Both sides have been talking about new contract since September
Contract faculty, teaching assistants and graduate assistants at York University in Toronto, voted by a margin of 85 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.
A high turnout cast their votes between Jan. 22 and 26, said the union. The education workers are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 3903.
"The strong mandate delivered by our membership is an indication of how highly they value their role as mentors and front-line educators," said Julian Arend, CUPE 3903 vice-president for contract faculty.
The union's contract expired on Aug. 31, 2017. York's administration has been unresponsive on issues of job security for contract faculty, protecting funding for teaching assistants, and maintaining employment levels for graduate assistants, said CUPE.
"We've gained a strong strike mandate because graduate student workers are deeply concerned about the massive restructuring of graduate funding," said Lina Nasr, CUPE 3903 bargaining team spokesperson. "We're dealing with the effects of unilateral changes York has implemented in the last two years."
CUPE 3903 and York University have been in bargaining since September. The parties have been meeting with the assistance of a Ministry of Labour-appointed conciliator since Jan. 8, according to the union.
