Unit 1

CUPE 4207’s Solidarity Rally & Community BBQ Draws Widespread Support Across Niagara

The Niagara labour community came out in force on Thursday, October 23rd to support CUPE 4207’s Solidarity Rally & Community BBQ, held outside Glenridge A at Brock University. The event brought together workers, students, and community allies in a powerful show of solidarity and unity for CUPE 4207’s Unit 1 (Instructors, Course Coordinators, Teaching Assistants, Lab Demonstrators, and Marker-Graders) and Unit 5 (Faculty of Education Instructors) as they continue to fight for a fair deal at the bargaining table. 

The community solidarity rally highlighted three key issues central to both bargaining units:

Fair Wages: keeping pace with the rising cost of living;

Class & Seminar Sizes: protecting quality education and working conditions for in-person and virtual learning spaces;

Preference in Instructor Hiring for PhD Students: balancing teaching opportunities fairly so that there is no risk to academic progress, and so that no teaching group is used to undermine another teaching group.

The event was well attended and strongly supported by Union locals across the Niagara region, including: CUPE Locals 9102, 1263, 4156, 1317, 911, 1295, 2328, and 2977, as well as members of BUFA (Librarians and Faculty Members), OSSTF Local 35, OSSTF District 22, OSBCU, COPE 343, and the Niagara Regional Labour Council. Community organizations, such as the United Way and local political allies, including City Councillor Caleb Batzlaff and representation from MPP Jennie Stevens’ office (NDP), also joined in solidarity.

Undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows from Brock University added their voices, emphasizing that improving working conditions for CUPE 4207 members means improving learning conditions for students. “I was the last one to arrive in my seminar and it was standing room only – there was no chair for me to sit in. It was awful,” shared an undergraduate student.

“We’re fighting not just for fair wages, but for the integrity of education at Brock,” said Tracy Kennedy, Vice President Unit 1 Instructors for CUPE 4207. “When instructors and teaching assistants are overworked and underpaid, students lose out. The show of support at our Solidarity Rally and BBQ proves that this fight belongs to everyone in the Niagara Community, and the labour movement across the province.”

The message was clear: the Niagara community is united in demanding fairness, respect, and quality education at Brock. 

CUPE 4207 Unit 1 and Unit 5 members won’t back down until wages, class sizes, and hiring practices reflect the true value of the education its members deliver.

#MakeItFair

“Job security, fair pay, and benefits for contract faculty will deliver fairness for workers and protect the high‐quality education our students deserve.”

Many thanks to the Academic supporters who work with us everyday and see our value and contribution to the university: Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA), Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), and Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).

When Brock chooses cuts over investment, it traps contract workers in unstable jobs with low pay and no job security. Precarity isn’t an accident. It’s the business model that austerity builds. It’s the model that Brock uses to keep contract workers paid unfairly and bumps long-term contract holders out of their work.

We say: NO AUSTERITY. NO PRECARITY. NO CONCESSIONS.

We won’t be nickle & dimed anymore. Our work is vital to this university.

Quality Teaching Deserves Quality Pay

Quality teaching deserves Quality pay. It’s time to pay us what we’re worth.

CUPE 4207 Unit 1 members play an essential role in delivering and supporting high-quality education to students at Brock University.

Brock’s reputation for academic excellence depends on the people who teach, grade, and support its students everyday. It’s time to invest in us: over a thousand instructors, teaching assistants, course coordinators, marker-graders, and lab demonstrators teaching the next generation of youth that will shape the future.

Austerity and precarity are choices that hurt both workers and students. We’re standing together to demand a fair contract that reflects the value of our work.

Fair wages now!

No austerity.
No precarity.
No concessions.

CUPE 4207 Unit 1 & Unit 5 Solidarity Rally & Community BBQ

Join us for our CUPE 4207 Solidarity Rally & Community BBQ!

Date: Thursday, October 23rd, 2025.

Time: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm.

Location: Outside Glenridge A (corner of Glenridge Ave & John Macdonell St).

Parking: Paid parking in Lot E or Lot Glenridge (HONK app).

We’ll have hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks, and vegetarian options on the grill.

Both Unit 1 (Instructors, Course Coordinators, Teaching Assistants, Marker-Graders, and Lab Demonstrators) and Unit 5 (Faculty of Education Instructors) are standing together on three key priorities that resonate across the labour movement.

We’re not asking – we’re demanding!

Reasonable Class & Seminar Sizes – because we teach to students, not Stadiums;

Fair Hiring Practices – because we earned our Seniority, it’s not optional;

Fair & Comparable Wages – because we need to afford our rent and groceries.

JOIN US!

Bargaining Updates

Hello Unit 1 and Unit 5 members but all members generally,

The Bargaining Committee is posting updates to our website. Follow along with these updates on our page for Unit 1 here. Click on the unit 5 tab above to learn more about the formation of this unit and their work in bargaining. Remember than anyone can sign up for CAT training to help rally our members! See the below post or our social media for information and sign up for CAT training here.

Message for International Student Workers from Brock International Association

Below is a message from Brock international concerning the news around internation students, status that affects work and study. Their email is below should you have questions.

Greetings Badger,

As you may have heard, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a press conference on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. In it, there was some news relevant to international students at Brock, which we have summarized for you.

Study permit cap
IRCC introduced a cap on new study permits in January 2024. The limit for 2025 and 2026 were announced. Master’s and doctoral students were excluded from the cap in 2024, but will be included starting in 2025. Currently those applying for study permit extensions are exempt from the cap. There was no mention of any change to this.

Note that study permit extensions can only be made from inside Canada and must be made before the study permit expires. If you need to extend your study permit, make sure you do so early, especially if you have travel plans. We recommend you apply 3-4 months before your study permit expires. Brock International offers monthly study permit extension webinars. See ExperienceBU to register.

Post-graduation work permit
IRCC announced that as of November 1, 2024, PGWP applicants will need to submit proof of language skills. For university students, the minimum language proficiency will be a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7. IRCC also plans to better align the PGWP with immigration goals and labour market needs. Specific details have not yet been announced, but check About the PGWP for updates to this program as they become available.

Brock International will continue to monitor for additional updates. We host webinars on applying for PGWP near the end of each term for students ready to apply. See ExperienceBU to register.

Off-campus work
While IRCC intends to increase the number of hours study permit holders can work off campus, no change is in effect yet.

Spousal open work permit
Later this year, IRCC plans to announce changes to eligibility which would limit this type of work permit. Check spouse of international student and family of foreign worker for updates to these programs as they become available.

For full details, see the September 18, 2024 news release and backgrounder:

If you have any questions related to this announcement or for any other immigration inquiries, please contact isa@brocku.ca.

Sincerely,

The Team at Brock International

Celebrating CUPE 4207 Unit 1 Teaching Assistants

– Photo credit to Colleen Patterson – The Brock News, April 18th, 2024 –

Congrats over 70 Unit 1 Teaching Assistants who received acknowledgment, accolades, and awards at CPI’s TA reception on April 9th! Often overlooked and undervalued, we know that without the teaching supports of unit 1 TAs, the university would not be able to provide proper education and evaluation to its students.

A huge Congratulations to these outstanding award recipients for their hard work and dedication:

Huma Khalid, PhD student in Education – International Teaching Assistant Award

Richard Trotter (BEd ’22), Master of Education student – Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

Sandra Kroeker (BA ’09, MA ’19), PhD student in Child and Youth Studies – Teaching Assistant Award

Read more about it at The Brock News.