Striking academic workers have overwhelmingly rejected York’s latest contract offer in a vote that was forced on them by the university.

While the 3,000 contract faculty, teaching assistants and graduate assistants will continue their job action — now into its sixth week — it is unclear what happens next.

Local 3903 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees said the result — with 1,975 voting against the deal, and just 319 in favour — proved “a strong mandate for our bargaining team and a powerful message to the administration to resume bargaining fairly.”

But York spokesperson Barbara Joy said the university is now facing “limited options” to end the strike.

“We are willing to return to bargaining if CUPE presents a realistic counter-offer that can form the basis of an agreement,” she said in a statement to the Star. “As of now, they haven’t done that.”

Other possibilities, she added, include binding arbitration and appointing a “fact-finder mediator” — though in both cases, CUPE would have to agree.

CUPE has said it prefers to negotiate a deal, and that arbitration can only happen once talks have been exhausted.

It is not known when, or if, the government would step in with back-to-work legislation, as it did with the province-wide college strike last fall that lasted five weeks.

Post-secondary Minister Mitzie Hunter called it a “very challenging situation” and said it is “disappointing that an agreement has not yet been found between CUPE 3903 and York.”

She urged both sides to negotiate a deal.

“Since the strike began, I have been clear that our focus is on students and their learning,” said Hunter, minister of advanced education and skills development. “Our priority has always been to see students back in the classroom as quickly as possible to continue their education.

“York students are there to learn and I know faculty, administrative staff, and the university want to see students’ studies continue uninterrupted.”

The academic workers have been on the picket lines since March 5, and amid stalled negotiations the university had applied to the labour board for a so-called “forced vote.” About 86 per cent of members who voted rejected the latest offer on the table.

The union is seeking improvements to job security, benefits, as well as better wages, asking for 3.5 per cent each year over three years. York has offered 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 per cent.

Both sides have agreed to $50,000 for a sexual assault fund, though differ on how it should be allocated, and CUPE is also seeking a “racial discrimination fund” of $30,000.

The union has said it has dropped a number of demands, but York counters that it has “already tabled the best pay and benefits package of its kind in Ontario” and that CUPE workers “already lead in total compensation, benefits and job security provisions.”

The university said it has “asked for no concessions. We have withdrawn most of our own proposals.”

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It also said it cannot bend on maintaining open searches for tenure-track positions — CUPE would like those reserved for its members — and that graduate students must teach.

Students at York have been faced with two strikes by teachers in the past three years. The last one was in 2015.

Last fall, a strike by 12,000 college teachers ended with back-to-work legislation after five weeks. During that labour strife, the colleges also requested a “forced vote” on their final offer, which too was overwhelmingly rejected by the 12,000 teachers.