TSSU
TSSU bargaining status update
The university cares about the academic success of our students, supporting our outstanding faculty and staff and nurturing a thriving, world-class research environment. We are focused on resolving this difficult situation as quickly as possible.
SFU’s bargaining team continues to look for solutions to present to TSSU to resolve collective bargaining, avoid further job action and reach a fair deal with Collective Bargaining Unit members when the TSSU is prepared to return to the bargaining table.
As TSSU escalates job action, we feel it is important that our community has a fulsome understanding of the work to-date and the key issues outstanding.
Overview of TSSU Bargaining as of September 28
The university and TSSU began collective bargaining in November 2022. Since the beginning of the negotiation period, the parties met in person for bargaining 41 times. The last date of bargaining took place Monday, September 25, 2023.
In that time, the university tabled approximately 50 proposals while TSSU leadership tabled more than 500 proposals. To date, there are still more than 200 TSSU proposals outstanding.
The university applied for mediation from the Labour Relations Board in March 2023. Over two independent mediated sessions, TSSU did not meaningfully engage in the process and withdrew from mediation in early April, opting to conduct a strike vote among their members.
Progress at the bargaining table
The university’s bargaining approach is that of “interest-based bargaining” where our negotiators focus on finding win-wins and common ground.
At the table, the university has moved on several of TSSU’s fundamental issues including compensation models, maximum weekly hours, a continuing employment model with annual commitments for English Language and Culture (ELC) instructors and a pension option that allows for matching RRSPs.
There remain several fundamental issues that the university cannot accept because they would:
- Incur costs that exceed the funds available within the Province's Shared Recovery Mandate;
- Breach core interests such as faculty rights to set course delivery model, or importance of faculty student connection, or;
- Fall outside the scope of this negotiation, such as Grad COLA, Guaranteed Funding and Sessional Rights to continuing faculty appointments.
Outstanding bargaining issues
This table is being updated to keep community members informed about the status of barganing. Last update: Friday, October 13
| Topic | SFU Position | TSSU Position | Status |
| General Wage Increase | Year 1 – effective May 1, 2022 A flat increase of $0.25/hour plus 3.24% general wage increase across all classifications. Year 2 – effective May 1, 2023 A general wage increase of 6.75% across all classifications. Year 3 – effective May 1, 2024 2.0% plus a potential COLA to a maximum of 3.0% across all classifications. This offer aligns with our commitment to becoming a certified Living Wage Employer and is the maximum allowable general wage increase permitted under the Province’s Shared Recovery Mandate and the same offer that more than 97% of public sector unionized employees in B.C. have agreed to. |
Year 1 – effective May 1, 2022 A flat increase of $0.25/hour plus 3.24% general wage increase across all classifications. Year 2 – effective May 1, 2023 A general wage increase of 6.75% across all classifications. Year 3 – effective May 1, 2024 2.0% plus a potential COLA to a maximum of 3.0% across all classifications. |
Agreed. |
| TA Wage Redress | No, TSSU proposal exceeds available money in Province’s Shared Recovery Mandate. | Increase per base unit to $1195 before applying General Wage Increase (above). | Parties do not agree. |
| Additional scholarships for grad student Graduate Facilitators | No, TSSU proposal exceeds available money in Province’s Shared Recovery Mandate. | $6.40 per hour new scholarship effective May 1, 2022 and then increased by the General Wage Increase (above). | Parties do not agree. |
| Compensation Model | University willing to meet the Union's stated core interests but cannot make the wholesale change proposed because it: 1. Increases costs that the union is not willing to accept as part of the funding envelope 2. Limits faculty autonomy of course delivery 3. Limits faculty interaction with graduate students 4. Creates a significant administrative burden |
Create a more intricate and detailed compensation model for Teaching Assistants and Sessional Instructors. | Parties do not agree. |
| Equivalencies | Equivalencies are a recognition of the variations across the University in subject matter and mode of instruction. They are meant to set workload equivalents among those subject matters and modes. Equivalents have been ingrained in departments since the early 1980s and it is a significant operational change and a potential cost increase to eliminate them. The university is willing to explore this topic in a thorough and deliberate fashion, so long as any cost increases fall within the mandate, and academic units must be at the table for those conversations. |
Eliminate equivalencies |
The university has proposed a Letter of Agreement to explore this further. |
| English Language and Culture (ELC) Instructor Renewals | University has proposed a model that creates continuing employment for ELC instructors, while allowing them the flexibility to determine thier own annual full-time equivalency. | ELC instructors to have continuing jobs with "full teaching years," including 4 additional weeks per year of work that does not currently exist in the program. | University has agreed to continuing status for ELC instructors, but it is reluctant to create a work category not necessary or required for the program's delivery, and which would add significant cost to the program. |
| Sessional Instructor Preference for Faculty Work | The university does not agree to create obligations in another unit's collective agreement (SFU Faculty Association). | Improve Sessional Instructors' bridge to faculty jobs by creating 10 new faculty positions per year, to be filled by Sessional Instructors. | Parties do not agree. |
| Professional Development | The university has a professional development fund for ELC instructors currently. The university has proposed a fund of approximately $130,000 a year to be used for Professional Development by non-ELC instructors in the bargaining unit. |
TSSU withdrew proposal re: professional development. | Parties are discussing alternative allocations of the $130,000 fund. |
| Pension Plan | RRSP with contribution matching up to 5% for continuing ELC instructors. | Enrollment for all instructors (Sesssional and ELC) in the BC College Pension Plan. | Parties do not agree. |
| Benefits | Agree to proposed increases. | Proposed to increase lifetime coverage up to $1 million, create a pay direct card to limit out of pocket expenses, increase acupuncturist, chiropractic, and podiatry by $100 per year, vision care increased to $400 every 24 months, dental plan increased to $1,200 per year. | Agreed. |
| Post-employment benefit continuance | Maintain coverage for 2 semesters after employment end. | Propose university maintains coverage for 3 semesters after employment end. | Parties do not agree. |
The university has requested additional bargaining dates beginning next week and reiterated its request for twice-weekly meetings until an agreement is reached. TSSU has not responded to the request for more dates and no further bargaining sessions are scheduled.
TSSU strike action
TSSU has been on strike since June 2023. During that time, they put a ban on overtime and conducted “teach-ins” during tutorials. They have withdrawn one full day of teaching work and picketed three times, once at each campus.
Starting, September 28, TSSU members have announced a full teaching work stoppage with pickets scheduled for Thursday at both SFU Surrey Campus buildings, Friday at SFU Vancouver Campus and Tuesday at SFU Burnaby Campus.
Pay and benefits during a strike
During a strike, the university will not pay union members who do not perform their duties per University Policy GP-05 – Strike Policy. Union members who withhold services during a strike may be eligible to receive strike pay from their union.
The university has not removed or suspended benefits from any TSSU members. It does not plan to remove benefits from any TSSU members. All eligible TSSU members are still covered under their regular benefit plan.
In a strike situation, wages and benefits are typically suspended during periods when employees are on strike and not reporting to work. This practice is outlined in SFU’s Strike Policy (GP-05) and is in alignment with the BC Labour Code.
Learn more about collective bargaining and strike action by visiting the Collective Bargaining FAQs.