York University will meet with a mediator and members of the striking teaching assistants' union on Thursday to discuss a labour dispute that that has cancelled classes for nearly 50,000 students, the school says in a statement posted on its website.
The meeting takes place four weeks into the strike, and the university says it will once again recommend binding arbitration in order to get students back to class quickly.
The union's membership voted to give its bargaining team "flexibility to negotiate," the school says in the statement.
The CUPE 3903 bargaining team will go back with a new offer, says spokesperson Rafeef Ziadah. But she did not say what part of the offer has changed.
"We don't want to bargain in the media," Ziadah told CP24.com.
York University has already said the school year will need to be modified in order to accommodate the strike.
Exchange students with the Schulich School of Business resumed classes Monday.
The international students are required to return to their home countries at the end of December, and the university says they would have no chance to make up for lost classes in 2009.
Others are heading out on exchange programs at the beginning of January need to finish their first term course by the end of this year, and have also returned to the classes at the business school.
Teaching assistants, contract faculty and researchers walked off the job on Nov. 6.
The education of thousands of students was put on hold in 2000-2001 during a job action by the same union. The strike, which lasted from Oct. 26 to Jan. 10., resulted in postponing the school year.
The union representing the striking workers and university administration has met once since the strike began but talks broke off after two hours.
While some students have said they support the labour dispute action, several have been vocal in criticizing the strike.
The group behind the site YorkNotHostage.com has been calling for binding arbitration to settle the dispute.
Website cofounder Catherine Divaris previously told CP24.COM that it's the majority of students who are hurt by the strike.
