News

President Aidan Power and co-VP-Internal Ariel Rabkin-Meyer attended the 62nd annual CUPE Ontario Convention from May 26th to 30th, 2026. We met other academic locals representing teaching assistants and contract instructors including CUPE 2626 at the University of Ottawa, CUPE 3902 at the University of Toronto, CUPE 3903 at York University, CUPE 3908 at Trent University, and CUPE 4207 at Brock University. It was exciting to be able to share our recent wins on AI, academic freedom, and standardized online job postings with the other academic locals and hear from them about their ongoing efforts to combat austerity at their institutions. Moreover, it was heartening to hear of the successes of other locals in the sector in securing bargaining wins, in part through impressively organized strike practices. We are hopeful that the connections we made with these locals will be invaluable in strengthening our two units this coming academic year.

We supported resolution number 15 put forward by CUPE 2424 at Carleton calling for adequate funding and policies to support post-secondary institutions in Ontario. This was the only post-secondary specific resolution, which was disappointing, but further demonstrates the need of academic locals across the province to be coordinating far in advance of the Convention. Another resolution we supported was number 56 put forward by CUPE 2626 at uOttawa condemning the war on Iran and standing in “solidarity with the working class and people of Iran and supporting their right to freedom, equality, and self-determination without state repression or foreign interference.” There was also emphasis on preparing for the upcoming 2026 municipal and school board elections, with CUPE Ontario supporting locals who are seeking to endorse or run candidates. Given that CUPE 4600 has not traditionally endorsed candidates in elections, it is unclear at this time if or how we would engage this coming Fall.

There were no resolutions passed regarding AI, however paragraph 27 of the Action Plan states that “We must fiercely bargain protections against algorithmic management to ensure that any technological shifts benefit workers and the public good” and an amendment to the Plan was made that states we will “combat the corporate weaponization of Artificial Intelligence by demanding strict legislative protections against both the algorithmic harms and the massive ecological drain of AI infrastructure.” 

Furthermore, as delegates noted multiple times on the floor, there were few resolutions put on the floor which directly address climate change. Resolution 21, which called on CUPE Ontario to publicly oppose Canada Pension Plan’s Investment Board’s investments in the fossil fuel industry, was carried. Resolution 2, which advocated for a “New Deal for Municipalities,” including “predictable, long-term funding for infrastructure, housing, transit, public health, and climate resilience,” was not voted on due to time.

We attended a picket line in support of developmental service workers represented by OPSEU Local 511 at Surrey Place and the following day also attended the Ontario Health Coalition Rally at Queen’s Park. Aidan also attended the International Solidarity Forum hosted by Avi Lewis, where panelists spoke on the situations in Cuba, Iran, and Sudan. 

The over 900 voting delegates elected former secretary-treasurer Yolanda McClean as the new President, replacing the outgoing Fred Hahn, and Dawn Bellerose as the new secretary-treasurer. We supported fellow academic sector worker Jeff Cornelissen in his run for member-at-large, however he finished 7th out of a long list of candidates for 6 positions. 

It is unclear what mechanisms of accountability are in place to ensure that resolutions passed at this convention will be honoured into the future, as several delegates brought up past resolutions that were not being honoured, particularly around accessibility and inclusivity. While these concerns were addressed positively in the moment by the chair, affirming the provincial organization’s commitment to protecting the rights and equity of its delegates, it is unclear what, if any, concrete action will be taken to ensure these are not overlooked in the future. 

