-a-generation inflation, on the heels of many years without a meaningful pay increase, the university is refusing to consider reasonable proposals to improve our financial security," CUPE's statement said. 

CUPE says TAs represent a third of McMaster University's workforce, but make up only 3.7 per cent of the school's payroll. 

A statement from McMaster released Saturday morning said the university doesn't "want a strike, but we are prepared," adding it is "putting students at the centre" of its plans this week and reminded them that the campus will remain open and classes are expected to continue. 

It employs around 2,900 TAs and RAs, it said — "part-time employees who are also full-time students."

CUPE wants wage increases, bridge wage gap for undergraduates 

CUPE is asking McMaster University to provide TAs and RAs with wage increases, extended guarantees and tuition reimbursements. 

It would also like the school to close the wage gap between graduate and undergraduate TAs and RAs. 

TAs and RAs who are studying for their undergraduate degrees have a starting wage of $26.07, while graduate-level TAs and RAs make almost twice as much, with a starting wage of $44.95 an hour, according to McMaster. 

McMaster is defending that difference, saying that "TAs and RAs not holding an undergraduate degree do not bring the same level of experience and primarily provide support for first-year courses." It also pointed out that that the current living wage in Hamilton is $19.05 per hour.

According to the university, CUPE asked for a 15 per cent wage increase over three years for graduate RAs and TAs, and a 32 per cent wage increase over three years for undergraduate RAs and TAs. 

McMaster offered a nine per cent increase over three years to graduate RAs and TAs, and a 9.75 per cent wage increase over three years to undergraduate RAs and TAs. 

Susan Tighe, provost and vice president of academics at McMaster, said in a statement the school has "bargained in good faith" and are "disappointed" by the upcoming strike. 

"We value our CUPE members and the contributions that they make, and believe we put a fair offer on the table," she said in a press release. 

According to the university, McMaster has not faced labour disruptions since 2011 and the last strike involving TAs was in 2009.

CUPE Local 3906 president Chris Fairweather said recently 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."

Fairweather said even the graduate employees who make $44.95 an hour struggle with their current wage. 

"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.

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.

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

On Friday, CUPE Local 3906 said McMaster's offer of "a $40,000 fund for the union to administer to offer some relief to 5th year PhD students" wasn't enough and still didn't include further movement on wages, job security or protection against tuition increases. That led to the decision to strike, it said. 

150 faculty members sign open letter in support

Shalen Prado, a TA at McMaster, told CBC Hamilton on Thursday she is "100 per cent in support of the strike action." 

Prado is a PhD student who works three other jobs on top of being a TA and working on her dissertation. Prado said she is responsible for most of the grading in the archeology course she TAs for, and bridges the communication gap between her students and the professor. 

Prado said McMaster's "excellence in education is built on the backs of TAs and RAs who are living in poverty, effectively."

"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.

An open letter published last week, written by McMaster faculty members in support of CUPE 3906, had more than 150 signatures by Sunday.

It suggested faculty, many of whom normally work with teaching and research assistants regularly, "not take on work that is usually done by TAs," and move classes online "in order to respect the picket line. 

"Some of us are also choosing to not comply with requests by the University to absorb the impacts of the withdrawal of TA labour, i.e., to create and submit contingency plans for courses," the letter said. 

It was unclear how many classes, if any, would be moving online. McMaster said people "should expect delays and should leave additional time in order to access campus."