Graduate Teaching Assistants represented by the PSAC Local 610, at Western University are on strike.
Picket lines have been set up at entrances across Western University today (April 11, 2024). The strike will impact thousands of students who are currently in their exam period, which runs until the end of April.
“It is shameful that workers are being forced to take direct action, because Western refused to come to the table with a fair offer”, states Craig Reynolds, PSAC Ontario Regional Executive Vice-President. “Instead, Western chose to focus on undermining the critical work graduate teaching assistants perform by preparing to outsource that work to other staff.”
The University offered increases to wages but without any guarantee of claw-back language, a tactic they have used in the past. Without protections on the overall funding amounts, this would be meaningless, as the University could then lower the hours offered, leading to monetary cuts overall.
“Western teaching assistants receive one of the smallest funding packages in the entire province”, says Pardis Baha, PSAC Local 610 President. “This is why workers are struggling to afford basic necessities like food and shelter.”