We were disappointed in the lack of time management for voting which disenfranchised delegates who were spending time and money to attend the convention in downtown Toronto. Resolutions that we were looking forward to debating and voting on that did not hit the floor before losing quorum on Saturday morning (after only 1.5 hours) included an emergency resolution in support of the OPSEU Worth Fighting For campaign; resolution 2 listed above; resolutions 46 & 50 defending freedom of expression, civic engagement, and the right to protest; and resolution 55 supporting the Arms Embargo Now campaign and declaring “arms shipments to Israel to be ‘hot cargo,’ not to be touched by workers of conscience.” Furthermore, it is only this year that a constitutional amendment was passed creating an accountability measure for reporting on resolutions which are not voted on at convention. The Provincial executive board votes on these unresolved resolutions and they are now required to report on the outcome of their votes by the end of the year. We discussed this with delegates who had attended previous conventions, and they reported that time management for voting has been an ongoing issue which the Provincial Executive has failed to address. While each sector had unread resolutions, it was clear based on the response of delegates that there are several sectors which are continually overlooked, including the university sector. 

As one of the larger academic locals in the province, it is vital that we continue to send delegates to push for change, accountability, and further respect for our sector from the Provincial and National union bodies.

We are pleased to announce that the Tentative Agreement reached by the elected bargaining team was overwhelmingly approved by the membership during this week’s ratification vote. Of the members who voted, 93% cast a ballot in favour of the new agreement.

Once the University’s Board of Governors formally ratifies the Tentative Agreement, we will begin preparing the finalized 2025-2028 Collective Agreement document that will be shared with the membership on our website as soon as it is completed and signed by all parties. In the interim, you can still review the “summary of changes” document that was provided to the membership here.

Thank you to all who participated in the ratification vote.

Register here

Dear TAs, Internally-Funded RAs, and SAs,

As you know, Unit 1 has been bargaining for a new Collective Agreement since September. After bargaining for 13 hours today (January 27) your Bargaining Team reached a Tentative Agreement with the University thanks to the help of Paul Pooler, a Ministry of Labour-appointed conciliator.

The details of the Tentative Agreement will be shared at a Unit 1 Special Membership Meeting to be held on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. At this meeting, your Bargaining Team will highlight the changes that were mutually agreed to and will take questions. Immediately following this meeting, a ratification vote will take place online through the Simply Voting platform over a period of three days. The results of the ratification vote will be announced immediately following the vote.

Once both the Union’s members and the University’s Board of Governors ratify the Tentative Agreement, it officially replaces our previous Collective Agreement. Should the membership vote down the agreement, both bargaining teams must re-assemble to re-start negotiations.

This Tentative Agreement comes with the full endorsement of your elected bargaining team, and we are excited to share the details with you.

In solidarity,
Ariel Becherer,
Lead Negotiator & VP Unit 1

CUPE 4600 is saddened to share the news of the sudden passing of our past president, Kevin Partridge.

The union will remember Kevin as being exceptionally dedicated to the local, serving as Unit 1 Chief Steward, then as union President. Kevin was a member of our executive board for nearly a decade, taking the local through a number of important grievances, campaigns, and the local’s first unofficial strike.

Long term members will remember Kevin to have been a tireless advocate for workers at Carleton, and an unflinching advocate for indigenous rights, marginalized communities, and the labour movement beyond Carleton.

Those of us who have had the pleasure of knowing Kevin and working with him will miss him greatly. In honour and in remembrance of Kevin, let’s keep fighting for improved working conditions at Carleton and beyond, and let’s never stop sticking it to the man.

Rest in power, comrade.

Those who would like to contribute to Kevin’s tribute page can do so here.

From May 28th to 31st, our President Ryan Conrad and Vice-President Internal Maria Vorobeva attended the CUPE Ontario Convention. It was an opportunity for our team to meet with the leadership of other CUPE locals across the province. During the convention we learned about common issues affecting all locals within Ontario such as the impact of Doug Ford’s budget cuts across all public sectors; policies silencing public demonstrations like bubble zone bylaws that have been implemented or proposed across the province and is currently being drafted by Ottawa city council; and the increased surveillance of workers across public services accelerated through the use of new AI technologies.

