TSSU

Update on Unionization Efforts of Graduate Student Research Assistants

November 07, 2025

In 2023, the Teaching Support Staff Union submitted an application to the BC Labour Relations Board to request a variance to their union certification, seeking to represent and therefore unionize Graduate Student Research Assistants (research assistants who are funded by scholarship and/or stipend).

After hearing the respective cases made by the university and TSSU, the Labour Relations Board accepted TSSU's application. 

The decision concludes that Graduate Student Research Assistants (GSRAs) are considered employees under the Labour Code. The university is currently reviewing the Board’s 126-page decision.

The university is committed to providing updates to the community throughout this process. SFU and the TSSU remain engaged in collective bargaining. 

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