In a fight for better wages, a group of Western University graduate student-workers is planning a protest on campus this week.
The rally is being organized by Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Local 610 – the Graduate Teaching Assistant and Postdoctoral Associate union at Western University. Supporters are asked to gather at 11 a.m. atop University College (UC) Hill on Tuesday, February 7.
Western's graduate workers are pushing for higher pay as the cost-of-living in London has risen considerably in recent years and continues to climb. Meanwhile, wages and stipends for Western’s graduate workers have remained stagnant for at least 15 years, according to Karuna Dsouza, president of PSAC Local 610.
Dsouza says teaching assistants are currently restricted to 10 hours of work per week with most earning somewhere from $1,000 - $1,500 each month.
"That is really not enough to survive," said Dsouza.
For context, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in London is about $1,675.
“Ultimately, the point is that a number of graduate students are living below the poverty line in terms of income from the university,” said Dsouza. “Western University is a world-renowned university. What we expect of the university is to take care of its own. We as graduate students do work for the university, we do research for the university, the university benefits from the work that we do. In return, we would like to have a living wage, we would like to have access to affordable housing, and we would like to have a dignified existence.”
Dsouza says her union is currently in collective bargaining for post-doctoral researchers, while this process will begin around September for teaching assistants. If Western University doesn’t respond positively, Dsouza says the union might be looking at a strike.
Until then, members of PSAC Local 610 invite Londoners to join their rally. Information about the event has been shared via Twitter:
https://twitter.com/PSAC610/status/1617877905153093634