Members of the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) voted 91% in favour of ratifying a tentative agreement reached with the help of a mediator on August 20. The deal extends the union’s collective agreement with the York administration through April 30, 2027 and increases wages by 3.1% in the first year and 2.85% in each of the two subsequent years.  

The new contract addresses faculty concerns over department restructuring and class sizes. Other gains include improvements to benefits and more faculty control over academic decisions. Despite threats and pressure from the administration, no concessions were made to collegial governance. The union and York University entered a strike or lockout position on August 2 after the Ontario Ministry of Labour granted the York administration’s request for a “no board” report on July 16. The bargaining team received a historic 92.3% strike vote if they could not reach a deal with the university. YUFA represents approximately 1,650 faculty, librarians, archivists and post-doctoral researchers at York University.