Graduate students working as GTAs and RAs have been asking questions regarding what the impact the 3-week strike will have on their hours of work for the rest of the term. The following are the answers to those questions:
- Will the time that GTA’s and RA’s were paid for during the strike be considered payment for work we have not yet done, and therefore, will we be backlogged for work and not paid for some weeks while working?
No, the time paid during the strike will not be considered as payment for “work not yet done”. Some GTAs and some RAs continued to perform some duties during the strike. Rather than determine who did or didn’t, the hours for which a GTA or RA was paid during the strike will be considered as payment for “work done” and the remaining hours available to work under the contract for the rest of the term are reduced accordingly.
- As a result of the changed academic calendar dates, and the answer to the question above, will GTA’s and RA’s be paid for the additional hours of work?
Yes, GTAs and RAs will be paid, if additional hours of work are required and agreed to between the GTA/RA and the supervisor per the Union of Graduate Student Workers (UGSW) Collective Agreement. Work without pay is not permitted. GTAs and RAs have a set number of hours to work specified in their contracts (Appendix B1/B2). In some cases, the GTAs/RAs may be able to complete their work under their existing contract (taking into account the hours deemed “worked” during the strike) without additional hours. But in other cases, they may not, and extra paid hours may be requested by the Supervisor or GTA/RA. If extra hours are necessary, the Supervisor and GTA/RA must fill out an Appendix C1/C2 to amend their original contract to specify the new hours as required by the UGSW Collective Agreement.
GTAs/RAs should speak to their supervisor to discuss whether extra hours are necessary and make any agreed to revisions to their contracts.