We reached a legal position to strike on March 21st—though, we’ve agreed with the employer that neither of us will exercise our right to initiate a strike or lockout until Thursday, March 25th. 

It’s uncertain whether a strike ultimately will occur, but we are strike ready and are taking action to show the University that we are united in demanding a timely and fair agreement. A Special Membership Meeting will occur on Monday, March 29th at 3-6 PM: click here to register.

Our members are united and determined, a fact made abundantly clear by our historic turnout at our Strike Mandate Vote (a 90.6% YES vote: 2917 YES votes out of 3217 members, nearly double the turnout in our last round of bargaining) and our strong turnout and clear display of solidarity at our Prepare to Strike Day, a GTA-wide, COVID-safe demonstration on Wednesday, March 24th.

We all deserve a better agreement, including fair and transparent hiring criteria, pay commensurate with hours worked for Course Instructors, paid note-taking to ensure accessible learning, and supports and accommodations for a safer and healthier campus. We must also refuse the employer’s unacceptable proposed concessions and put up a strong fight for members’ rights to protect themselves from breach of contract by maintaining reasonable grievance timelines and fair settlements.

Click here for the latest bargaining updates and here for a Q&A on what a strike would look like, including information on a safe strike and strike pay. And consult our conversation guide “How to Talk to Your Students about Bargaining,” to keep our students in the loop about what’s going on. We’ll also hold a workshop on this on Thursday from 2-2:30 PM. The Zoom link is here (meeting code 81209983269). Finally, even if you’re not a Unit 1 member, support us with Zoom images and email signatures, submit our E-Action and send a direct message to the U of T administration in support of bargaining, and share the content on our socials with your network!