TORONTO - Striking education workers at the University of Toronto have voted by a narrow margin -- 1,101 to 992 -- to reject the tentative agreement that was reached last week.

It means the strike by the 6,000 CUPE members that began on Feb. 27 will continue.

Local 3902 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees says that while the proposed agreement included increases in minimum funding, it failed to address underlying wage and job security issues.

The strikers include teaching assistants, teaching fellows, demonstrators, tutors, markers, instructors, teaching lab assistants, Chief Presiding Officers and part-time lecturers.

The union said the proposed agreement would have boosted their annual pay from $15,000 to $17,500, guaranteed tuition relief for unfunded PhD and Masters students, and assured the continuity of the current semester.

Teaching assistants are also on strike at York University, but hundreds of classes there are set to resume today.