The end of the term is here, and for many of our members, that means the end of their employment. This has a few implications, discussed below.

We wanted to remind sessionals that can (and should) apply for Employment Insurance (EI) as soon as possible.  The last pay period of the semester is on Friday, April 29th, and this will represent an ‘interruption in earnings,’ which is a technical term that must first happen before you can apply for EI.  You’ll also need to have received a Record of Employment (ROE) from McMaster, which should be automatically uploaded to Service Canada.  You’ll need to create a  Service Canada ID if you don’t have one already.  Normally, each 3.0 unit credit is equivalent to 238 hours, and you will need to reach a certain threshold of hours worked in the past 52 weeks in order to be eligible for EI (in Hamilton, for example, you will need 700 hours if you a return EI applicant, but it is generally lower in other areas).  More information can be found here: http://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/employment-insurance-unit-2/

If you feel that you have exceeded the 238 hours for a 3.0 unit course, you can speak to us and make a request to your chair.  There won’t be additional payment, but the additional hours will be reflected on your ROE and will count toward the EI threshold.

Finally, for those of you with a large class (that is, a class over 75 students), you will receive an additional lump sum payment (if you haven’t already) that reflects the higher workload associated with a large class.  It will appear on a separate line on your pay stub and listed as ‘class size.’ If you don’t receive this, please notify your Union.

Your collective agreement provides you with protections from post-contract work, and offers an additional payment if you are required to perform it. In the event your supervisor requests you to re-read papers or exams, attend appeals, deal with cases of academic dishonesty, grade or regrade late papers or exams after the contract expiry date, and in the event that you agree to perform such extra work, you will receive extra remuneration at the hourly rate of $61.00/hr.  If this occurs, payment should be processed automatically and paid within one-month.  You will need to verify the time spent doing such work with your department.  If this payment is not processed, please contact your Union.

If you have any questions about this information, including Employment Insurance, please contact Brad, the staff representative assigned to Unit 2: bwalchuk@cupe3906.org