

Codi Wilson, CP24.com





The president of the University of Toronto is calling for binding arbitration to settle a labour dispute between the school and 6,000 striking teaching assistants and course instructors.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, the university’s president Meric Gertler said if both parties were to agree binding arbitration, it would put an immediate end to the month-long strike.

“We are proposing binding arbitration as a way to end the strike now so that we can return to normal at the university. We think this is the most expeditious way of doing this," Gertler said.

Last week, members of CUPE 3902 Unit 1, the union representing striking workers, agreed to send the university’s latest offer on to be ratified. The deal, however, was shut down during a ratification vote last weekend.

“We have been at the bargaining table for 10 months… we have come to two negotiated settlements and in both cases, the union has been unable to ratify these tentative deals," UofT's president said.

“We feel that the time for bargaining is passed and it is time for a fresh approach and that is why we are proposing binding arbitration as a way to end the strike now.”

CUPE 3902 spokesperson Craig Smith said that the union is unable to immediately respond to the university's request.

"Our bylaws don't allow us to have an emergency meeting unless there is a collective agreement on the table, a tentative agreement on the table. Meric Gertler knows this, they know our bylaws, they sent the provincial mediator to us with a 5 p.m. deadline to accept binding arbitration. We don't have a meeting until next Tuesday," he said.

Smith said the union put a counter offer on the table today but that was rejected.

"We don't know what the next step is... We truly believed that this offer that we put on the table would have been completely acceptable."

Union representatives, along with representatives from student and faculty groups, are expected to provide an update on the situation at a press conference Thursday at 11 a.m., a release issued early Wednesday evening said.