By Michelle Dorey Forestell | Kingstonist.com
Two unions representing more than 3,500 workers at Queen’s University are set to walk off the job on Monday, Mar. 10, 2025.
United Steelworkers (USW) Local 2010, which represents approximately 1,200 general support staff across Queen’s University, and Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Local 901 Unit 1, representing over 2,000 graduate student workers at the university, held concurrent strike mandate votes (the first in the local USW’s history) in February 2025.
If both unions fail to reach satisfactory agreements with the university over the coming week, over 3,500 workers — including academic assistants and support staff, teaching assistants, research assistants, and teaching fellows — could strike simultaneously, a situation which could significantly impact the educational quality of approximately 26,000 undergraduate students.
On Monday, Mar. 3, 2025, USW Local 2010 issued a press release indicating imminent strike action at Queen’s University. The local chapter wrote, “Enough is enough. After years of being overworked, underpaid, and undervalued, United Steelworkers (USW) Local 2010 is done waiting. Despite already cutting over 100 jobs and contributing to widespread USW layoffs in 2024, Queen’s University is refusing to provide stronger job security and workload protections in negotiations, insisting instead on maintaining broad management rights.”
Meanwhile, On Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, PSAC Local 901 Unit 1, representing over 2,000 graduate student workers at Queen’s University, also released a statement saying it had secured both the highest turnout and strongest strike mandate in the union’s history. Their potential job action directly impacts teaching assistants, research assistants, and teaching fellows, raising significant concerns about potential disruptions to tutorials, research activities, and teaching at Queen’s University if members’ demands are not met, according to the union.
USW Local 2010 commenced negotiations with the university before their collective agreement expired on December 31, 2024. The USW indicated, “We have officially filed a No Board Report, setting a firm strike deadline for Friday, Mar. 8, 2025, at 11:59 PM. If Queen’s doesn’t show up with a real deal, Steelworkers are ready to hit the picket lines on March 10.”
Kingstonist readers may recall that these unions staged a rally last year together with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) ahead of entering negotiations with the university.
A Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, release from Queen’s said it “has also begun to prepare contingency plans to mitigate the impact of any potential job actions by USW Local 2010.” The release also indicated that “information on these plans will be shared with students, faculty and staff when and as appropriate.”
In February, USW Local 2010 members delivered a 96 per cent vote in favour of a strike, with more than 1,000 support staff at Queen’s casting ballots, the union said.
“This historic mandate is a direct response to years of underfunding, job insecurity, and wage suppression,” the union.
USW Local 2010 has set three key priorities, according to the release.
First is reparations for Bill 124, the imposed wage cap, which the union says has “cost members thousands of dollars in lost earnings. It’s time for Queen’s University to right that wrong.”
USW also asks for better job security, saying, “A growing reliance on precarious, temporary positions leaves workers in limbo. Not to mention the significant number of layoffs that have affected our workers in recent years. We demand protections that ensure stability and fairness for all.”
And, after years of falling behind inflation, the union is seeking wage increases, saying, “Our members need wages that reflect our contributions and the rising cost of living… we expect an agreement that respects our work and our worth.”
“With an overwhelming 96 per cent strike mandate, our members are ready to walk. Queen’s has ignored us for too long, but on March 8, the countdown ends. We won’t accept empty promises. We won’t accept disrespect. Queen’s needs to take our concerns seriously — offer a fair deal, or we’re ready to hit the picket lines,” the statement said.
Kingstonist spoke with Kelly Orser, the president of United Steelworkers Local 2010, on the afternoon of Tuesday, Mar. 4, 2025. She said, “The employer has agreed to return to the bargaining table on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, (March 6, 7, and 8, 2025). Our legal strike deadline is Saturday night, 11:59 p.m. on March the 8th.”
“And if we do end up going on strike, we expect it to be shocking to the families, to the community. We want the workers to be home on Sunday, to spend that time with their families, and wrap their heads around it,” she said, indicating the Steelworkers would hit the picket lines at 8 a.m. Monday, March 10.
If the 1200 Steelworkers go out to picket lines, it will likely have a big impact on operations at the university, but Orser says, “It’s never happened, so it remains to be seen.”
However, she points out, “The deadline dictates that if both locals were to go on strike, 3,500 workers at Queen’s will hit the picket line. Can the university operate?… It’s never happened before, but it will impact the students across the university. So the students, sadly, could potentially suffer if the employer doesn’t take this seriously.”
For their part, PSAC identifies its members’ top priorities as fair wages and funding, tuition minimization, increased access to affordable housing, paid time to learn course content, and an equitable funding and labour balance.
“Our members voted yes in a strike vote. It is time for the employer to say yes to our members’ demands. Our strike captains are ready,” Milka Njoroge and Justyna Szewczyk El-Jassem, members of PSAC 901 Unit 1 Bargaining Team, wrote in a release.
That bargaining team’s members have expressed frustration over what they perceive as “continuous disrespect from Queen’s administration at the bargaining table.”
