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York University and its striking teaching staff plan to meet tomorrow with a mediator to see whether there are grounds to resume bargaining.
In a statement posted yesterday, York officials say they have agreed to a request from the Canadian Union of Public Employees 3903 to meet tomorrow to discuss revised demands in the dispute that has cancelled classes at Canada's third-largest university since Nov. 6.
The meeting comes three weeks after the union walked out over job security, wages and benefits for 3,340 teaching assistants, contract faculty and graduate assistants.
"The university has advised the mediator that we will meet with the union on Nov. 27," said a statement on York's website. "That date will mark the beginning of the fourth week of the strike and concern for our students must be paramount."
But the university's statement asks why the meeting will come a full week after union members at a general meeting gave their bargaining team the go-ahead to revise some of its proposals.
"Given what is at stake for our 50,000 students, this one week delay in getting to the bargaining table does not suggest urgency on the part of the union to reach a negotiated settlement," said the posting.
Members of the union executive could not be reached for comment, but spokesperson Punam Khosla said she believes tomorrow was the date the mediator chose for both sides to return to talks.
It would be the second attempt by CUPE to get the university back to the table.
It invited York officials to resume talks Nov. 13, but discussions broke down in less than two hours after York officials said the union had not made significant changes to its demands.
York is offering a wage hike of 9.25 per cent over three years, a deal it says reflects settlements being signed across a number of sectors. Already York's teaching assistants are the best paid in Canada. CUPE has asked for 11 per cent more over two years.
After two weeks of the strike, York announced all classes will require some adjustment to make up for lost time, depending on the program and the length of the strike.
While classes are still cancelled for most undergraduates, about 200 senior students at York's Schulich School of Business returned to class so as not to jeopardize international exchanges they are taking part in this term or in January.
