Teachers’ assistants at five universities in B.C. have served 72-hour strike notice.
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) locals say teachers’ assistants at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the University of Northern BC, Thompson Rivers University and the University of Victoria are now in a legal strike position.
Teachers’ assistants have been without a new contract since 2010. Their main concerns at the bargaining table are wages, job security and inflation protection.
CUPE workers at the UVic have been escalating job actions for nearly a month now. The job action includes an overtime ban.
“First we were prevented from any wage increases under the BC Liberals’ zero mandate in 2010 and 2011, then we waited for the universities to get their ‘savings plans’ in place, now we’re being held back by the universities dragging their feet,” said Lois Rugg, co-chairperson of the Universities Coordinated Bargaining Committee.
