Striking faculty and teaching assistants at York University have begun voting on the school's latest contract offer.
The two-day vote by secret ballot was set up by the Ministry of Labour in hopes of ending the strike, which has gone on for nearly two and a half months.
The union has been pushing its 3,400 members to turn down the deal. But in an open letter last week, the university's deans urged faculty to vote yes and get back to work.
York University spokesperson Alex Bilyk with says the administration is beyond the point of negotiation.
Union spokesperson Tyler Shipley says he would also like to see an end to the strike, but adds a yes vote from the union is contingent on a good offer from York.
Premier Dalton McGuinty has been hesitant to call back the Ontario legislature to push through back-to-work legislation, despite repeated calls for such action from Conservative leader John Tory.
McGuinty says he prefers to let the two sides come to an agreement through negotiation.
Classes at the university have been cancelled since the strike began in early November, leaving 50,000 students in limbo. The main issue in the strike remains job security for contract staff.
With files from The Canadian Press
