Tentative deal reached between SFU and teaching support staff, union says
CTV
There will be no picket lines at Simon Fraser University campuses Thursday after a tentative agreement was reached with striking teaching support staff.
There will be no picket lines at Simon Fraser University campuses Thursday after a tentative agreement was reached with striking teaching support staff.
The agreement was reached around 6:15 a.m. following a marathon overnight negotiating session, according to the Teaching Support Staff Union, which represents nearly 1,600 workers at SFU.
"We were just setting up picket lines for the day at Burnaby and Vancouver when we got the good news," said union member Kelvin Gawley.
None of the details of the tentative agreement have been made public, and the union has not set a date for a ratification vote. Gawley said the intention is to vote on the agreement "as soon as possible."
The TSSU initiated preliminary job action back in July, then escalated to rolling picket lines at SFU's three campuses across Metro Vancouver in late September.
The "indefinite work stoppage" followed 41 bargaining sessions and 19 months without a collective agreement, according to the union.
Last week, SFU faced strong criticism from the university community after it was revealed a "risk management firm" was hired to conduct surveillance on striking workers.
