YorkU rejects counter-offer from contract faculty, TA union

The bargaining team at York University has rejected a counter-offer made by the union representing striking staff at the school, arguing that the counter-offer includes demands that are beyond the school’s capacities. According to a YorkU statement, the union asked that 30 contract faculty be appointed to full-time positions in each year of the collective agreement, with 20 of these jobs being tenure-stream positions that would be filled without the standard “open collegial search.” YorkU's statement adds that the counter-offer proposed a 3.5% wage increase per year, which it claims is roughly double the Ontario university average increase. The union says that it is demanding better job security, better funding for assistant positions, improved equity and accessibility in the workplace, and for the school to replace at least some of the 800 jobs that were recently cut. CBC | YorkU | OCUFA | Maclean’s