Thousands of University of Toronto workers in position to strike

TORONTO — A union representing more than 6,100 University of Toronto program coodinators, academic advisors, lab assistants and IT workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate that could put them in a position to walk off the job on the first day of classes.

United Steelworkers says 96 per cent of ballots cast by workers in the U of T Staff-Appointed Unit were in favour of a strike mandate.

The union has said the deadline for contract negotiations is just after midnight on Tuesday, after which it could call a strike.

John Ankenman, president of USW Local 1998, under which UTSA operates, says workers are concerned about job security and workload burden, noting the school has told workers it will not replace employees who leave the university.

The University of Toronto said in an email to The Canadian Press that it values the work of UTSA employees.

But the email did not respond to questions about how a potential strike could impact students as they head back to class, nor if it has contingency plans in place.

“Over more than two decades, we have successfully negotiated numerous renewal collective agreements with the USW, and we look forward to ongoing constructive discussions with the union as bargaining continues,” the email said.

The union said it remains at an impasse with the university on several other issues, including wages, health-care benefits, remote work and AI protections.

It said negotiations have been ongoing for two months and Tamara Vickery, president of the UTSA, says talks will continue through the weekend.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published September 6, 2026.

The Canadian Press