RA Bargaining Update - August 2024

RESPECT, FAIR WAGES, JOB SECURITY, BENEFITS

Bargaining a Contract for Research Assistants

Hey TSSU members! It’s the end of Summer 2024 and your Contract Committee has been hard at work. This is a long update to get you up to speed on 1) ongoing negotiations for Research Workers to join the collective agreement, and 2) the 2024 RA Bargaining Survey results.

The long and short of it is we are back to the bargaining table (over Zoom) next week, August 29 starting 12:30 pm in BLU 10031. This first stage will focus on securing for all RAs, many of the rights agreed through previous negotiations. SFU Administration must exchange substantive proposals with us by November 15th. And, over 500 RAs responded to our survey, and they are overwhelmingly ready and in support of bargaining to earn RESPECT, win FAIR WAGES, gain JOB SECURITY, and secure BENEFITS for all.

SFU’s new contract negotiator – still doesn’t live here, does make progress

Your contract committee has been working over the summer! In response to TSSU's efforts to bring our Employer back to the bargaining table for RAs, SFU Administration hired a new bargaining consultant, Geoff Tierney. Fortunately, he only charges them a flat rate, meaning there is no incentive to stall, unlike the previous high-paid consultant Steve Gorham they flew in from Victoria each time to bargain, who billed by the hour. However, this new consultant also has no connection to SFU and lives in Ontario. 

We have already made some progress with the new negotiator, as both parties have signed a protocol agreement for bargaining. This outlines the general “rules of engagement” for bargaining. While it is optional, in this case it has helped us work out how bargaining will proceed and allowed us to explicitly lay out some of our priorities:

NEARLY 600 RAS TELL US WHAT THEY WANT

Over the summer, your contract committee sent out a new RA Bargaining Survey. 591 RAs responded, telling us about their work, and what is most important to fight for at the bargaining table. They have reconfirmed our mandate to bargain for better working conditions for all RAs. We are fighting for:

After four years of fighting for the first collective agreement for RAs after years of SFU Admin’s stalling, litigating, and refusal to bargain for all RAs, we have made some key progress. But there is still a lot of work to do to get our first contract. We need RAs involved in bargaining to show our collective power at the bargaining table. Get in touch with us, tell us your experience, join a committee, attend a general membership meeting, and come to bargaining! Get in touch with tssu@tssu.ca to learn more or get involved.

Let's get this done. When we fight, we win!

In solidarity,

Your 2024 Contract Committee

Email us at: contract@tssu.ca

Since 1978

The Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU)