Dear Unit 1 Members,
We are writing to update you on the status of bargaining and to ask for your participation in a Strike Mandate Vote.
After months at the table, the employer has not moved meaningfully on the issues that matter most to Unit 1 members. We entered bargaining with clear, reasonable, and urgently needed priorities: fair wages, adequate benefit funding, and manageable workloads. These priorities came directly from you through surveys and consultations.
Unfortunately, the employer continues to fall short in all three areas:
1. Wages that reflect our work: Our wages have not kept pace with inflation, rising living costs, or the escalating demands placed on instructors, teaching assistants, course coordinators, marker-graders, and lab demonstrators. The employer’s offer so far does not address the real erosion in our pay.
We deserve compensation that recognizes the professional, academic, and emotional labour we provide every single week.
2. Benefits that actually meet members’ needs: The Unit 1 benefit fund is stretched to the breaking point. Members run out of benefit dollars long before the end of the academic year, forcing many to pay out of pocket for basic health, dental, and vision needs.
We are pushing for increased benefit funding so you are not left competing for limited resources or choosing between your health and your wallet.
3. Workload protections that keep teaching sustainable: Class sizes, course demands, and administrative tasks continue to grow without the support, compensation, or protections required to do this work effectively and fairly.
We are fighting for clearer workload language, reasonable class and seminar sizes, and protections against unpaid work.
These are not extravagant asks. These are the essentials required to maintain high-quality working and learning conditions at Brock University.
Why a Strike Mandate Now? A strong strike mandate does not mean going on strike. It means giving your bargaining team the power to demand better, and ensuring the employer finally takes our issues seriously. Historically, at CUPE 4207 and across the postsecondary sector, strong strike mandates are the single most effective tool to secure a fair deal without job action.
We have scheduled three Strike Mandate Presentations and we encourage you to attend one of the three Hybrid sessions:
Wed, Dec 3 at 10:00 AM in WH 204 & Zoom;
Thu, Dec 4 at 12:00 PM in GLN A 164 & Zoom;
Thu, Dec 4 at 6:00 PM in GLN A 164 & Zoom.
Your Vote Matters! Voting opens on Thursday, Dec 4th at 8:00 PM and closes on Thursday, Dec 11th at 8:00 PM. All current Unit 1 contract holders will be emailed a link to the electronic ballot.
This vote is your opportunity to show the employer that Unit 1 members deserve wages that keep you afloat, benefits that protect your health, and workloads that respect your time and expertise.
We can achieve this together, with a strong, united YES vote.
In solidarity,
Your Unit 1 Bargaining Committee,
Tracy Kennedy (Chair), Kendra-Lee Dupuis, Brigitte Cecckin, Tracy Stewart, Darrin Sunstrum, Phil Wachel
Click HERE for a Strike Mandate Vote FAQ
