5,800 Steelworkers at the University of Toronto ratify new, post-Bill 124 contract

United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1998’s Staff Appointed Unit at the University of Toronto has ratified its new three-year contract with 94.8% voting in favour.

The 5,800-person group at the University of Toronto includes workers who provide administrative and technical support to faculty, students and other members of the university community.

Each of the local union’s bargaining units are coming out of a three-year moderation period under the unconstitutional Bill 124, where wages and benefits were suppressed to a 1% increase.

Wage increases were a top issue for the Staff Appointed Unit as the moderation period coincided with record inflation on the cost of living. The Bargaining Committee was able to negotiate a 12.8% wage increase over the life of the contract, with 9% front-loaded in the first year, to get more money in the members’ pockets sooner. It also helps those closer to retirement who may rely on this as one of their best-earning years under their defined benefit pension plan.

During the bargaining surveys, members indicated that work/life balance is important to them. To address this, the Bargaining Committee negotiated improved language for the alternative work arrangements process and overtime, the introduction of language that deals with workload concerns and an additional personal day increasing that to five per year.

“For the first time, we have successfully introduced language into the collective agreement that deals with workload concerns. In addition to the improvements that were negotiated, the union successfully fended off several concessions proposed by the university,” said John Ankenman, USW Local 1998 President.

The local union sent a strong message to the university when members voted 95.4% in favour of going on a legal strike if a deal was not reached before the deadline. While the Bargaining Committee was hard at work at the bargaining table, a Strike Committee was formed to prepare for a possible strike or lockout, in case it got to the point of job action. The union’s state of preparedness had significant impact at the bargaining table as the strike deadline coincided with the first day of classes.

“Membership engagement and mobilization is what wins good contracts. The power of our members’ involvement cannot be overstated,” said Tamara Vickery, USW Local 1998 Staff Appointed Unit President. “This has been a significantly successful round of negotiations. I trust that the membership will see many of their priorities reflected in the result. I am proud of the Staff Appointed Unit for what we have accomplished.”

Other wins in the contract involve improvements to benefits including education assistance, professional development, language on career advancement and much more.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter