CUPE 3906

Dear CUPE 3906 Members,

Our union is built on the foundations of respect, equity, and due process. These are not just words we read aloud at the start of each meeting — they are commitments we hold ourselves accountable to in every interaction, especially during moments of tension or disagreement.

We do not condone conduct that humiliates, undermines, or shames members in any public or private forum. All members — including those in leadership roles — are expected to uphold our equity principles and follow our Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures to address concerns.

• CUPE 3906 Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Handbook
• Discrimination and Harassment Complaint Form

We recognize that this incident may have affected members in different ways. We are here to support you. Below are some resources available to you if you would like to speak to someone or seek support:

• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP): Confidential counselling and mental health support for McMaster employees: https://hr.mcmaster.ca/employees/health_safety_well-being/my-well-being/employee-and-family-assistance-program/
• CMHA Hamilton Crisis Hotline: Mental health support and crisis services: https://cmhahamilton.ca/
• St. Joseph’s Mental Health and Wellness Resources: https://www.stjoes.ca/hospital-services/mental-health-addiction-services/mental-health-services/mental-health-and-wellness-resource-centre
• SACHA (Sexual Assault Centre – Hamilton & Area): Support for those affected by sexual violence or harassment: https://sacha.ca/

All matters pertaining to the AGM or election will be handled by CUPE National representative, Sean Lee (seanl@cupe.ca) and CUPE 3906 staff, Mary Ellen Campbell (mary@cupe3906.org).

Roll Up Your Sleeves, WAHC’s third annual spring un-gala, is back and it’s shaping up to be quite the evening. 

Get your Canadian tuxedos ready because Roll Up Your Sleeves is not just a fundraiser supporting WAHC’s year round operations—it’s an opportunity to celebrate working people’s art, culture and history!

There will be raffle prizes, a peek into our permanent collection, music from Hamilton’s own EYE.SHA, the opportunity to try your hand at pulling your very own letterpress print designed by Greg Smith of Blind Pig Press, and beverages courtesy of Clifford Brewing Company

It’s also the last chance to catch WAHC’s current exhibitions: What We Inherit in the CUPE/SCFP Gallery and Steelworker Legacies in the Community Gallery.

Get your tickets now! You’re not going to want to miss it.
https://wahc-museum.ca/event/roll-up-your-sleeves/

Please take a moment to support our fellow University sector workers at UofT (Local 3902) and at the UofT Students’ Union (Local 1281)

1. CUPE 3902 has five units in difficult negotiations, and three (including one fighting a major concession) have an April 1 strike deadline: https://cupe.ca/fair-deal-now
2. CUPE 1281.25 – staff at University of Toronto Students’ Union – are in a big fight. A lot of concession demands from a very aggressive employer. They could be on strike next week: https://cupe.on.ca/utsu/

Your bargaining team is pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement with the Employer, securing significant gains for Sessional Faculty at McMaster University. 

Next steps:

• The bargaining team will present the tentative agreement to the Executive Committee. 

• A Special GMM will be called, where the bargaining team will present the tentative agreement to the Unit 2 membership. 

• Unit 2 members will vote on whether to ratify the tentative agreement. 

Keep an eye on your inbox for dates and meeting invitations. The specific dates and times of the meeting will be announced shortly, and we will present full details of the tentative agreement at the Special GMM where there will be a Q and A period for members to ask questions.

Thank you for your continued support. We couldn’t have secured this tentative agreement without you!

Sincerely, 

Your Unit 2 Bargaining Team

Sessional Faculty who are teaching this winter for the first time in the 2024-25 academic year (i.e. you did not teach this past fall semester) and who did not opt out of the CUPE dental will see a dental plan deduction of $170 on this week’s pay cheque. This deduction will not be made from those who already taught in fall 2024. The dental plan offers $1000 of coverage with no deductible and coverage is backdated to September 1, 2024. You can find additional information on our dental plan here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-dental-coverage/

We also wanted to take this opportunity to let both new and existing members know about the various benefits that you are entitled to as a CUPE member. Sessional Faculty have access to a Health Care Spending Account that offers up to $500 per academic year (reimbursed at 100%). This fund covers items approved by Revenue Canada as health/medical expenses and can be used in conjunction with another benefits plan that you might have access to. You can find more information, including the application form, here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-benefits/

Sessional Faculty are eligible for $200 per 3-unit course to a Professional Development Fund (to a maximum of $1000 per academic year).  Subsequent sections of individual courses taught by Sessional Faculty will be eligible for a Professional Development award of $100 for the first additional section taught and $50 for each subsequent section taught (up to the maximum yearly entitlement).