“Despite the involvement of a Ministry of Labour-appointed conciliator, the university has repeatedly disregarded critical issues such as poverty wages, funding packages that have remained stagnant for decades, and rampant food and housing insecurity faced by graduate workers,” according to PSAC.
PSAC also points out that this situation would significantly impact the educational quality of approximately 26,000 undergraduate students.
“Graduate student workers urgently need better funding to cover tuition, housing, health care, and basic living expenses.” said Elliot Goodell Ugalde, who recently ran as the Ontario NDP candidate for Kingston and the Islands. Goodell Ugalde is also a PhD student, teaching assistant, and PSAC 901 member.
“The financial strain caused by historically low wages and funding relative to the cost of living is unsustainable. By voting to strike, we are standing together to demand fair compensation and the respect we deserve,” Ugalde said, highlighting the responsibility of Queen’s University, as one of Kingston’s largest employers and landlords, to address graduate workers living below the poverty line.
Queen’s holds significant financial control over its graduate workers, current and former union members expres.
Current and past union members are also drawing attention to the significant financial control Queen’s holds over its graduate workers, the PSAC explained.
“It’s well past time the university made movement on tuition minimization and an equitable funding/labour ratio,” Queen’s alumnus Dave Thompson and former PSAC 901 member said.
“I was a PhD candidate in 2007. My funding was $20,000 per year. Inflation has gone up, and tuition has gone up. Rents have gone up. I don’t know how people can afford to live if they work at Queen’s.”
According to the Graduate Funding Guide from the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs at Queen’s University, a full-time PhD candidate receives a guaranteed minimum funding package of $23,000 per year, which is available for up to four years. For comparison, a full-time minimum wage earner in Ontario makes approximately $36,000 annually, according to PSAC.
There is no minimum funding support for Master’s students at Queen’s, and each student worker must pay back tuition to Queen’s, which starts at $7,308.73 per year, depending on the program and immigration status. Most graduate workers do not take any coursework beyond the first year of a program, according to the union. Typically, a funding package includes an employment requirement as a teaching assistant, research assistant, or teaching fellow, requiring approximately 10 hours of work per week, the local chapter said.
The PSAC 901 Unit 1 Collective Agreement expired on April 30, 2024. The union formally notified the university of its intention to bargain for a new contract on April 9, 2024. However, the Queen’s administration did not engage in any negotiations until November 2024.
“When finally at the table, the administration’s representatives appeared underprepared and slow to respond, despite having significantly higher salaries than the graduate workers they were negotiating with,” PSAC observed.
In January 2025, the union filed for conciliation to reach a tentative agreement. Unfortunately, Queen’s representatives have rejected all monetary proposals put forth by the union’s team the local PSAC said. Given the prolonged hardships faced by graduate workers, the union said it called for a strike mandate vote, which took place from February 11 to 14, 2025. The outcome of this vote determined the next steps of bargaining in favour of securing a tentative agreement addressing the needs and challenges of graduate student workers at Queen’s University.
“We know Queen’s admin is listening, but we hope they’re taking this seriously,” said Jake Morrow, PSAC 901 president.
“The members have made it clear that they stand behind the bargaining team, and the community has made it clear that they stand behind our members in their fight for dignity, respect, and fair wages. If we do not receive a fair contract, our members are prepared for a strike. It’s still unclear if Queen’s is as prepared as our folks are.”
Given the release by USW 2010, Kingstonist reached out to Queen’s before noon on Tuesday, Mar. 4, 2025, asking for an interview or comments on the possible strike and the plans for students, faculty, and staff.
Queen’s got back to Kingstonist at around 7 p.m. that day. But rather than respond to our request for an interview or statement on how the potential strike will impact students and what the university’s contingency plan might be, it chose to publish a statement on the Labour News portion of the University’s website.
“Negotiations are ongoing, and the university remains cautiously optimistic that the parties involved can accomplish tentative agreements to renew these collective agreements,” the university’s statement reads in part.
“Requests from both unions saw the Ministry of Labour issue No Board Reports in February. These reports began a countdown that will allow general support staff represented by USW Local 2010 to legally call a strike and the employer may legally initiate a lockout, as of Sunday, March 9, at 12:01 am. Similarly, PSAC Local 901 Unit 1 will be able to legally strike, and the university will be legally able to lock them out, as of Monday, March 10, at 12:01 am. In either case, this does not mean strikes or lockouts will necessarily occur on or after these dates.”
The university said it “respects the bargaining process but has contingency plans prepared in the event of a strike or lockout to minimize the impact on the university community.” However, what those contingency plans may be is unclear.
Queen’s stated that “the university has begun sharing this information directly with students, staff and faculty, noting if there is a strike or lockout, the university will remain open, and classes are expected to continue as scheduled. All students are expected to continue their studies, including attending classes.”
“All non-striking bargaining unit members, even those whose unions are actively in collective bargaining with the university or are a member of PSAC or USW but a different bargaining unit than PSAC Unit 1 or USW General Support Staff, are expected to continue to work as per Ontario’s Labour Relations Act,” the university concluded.
Kingstonist will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they become available.
