UNBC teaching assistants in Prince George, B.C., vote to join CUPE

Will begin negotiating first collective agreement

UNBC teaching assistants in Prince George, B.C., vote to join CUPE
The 76 TAs will now be members of the union local representing teaching assistants and English-language instructors at the University of British Columbia (UBC), according to CUPE. GOOGLE STREET VIEW

Teaching assistants (TAs) at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in Prince George, B.C., voted to join the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 2278 in a labour board vote held on April 3.

The 76 TAs will now be members of the union local representing teaching assistants and English-language instructors at the University of British Columbia (UBC), according to CUPE.

“We are so pleased to welcome these TAs into our local,” said Gillian Glass, CUPE 2278 first vice-president. “After years of neglected concerns, they will be represented by a union that understands their work and their issues.”

The local will be negotiating a first collective agreement on behalf of their newest members at UNBC. They are students as well as TAs, so wages are important to their quality of life. Other important issues include hiring fairness and due process, protection from academic harm, and achieving a fair first collective agreement, said the union.

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