York University contract faculty to strike after voting against latest offer

Contract faculty, teaching assistants, graduate assistantsand research assistants at York University have voted against the university's last offer and have also decided to take strike action on Monday.

The decision follows through with a recommendation byCUPE 3903 thatsuggestedits members reject the university's latest offer at their meeting Friday morning.

"Several concessions remain on the table, most notably the destruction of the conversions program and graduate assistant jobs and the increase in ticketed course directorships," the union wrote in an announcement.

CUPE 3903 represents around 3,000 employees at York University, who previously went to the picket lines in March 2015.

A spokesperson for the university told CBCToronto that there will be discussions with the conciliator Friday nightto attempt to reach a settlement.

"The university provided its best offer on March 2, at CUPE's request,"Barbara Joy, York University's chief spokesperson, said in an email. "We have said all along that we would go to binding arbitration to resolve the most difficult issues."

York is the third-largest university in Canada with around 47,000 undergraduate students and another 6,000 graduate students.

Friday's vote is scheduled to follow an 11:30 a.m. meeting at the Tait McKenzie Centre.