The Training Fund for Sessional Faculty provides limited, one-time payments (up to $300 per academic year) for members who complete select training through the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching prior to August 31, 2025. You must have an active contract in the 2024-25 academic year to access this fund. More information, including the application form, can be found here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/training-fund/

As a Sessional Faculty, you also have access to McMaster’s Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP) at no cost and on the same basis as other employee groups at McMaster. Access was won through collective bargaining and the advocacy and support of members. More information can be found here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/employee-family-assistance-program/

Finally, the CUPE 3906 Unit 2 Collective Agreement Expired on August 31, 2024. We are currently negotiating a renewal agreement with the Employer. For more information, or to get involved to improve the pay, working conditions, and benefits of Sessional Faculty at McMaster, please visit www.bettermac.ca or contact president@cupe3906.org

The 2025 CUPE 3906 Annual General Membership Meeting (AGM) is scheduled for Monday, April 7th, 2025, at 2:00 P.M. EST. (A registration link will be sent to your McMaster email.)

Agendas for AGMs are restricted by our Bylaws, and include annual Executive Committee elections. (For descriptions of the election process and the Executive Committee positions, please see Articles 4 and 5 of our Bylaws.)

Members may nominate candidates for Executive Committee positions prior to the AGM using our nomination form. To view the form (and instructions on how to fill out/submit the form) in form-fillable PDF, please CLICK HERE.

Hard copies of the form will also be available at our office, KTH B111, or by request (please contact mary@cupe3906.org).

Please include only one nomination per form. (Members may submit nominations for multiple positions, but subsequent nominations should be submitted on separate forms.)

Forms must be returned to president@cupe3906.org, CCing staff@cupe3906.org and/or recordingsecretary@cupe3906.org, no later than 12:59 P.M. on Sunday, March 30th, 2025.

Please note: you are not required to submit a nomination form prior to the AGM on April 7th to run for an Executive Committee position. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else from the “floor” of the AGM, you may do so when nominations are declared open for the respective position.

Questions regarding Executive Committee positions may be directed to president@cupe3906.org, or staff@cupe3906.org. We do encourage you to review the description Executive Committee positions in Article 5 of the Local’s Bylaws before asking.

Elections for Executive Committee positions (and, where necessary, instructions for casting ballots) will take place at our AGM on April 7th.

Since meeting with the employer and a conciliation officer from the Ontario Labour Relations Board on January 19th in hopes of reaching a deal, your bargaining team has been trying to schedule another meeting and work together to reach an agreement. Instead, the employer has backed out of another meeting on February 4th and is attempting to delay until March.

The union has been open to bargaining throughout the process but the employer has continued to delay, leaving you without a raise since the last collective agreement, which expired in August 2024. Now, the employer is also attempting to put the cost of delays on you by refusing to even consider granting retroactive pay to Sessional Faculty, insisting that the next contract should not come into effect until May.

After Sessional Faculty voted 83% in favour of authorizing a strike in December in case talks break down at the bargaining table, the union has been making preparations for a strike. However, McMaster is able to avert this by coming back to the table where we have been waiting for them, ready to bargain with or without a conciliation officer.

It is clear that Sessional Faculty must send a strong message to the employer in order to force them to come back to the table and bring with them a fair offer that increases wages and job security. The best show of strength available to us is to demonstrate that Sessional Faculty are strike-ready by committing to stopping work if a strike is called and signing up for times you are available to picket on this form:

https://forms.gle/MGVFn2QDTNhWwaRDA

All members are encouraged to attend Strike Committee meetings, where questions or concerns about the implications of a strike can be addressed and plans for preparation and strategy are made. The next Strike Committee meeting is at 6:30pm on Monday, January February 10th on Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89415978803

If you have any questions, please email president@cupe3906.org and keep an eye on bettermac.ca for updates.

Sincerely,

Your Unit 2 Bargaining Team