We also met with working groups within CUPE Ontario such as the Pink Triangle Committee to coordinate on issues involving LGBTQ+ workers, the International Solidarity Committee to discuss international collaboration among workers, and the Young Workers Committee to discuss issues relevant to young public sector workers across Ontario. We collaborated with locals in these groups to pass many resolutions, including ones to launch campaigns opposing the stifling of public demonstrations, extend the cut-off age for young workers within CUPE Ontario from 30 to 35, and our local’s resolution for support for the University sector in gaining access to and transparency with financial information from our Universities. We also pledged donations to other locals that were on strike at the time such as 1750 (representing WSIB workers), 5525 (representing personal care assistants at Villa Columbo Homes) and 2073 (representing Canadian Hearing Services workers).

Ryan met with Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario, and Ryan Culpepper, chair of the post secondary education sector, to discuss CUPE 4600’s needs and challenges to our upcoming bargaining round. Most importantly, they discussed the need for a clear remedy for locals facing outstanding Bill 124 settlement issues with their stubborn and unsympathetic employers.

While many of the connections we made were positive, some aspects of the convention were disappointing. When reviewing CUPE Ontario’s action plan we pointed out that they did not have anything that directly addressed the issues plaguing the university and post-secondary public education sector.

• Nothing on the cuts to jobs
• Nothing on the increased financialization of Universities and the anti-worker policies implemented by university administrations and the Ford government
• Nothing on the increased focus on militarization of the education sector

We brought up our concerns and await the release of the updated Action Plan to see if our raised concerns are addressed. 

Overall we worked hard to push the needs of our local and our sector. We extend our connections throughout the province to strengthen our position as we enter into bargaining with the employer in the fall. Should we take labour action, we know other CUPE locals will have our back as we have theirs!

Per our last news post re: the Joint Statement by the Canadian Union of Public
Employees, Local 4600, and Carleton University, The University has created a
new Hardship Fund for Union members who, at the time of application by the
member, are facing urgent and current special circumstances resulting in
immediate financial instability or hardship.

The Hardship Fund is available to CUPE Local 4600 Members experiencing
financial hardship. This fund is only available to Members of the Local in good standing.

In order to apply, you must have:

• Held a TAship or internally-funded RAship in the past 12 months, and/or
• Held a CI contract within the past 24 months

Exceptions: If you have not held a TA/RAship within the past 12 months, or a CI contract within the past 24 months, you may be eligible for the hardship fund if
you are on approved medical, pregnancy, or parental leave.

Members may access up to $2000 dollars per term until the fund is exhausted.
Exceptional circumstances will be considered for additional funds.

The Hardship Fund will be accepting a first round of applications until July 31,
2025 – after which all applications will be reviewed and processed by members
of the Executive Board and CUPE 4600 staff. Responses and payments will go
out by mid-August.

If there are remaining funds, the application window will reopen in the Fall
semester.

Please see the full Hardship Fund Guidelines here.

If you would like to learn more, please attend our GMM on July 16, 2025, 6-8pm
where our Legal Counsel will give a presentation.

Apply to the Hardship Fund

On December 9, 2024, the Union and the University met with a mediator to
resolve outstanding grievances relating to the Winter 2023 labour disruptions,
the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, exam scheduling, deferred
exams, and two individual Professional Development Fund applications.

The Union and the University are pleased to announce that the foregoing
grievances have now been fully and finally settled without any admission of
liability or wrongdoing by either party.

The University has created a new Hardship Fund for Union members who, at the
time of application by the member, are facing urgent and current special
circumstances resulting in immediate financial instability or hardship.
Members may apply to the Union for financial assistance if they are
experiencing:

(1) Financial hardship including, but not limited to, housing or food insecurity;
(2) Domestic violence and/or abuse, resulting in a need for financial
assistance; or
(3) Situations impacting personal health, psychological, or safety needs,
requiring financial assistance.

The Union and the University are grateful to Arbitrator Mark Wright for his
assistance during mediation.

Signed,
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 4600, and Carleton University