Earlier this week, the members of Unit 1 voted to set a strike deadline of 26 February. If the union and the university have not reached a tentative agreement by that date, a strike will begin. Unit 1 represents all TAs, invigilators, and postdoctoral instructors at U of T.

The current Unit 1 collective agreement expired on 31 December, although it remains in force. Negotiations between the union and the university will continue until the deadline, and the Ministry of Labour has appointed a special mediator–known as a conciliation officer–to help the parties reach an agreement.

The academic impact of any strike will vary by faculty, department, and program. We are in contact with both the union and the university administration, but we do not yet know which courses will be affected and to what extent.

We urge both sides to do whatever is necessary to avoid a disruption.

Students are encouraged to send questions, comments, and concerns to president@utsu.ca.

Yours in service,

The UTSU Executive