If you have dental coverage through CUPE, it will continue through until August 31st, 2025, even if your sessional position has come to an end and you do not have work in the spring/summer semester.
This same is true about your Health Care Spending Account (HCSA). You can make a claim until August 31st, 2025 so long as you have worked for at least one semester in the 2024-25 academic year.
For those of you earning the base rate and teaching a class with more than 75 students, please note that your last pay stub should have reflected an additional supplementary payment of $2.00 per student per unit for each student above 75. For a typical 3-unit course, this would amount to $6.00 per student for each student above 75. If you taught a class with more than 75 students and you have yet to see the supplemental fee added, please reach out to us immediately. If the payment is not processed soon, it could adversely impact EI entitlement, so please follow-up with your us or your department administrator this week and let us know if there are any issues. **please note that effective September 1st, the supplementary payment has increased $3.00 per student per unit for each student above 75 (or $9.00 per student for each student above 75)**
Post-Contract work
Any post-contract work (that is, work requested by your supervisor and completed after your final grades have been submitted) is separate from your contract and payable at a rate of $75.93/hour. This would include reviewing grades that are being challenged, marking exams that have been deferred, and dealing with cases of plagiarism. This is not an exhaustive list, and more information, including the appropriate form you’ll need to fill out and submit to get paid, is available here. **please note, we are awaiting an updated form with the new wage, but you can use the existing form in the meantime.** If you are asked to perform this work and are collecting EI, please let us know.
Once your marks have been submitted (the main list, this does not need to include any deferred exams or extensions based on accommodations), your contract is over, and this triggers the beginning of the post-contract period. If you have been asked to perform any work since submitting your grades – or if you are asked in the coming weeks – this applies to you!
Employment Insurance
The final pay was April 17th. This final pay triggered what Service Canada refers to as an ‘interruption of earnings’ and should be the date you list on your EI application as the last pay date (not the date for which you were last paid). The ‘day for which you were last paid’ and your ‘last day worked’ should be listed as April 8th. We would encourage all Sessionals who may utilize Employment Insurance at any point in 2025 to apply as soon as possible.
The first pay in the spring term, for those of you who are employed, will be on May 16th and the first day of work was May 5th. This means you might be able to collect EI from April 9th until May 4th, if you have enough insurable hours. For information on EI, click here. If you have not served a withholding period, you will need to serve a one week over period before you collect EI.
In certain instances, it is possible to both work and collect EI (with some clawbacks) if the amount of work have in the winter has dropped substantially from the work you had during the fall term. More information is available here.
Please note that all EI decisions are made by Service Canada, so it is always best to confirm with them if in doubt.
Professional Development
For those of you who are curious, applications made to the Professional Development Fund this semester will be adjudicated in the comings weeks and we will provide you with an update on your outcome as soon as we can. Cheques will be cut as soon as possible and should arrive shortly.
If you’ve missed the previous winter semester’s deadline, no worries. You can submit a professional development claim at any point over the coming spring semester.
Health Spending Account
Finally, a quick reminder that your maximum Health Care Spending Account entitlement is at $500 per academic year. The fund covers the cost of various health care related expenses (as approved by Revenue Canada) and provides a tax-free reimbursement to you. More information is available here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-benefits/
There is no cost or fee to you. The fund is secured through collective bargaining and made available to members to use as needed.
First Consideration Appointments
One major question we get related to seniority relates to job security. Sessionals have job security in the form of First Consideration Appointments. These function in the same way as a right of first refusal. First Consideration Appointments are a form of job security that occurs when you are appointed to a course without having to apply to it through a competitive application process.
You become eligible for a Standard First Consideration Appointment when you have taught the course for two consecutive appointments after applying to teach it in two open competitions. With First Consideration, you are entitled to be appointed to that course, without it being posted or you needing to apply for it, the next three times that it is offered to Sessional Faculty.
Members who have completed a Standard First Consideration Appointment are then eligible for an Enhanced First Consideration Appointment. When the course is posted again and you are hired in an open competition, you are then entitled to be appointed to that course, without needing to apply for it, the next four times that the course is offered to Sessionals.
Once you have secured a Standard or Enhanced First Consideration, the department can extend your appointment and continue to appoint you directly.
