Lessons of the 2015 CUPE Local 3903 Strike
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- Published on Thursday, 11 August 2016 22:30
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1292 .... August 12, 2016
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Lessons of the 2015 CUPE Local 3903 Strike
Kyle Bailey
It has now been over one year since the end of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 3903 strike at York University in March 2015. This strike began when 3,700 teaching assistants, contract faculty, graduate assistants and research assistants voted to walk the picket lines. The decision came just days after a historic strike vote by 6,000 teaching assistants and other student academic staff in CUPE 3902 Unit 1 at the University of Toronto.
At present, the legacy of the strike is controversial. Members of CUPE 3903 are divided over the crucial question of whether this legacy should be regarded as one of victory or defeat. The purpose of this article is to... use the benefit of hindsight to critically reflect upon the politics of the CUPE 3903 strike at York and its aftermath.
It aims to provide a plausible assessment of both accomplishments and limitations of the strike with a view to identifying how the union can respond more effectively to current and future challenges. Such an assessment will hopefully be capable of catalysing renewed debate about the kind of union strategy, organization and tactics that are necessary to enable university workers to fight back and win against their employers.
