Thousands of striking York University teaching staff are voting Monday on the school's latest contract offer.

The two-day vote began at 9 a.m. at the Novotel hotel in North York. Voting will close Tuesday afternoon. York University asked the Ministry of Labour to conduct a supervised secret ballot vote in hopes of ending the months-long dispute.

The 3,300 teaching assistants, graduate assistants and contract faculty belonging to CUPE 3903 have been on strike since Nov. 6 and roughly 50,000 students have been kept from classes as a result.

Some 500 union members already voted down the currently tabled offer earlier in the month and there are reports union leaders are recommending members reject the offer. However, some members said they're tired of the picket line.

"I do want the strike to end. It's gone on way too long," said one member outside the hotel.

The main issue has been job security for contract staff.

Back-to-work legislation

Ontario's Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory was on campus Monday to meet with students affected by the labour dispute.

He urged the Liberal government to table back-to-work legislation to force CUPE members back to work.

"In the event this vote fails, you must call the legislature back immediately," he said in a message to Premier Dalton McGuinty. "Enough is enough. The law should be passed ordering this strike to end."

One student said he is glad someone is listening to their mounting frustration.

"We put our voice out there and it was heard," he said. "We're hoping some action will be taken to get students back to class."

John Milloy, Ontario's minister of training, colleges and universities, told CTV Toronto the McGuinty government has no plans to issue back-to-work legislation. Instead, he said the government believes that collective bargaining is the ultimate solution to the labour dispute.

McGuinty said Monday he's "very concerned" about the lengthy job action but said he wants to see the result of the two-day vote before he thinks about taking any action.

"It's in the hands of the parties right now and that's where it should be," he said. "There's an opportunity today and tomorow to bring it to an end."

He also said there's "nothing more important" than getting students back in class.

With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV Toronto's Dana Levenson