CUPE 3903



The strike at York is conflict between two groups: The Board of Governors, and CUPE 3903

CUPE 3903 is a union representing Teaching Assistants, Contract Faculty and Graduate Assistants at York University.

The executive members of CUPE 3903 are elected by it's members every April, and made up of graduate students, research assistants and instructors at York University.


The membership of CUPE 3903 includes:



Joe Kispal-Kovacs
Chair: Chair, CUPE Local 3903
Pay: $11,000 (2000)

"We've had a tremendously hard time meeting the York Administration this summer, when we wanted to, because they were on vacation...I wanted to make a deal this summer, I didn't want to be here right now. Unfortunately, they just haven't made this a big priority."



Michelle Lowry
Positions:

CUPE executive member - Pay: $7,200 (2000)
PhD Student - Tuition: $5,178 (2000)



Fred Ho
Position: CUPE executive member
Pay: $7,200 (2000)



Oona Padgham
Position:
Graduate Student - Tuition: $5,178 (2000)



Joel Harden
Position: Teaching Assistant
Pay: $9,979 (2000)
Tuition: $5,178 (2000)

"If I was an undergraduate student here at this university, I would be outraged. The way this university has acted in the last four years, provoking strikes with faculty, provoking strikes with support staff, provoking strikes on campus with students by raising tuition fees, while every single year these people have been giving themselves pay raises. We pay four administrators on this campus over $800,000. We lease a brand new Volvo and chauffer for President Lorna Marsden. Money is flowing to the top in droves in this university, and there isn't a dollar to reduce student costs."





Other Salaries and Info:

A course director earns $11,221 per course (this would be the lecturer in your seminar or lecture courses).
Teaching Assistants earn $9,979 for 8 months of work (September to April)
Graduate Assistants are paid $4,500 to $9,000 a year, although they must all work the same number of hours.
Contract Faculty get a little over $11,000 per course.
Some Contract Faculty teach more than one course.

Many of the above are graduate students, and must pay $5,178 for a full year's tuition and supplementary fees (even if they are not taking any courses)


Information About York's Administration

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