How CUPE 3903 Struck and Won

by Clarice Kuhling
The New Socialist Magazine, March / April 2001


Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3903 celebrated a spectacular victory on January 11, 2001 after the longest strike in English-Canadian university history (78 days). On that day, CUPE 3903's teaching and graduate assistants at York University voted overwhelmingly to ratify a tentative deal negotiated two days earlier - a deal which was widely understood as a capitulation by the York administration to CUPE 3903's demands. Contract faculty had ratified their tentative agreement a week earlier.

Rank-and-File Democracy

Throughout our strike, we insisted on democratic and genuinely membership-driven decision making. A Strike Committee, which met daily, was open to all members. It made day to day decisions about the strike. We also held weekly General Membership Meetings (GMMs). The membership was frequently updated about bargaining through messages relayed on the picket line, through newsletters and leaflets, and by reports from the bargaining team at GMMs. The bargaining team and executive did not act as bodies separate from the membership, which demanded accountability and constant contact with both.

Solidarity

Another principle which guided our strike was solidarity. The three units - teaching assistants, contract faculty, and (newly unionized) graduate assistants - bargained together for the best agreements for all units. Our unique alliance, while at times cumbersome, has provided the leverage for aggressive bargaining. As a result, we have been able to secure exceptionally strong collective agreements.

However, the principle of solidarity extended beyond the local. We had forged links with undergraduate and graduate student groups and other unions on campus and sought to extend our solidarity well beyond the confines of York's campus. York University Faculty Association (YUFA) support was extremely important - support that had been cultivated since YUFA's 1997 strike, when many CUPE 3903 members refused to cross picket lines and marched in support of YUFA.

Many other allies became familiar sights on our picket lines. Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) members walked with us often, and CAW Local 112 delivered sandwiches to all of our 8 picket lines on a daily basis throughout the strike. Other CUPE locals, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, and many other unions, community organization, and individuals showed their support.

Militancy

Throughout our strike, we were complimented on our efficient and effective picket lines which regularly brought the university to a near-standstill. Three previous rounds of collective bargaining had resulted in near-strikes, and the membership was already well informed and highly mobilized as a result. And while our members' resolve was sometimes challenged by the doomsday scenarios that surfaced from time to time during the strike - from the media, the administration, or the rumour mill - our determination and militancy always prevailed.

Many of us became increasingly incensed at the lies and tactics deployed by the administration. One of their more serious tactics was a government-forced ratification vote on a mid-December offer, a move allowed by Ontario law. But the administration completely underestimated our members' solidarity and militancy. 66% voted “No” to this attempt at strike-breaking.

A Happy Ending

The effects of this stunning victory are still being felt. All of us look at our campus differently now, with fondness, even nostalgia. We learned that what we said and did had a very real impact on the day to day workings of both our strike and our lives. We began to feel connected to each other, as part of a genuine community at York for the very first time. And we began to feel connected to other people's struggles. The size of our Flying Squad more than tripled during the strike, as members became politicized.

The threats facing workers and many other oppressed groups are formidable, and these threats are hardly over - particularly in this era of capitalist triumphalism. But for now we celebrate, with shouts of jubilation at how we struck and won.

Clarice Kuhling, a member of the New Socialist Group, served on the CUPE 3903 bargaining team during the strike.