More than 6,100 U of T admin and technical staff in legal strike position starting Tuesday

More than 6,100 administrative and technical staff at University of Toronto enter a legal strike position Tuesday, September 8 — the first day students return to class — unless contract negotiations reach a deal over the long weekend.

Members of United Steelworkers Local 1998 voted 96 per cent in favour of a strike mandate after two months of bargaining. The union represents IT workers, undergraduate and graduate program coordinators, academic advisors, and lab assistants across U of T, Victoria University, University of St. Michael's College, and U of T Schools.

At the centre of the dispute is the university's plan to save $20 million next year by not replacing employees who leave. John Ankenman, USW Local 1998 president, said the approach will "worsen the heavy workload burden that many of our members already face." The union is also negotiating over job security, remote work provisions, and how artificial intelligence will be deployed in their roles.

A strike is not automatic. The union said in a statement that "if contract negotiations with the employer continue to be productive, your elected negotiating committee may agree to continue bargaining past the strike deadline." The union is prepared to keep talking through the long weekend. "Unless and until you hear otherwise from USW Local 1998, Tuesday, September 8th is a regular workday," the union told members. "A strike deadline only means that we are in a legal strike position; it does not mean that we are on strike."

The university has not publicly responded to the union's characterization of the workload impact or stated its rationale for the $20 million savings plan beyond the cost-cutting need itself.