LONDON, Ont. — About 2,000 graduate teaching assistants at Western University have gone on strike, as the spring exam season gets underway.
The teaching assistants, represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada Local 610, say wage increases, housing support and what they describe as funding clawbacks are among the issues at play.
Western, in London, Ont., says contract talks between the university and the union reached an impasse and the teaching assistants were in a strike position as of Thursday, when the strike began.
The university says it remains open and all activities, including final exams, continue as normal.
The strike at Western comes as about 3,000 academic workers at York University in north Toronto have been on strike since late February.
In that labour distruption, the striking workers – who include contract faculty, teaching and graduate assistants, research assistants and part-time librarians –say the school has not met demands to address an affordability crisis
York has said its campuses are open and most courses are continuing, and it has said it will work towards an agreement with the union.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2024.
The Canadian Press
