Unit 5
What is bargaining?
Bargaining is the process you undertake through your union to reach a collective agreement with your employer to determine your working conditions. It is an opportunity to improve key aspects of your work such as salary, benefits, working conditions, and professional development.
The term of a collective agreement is typically three years, after which a new agreement must be negotiated. The current Unit 5 Collective Agreement expired on December 31, 2025. The Unit 5 Bargaining Committee has been negotiating with the Employer since April 2026 and is midway through the bargaining process.
To learn more about Unit 5 bargaining, you can read the bargaining platform approved by the membership in April, which outlines our top priorities. You can check out the proposal tracker, which summarizes all proposals exchanged to date. And you can read the most recent Bargaining Bulletins.
Following the historic gains made in Unit 5’s previous round of bargaining (2023-24), the Unit 5 membership has decided to take a similar strategy in this round by coordinating with other workers at U of T. Unit 5’s bargaining is part of a broader coordinated bargaining campaign at U of T involving multiple units at CUPE 3902 (academic workers), CUPE 3261 (service workers), CUPE 1230 (library workers), and CUPE 2484 (childcare workers).
Bargaining Committee
The Bargaining Committee (BC) is the committee which sits down with the employer to negotiate the next tentative agreement. The BC is composed of the Local president (or designate), the unit vice-president, one staff member, and a number of rank and file members determined by the size of the unit. The BC is specifically tasked with developing contract proposals, sitting at the negotiation table across from management, responding to employer proposals, and reaching tentative agreements.
Bargaining Support Committee
The Bargaining Support Committee (BSC) is responsible for organizing among the membership, the University, and the community in support of the Local’s aims in bargaining. Each bargaining unit has a BSC, which works with the unit’s Bargaining Team and the Local to develop and implement a plan for organizing around a round of bargaining. The Bargaining Support Committee has been preparing for potential strike action and has transitioned into the Strike Committee.