Depending on the outcome of an upcoming vote, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) at Western University could be in a strike or lockout position as of 12:01 a.m. on April 13.
Nearly 2,000 GTAs have voted for strike action in the event that ongoing talks with the university fail to address their financial concerns.
“We surveyed our members and we found that almost half of our members have a net income below $11,000 a year,” said Shannon Potter, union representative from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) 610, which represents the GTAs.
“We feel it is absolutely necessary that we have a real wage increase — a wage increase that is above inflation. At this time, Western has proposed what would be a real wage decrease for us,” said Potter.
In a statement, the union questioned Western’s sincerity in avoiding a disruption after it filed a “No Board” report, signalling talks were at an impasse, but held a conciliation meeting days later.
“We were pretty surprised by Western’s decision to request a ‘No Board’ report,” said Potter.
“That basically puts them in a position to lock out graduate teaching assistants,” she said.
On the “No Board” report, Connell, said one of the university’s main responsibilities was ensuring undergraduate students were able to complete their assignments and exams on time, and to take whatever steps necessary for that to happen.
Though Connell agreed with the union that GTAs were vital to Western, she said it had to be understood they were part-time positions.
“We do guarantee them 140 hours of paid work per term and they currently earn $43.61 an hour. That’s about $2.70 an hour more than the average rate that Ontario graduate teaching assistants receive,” she said.
In addition to a real wage increase, Potter said another issue for their members was having a realistic employment period.
“The average time to complete a PhD is five years, but you’re only given the opportunity to be a teaching assistant for four years,” she said.
The union has received letters in support of the GTAs from other groups on campus, including the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA), the University of Western Ontario Staff Association (UWOSA), and the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS).
“Poverty among graduate students, including GTAs, is a major stressor precluding us from succeeding,” read a letter from SOGS.
“GTAs are unable to afford basic living expenses, with many incurring debt to cover their costs. Accelerated increases in tuition, combined with decreases in real income, exacerbate the situation, making poverty prevalent among Western’s graduate students.”
The Faculty Association writes, “Our GTAs are not only our employees but also our graduate students, and as such, many of them are under significant financial pressure at this pivotal point in their careers.”
“They deserve fair compensation. How Western treats this group of employees says a great deal about the type of employer it aims to be.”
Connell said the university wanted to get back to negotiations.
“But at the same time, we need to reach an agreement that’s reasonable and responsible,” she said.
The university has tabled its final offer and union members will be voting April 11 and 12.
— With files from Jacquelyn Lebel, Mike Stubbs, Matthew Trevithick