Canadian teachers continue strike for better pay

Members of the Canadian teachers union on Sunday rejected a tentative agreement that laid out salary terms and tuition fees, saying they weren’t offered sufficient guarantees, according to Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail. 

About 1,100 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) voted against the deal, while 996 education workers voted in favor. The strike, which began on Feb. 27 at the University of Toronto, will continue until wage and job security issues are addressed, the paper reported.

"Our members have clearly indicated that continued strike action is necessary to achieve the gains that are necessary for long-term financial security as student workers," CUPE spokesman Craig Smith told Canadian media.

University of Toronto vice president Angela Hildyard told Canadian newspaper The Star her administration would continue looking for solutions to end the strike.

“We continue to be in close contact with the Provincial Mediator and remain committed to finding a solution to this impasse that would end the strike and allow affected students to complete their academic term without further disruption," she told The Star.

The proposed deal included an offer to increase teacher assistants’ pay by $2,500 to $17,500 annually and offered tuition relief for master's degree and PhD students who don’t receive funding.

The Canadian strike follows similar disputes on pay and benefits at U.S. universities. At New York University, the only private U.S. university that recognizes a graduate employee union, the administration and students negotiated an agreement last week that regulated wages, health care, child care and tuition. The deal emerged after about a year of talks between teachers and administrators.