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On Oct 27, we delivered a letter calling on the Governing Council of the University of Toronto to advise the university administration to stop contracting out and creating poverty wage jobs. We wanted to appeal to them to stand with us for good jobs at the University of Toronto and to also know that if nobody else will stand up for good jobs, we will. A copy of the majority petition signed by 75% of FT PT workers across three campuses was also provided to each governor and others attending the meeting.

See the PDF version here

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If you are attending in person, please enter the Galbraith building from the main entrance on St. George street.

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Oct 5, 2022: CUPE leaders at National Sector Council (Ottawa) supporting CUPE 3261 members.

94% voted YES to strike if necessary!

Congratulations to CUPE 3261 FTPT Unit workers!

You and your co-workers are a vital part of the university community because your work supports learning and research. You are also contributing by standing up for good jobs and a healthy future for our entire university community.

As you know, a big priority in this round of negotiations is fighting for good jobs at U of T that are threatened by contracting out. This is necessary to protect your bargaining power as FT and PT workers. Find out more about how contracting out affects your bargaining power in Bargaining Bulletin #3.

We hope top decision-makers at U of T will agree to do the right thing for workers at U of T. We remain committed to negotiating a fair tentative agreement and bringing it back to you for approval as soon as possible.

Next steps in bargaining

Your Negotiating Committee has not had any further bargaining meetings with U of T since Tuesday, September 27. On September 29, your Negotiating Committee applied for conciliation. The Ministry of Labour has received our request and is processing it. We hope to have a conciliation officer appointed soon and will proceed to set further bargaining dates with U of T as soon as possible. We will work hard to negotiate a fair contract and the employer must do the same to avoid a strike.

Timeline for potential legal strike or lockout

Legally, once we have at least one conciliation meeting (the date has not yet been determined) either the union or employer has the right to request a “no-board” report, which triggers a 17-day countdown to a legal strike or lockout deadline. If this occurs, you will find out more from your Negotiating Committee.

What you can do now for a fair contract

• Educate your co-workers about how contracting out threatens your bargaining power.
• Sign up to train for various roles within the strike structure. Contact info@cupe3261.ca

If a strike becomes necessary, it is important for FT and PT workers to stop reporting to work and instead participate in making the strike as strong as possible. This means strong picket lines across locations. This is why a strike structure, including committees with specific strike coordination responsibilities, is needed. Workers who are active employees can get CUPE strike pay for participating in any role that supports a strike.

Preparing the strongest possible strike structure is the best way to ensure a fair contract.

Remember, the union is not a third party – you and your co-workers are the union!

Good jobs at U of T are disappearing. Over the last 10 years, more than 150 jobs have been contracted out to for-profit companies. Instead of providing decent compensation, these contracted-out jobs give low wages with few benefits. Workers deserve better than this. 

We call on U of T to:

• Stop the contracting out of good jobs across the University

• Directly hire U of T employees to ensure functional, clean, and safe campuses and buildings, including cafeterias, classrooms, labs and libraries

• Increase good jobs at U of T to meet growing needs

Visit our website GoodJobsUofT.com to learn more and sign the petition.