VANCOUVER — Academic workers at the University of British Columbia have voted 95.4 percent in favour of taking strike action. Representing more than 3,500 teaching assistants, tutors, markers, exam invigilators, instructors, and graduate academic assistants, CUPE 2278 says the union has exhausted all other options to reach a fair collective agreement.
“UBC is not taking the challenges our members face seriously, dismissing our clear priorities around improving working conditions and quality of life,” says Jessica Wolf, a graduate teaching assistant at UBC and president of CUPE 2278. “Academic workers are particularly vulnerable to B.C.’s high cost of living. Many of us can’t afford health care costs, class sizes are out of control, and we are not getting enough paid work to provide the quality of education UBC students deserve. We are at a breaking point.”
CUPE 2278 has been in bargaining with UBC since their last collective agreement expired in August 2025. The union and UBC entered mediation in July 2026, but no progress was made on the key priorities of academic workers.
“The work of our CUPE 2278 members is critical — students and faculty depend on us every day,” says Wolf. “As academic workers, we are passionate and want to keep supporting our students on their learning journeys, but it is difficult to do so when we are struggling to make ends meet.”
With a strong strike mandate from members, CUPE 2278 says it is prepared to return to bargaining and believes a negotiated settlement is still possible.
“This strike vote shows CUPE 2278 members are prepared to do what is needed to get the fair deal we deserve and to make higher education more accessible to students and student workers,” says Wolf. “A job action that would disrupt classes would be a last resort, but the next move is up to administration. If they don’t get serious about bargaining, UBC will be forcing us onto a picket line.”
