A new collective agreement between University of Northern British Columbia and its teaching assistants has been ratified by both parties, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
Final ratification of the agreement is expected early this week, when the University Public Sector Employers' Association is expected to sign off on the deal.
In a statement issued Friday, the union said the process of getting to the table began last year, but once there, it took just four days of bargaining to reach the agreement. It was negotiated through CUPE 2278, which represents about 78 teaching assistants.
"We were pleasantly surprised by the speed of the negotiations," said bargaining committee chair Andrew Guest.
"We met and it was very collegial and constructive. It was important for both sides to change the nature of the relationship between TAs and the university, and reach a new kind of relationship."
Teaching assistants at UNBC are also students at the university. Key issues included unpaid working hours, academic retaliation and harassment in all its forms.
"This really was a major victory," added CUPE 2278 President Laura Bulk. "We got very firm protection and clear language around things like academic retaliation. The agreement clearly says academic retaliation is a form of harassment," she said.
CUPE 2278 also represents teaching assistants at the University of British Columbia.
