CUPE 3906

As you may know, a Unit 4 (Residence Life) strike vote was held a couple weeks ago, and members responded 90% in favour of striking if talks break down at the bargaining table. Following this strong mandate delivered by Unit 4 members, we are now forming a Unit 4 Strike Committee to organize and plan for a potential strike.

The first Strike Committee meeting will be this Thursday, September 11th, at 5:00 PM. The meeting will be held in-person at the CUPE 3906 office located in the basement of Kenneth Taylor Hall (Room B111). Membership in the Strike Committee is not limited to Unit 4 – members of any Unit are invited to join the Unit 4 Strike Committee.

Notwithstanding, all Unit 4 Members – PAs, GRAs, ROAs, GCLs, and CAs – are strongly encouraged to join the Strike Committee as it is your Unit that is facing a potential strike.

At this meeting we will be elected Co-Chairs, assigning strike duties, scheduling mobilizing activities, and having early discussions about strike planning and strategy. Whether you are a longstanding member of CUPE 3906 or brand new to our Union, we encourage you to attend!

If you are unable to make the meeting but are interested in joining the Strike Committee, please email catchair@cupe3906.org so we can let you know about future meetings.

Join our Women and Gender Committee as they stand united against gender-based violence.

For any questions, contact Chair of the committee, Kusum Bhatta at womenscommittee@cupe3906.org

Please register in advance here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=B2M3RCm0rUKMJSjNSW9HciYLKJLoppVLooLI2VaeVYBUOEVWU0dFU1EyMERIMUtMWEIyQlVFNkJEVC4u&route=shorturl

Please register in advance here: https://forms.office.com/r/5Jfq7xEYHW

Our first General Membership Meeting, or GMM, of the fall semester will be held on Tuesday, September 16th at 3 pm. The meeting will be held remotely via zoom and a registration link will soon be sent to your McMaster email address. The agenda will be posted in advance of the meeting. We hope to see you there.

We are pleased to announce that the new Unit 1 (TAs and RAs in Lieu) and Unit 2 (Sessional Faculty, Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty, and MELD Sessional Faculty) dental coverage rates for 2025-2026 have been determined.

Unit 1 Members can CLICK HERE for a letter that explains the new rates, and provides important information about eligibility, and opting out of dental coverage, and enrolling in family dental coverage for the 2025-2026 academic year. (Unit 1 Dental coverage is only available to members holding an undergraduate degree. Members who do not hold an undergraduate degree are automatically opted out of coverage.) Please note that the Unit 1 deadline for opting out of the dental coverage or enrolling in family coverage is September 26, 2025. Please visit this site for more information about dental coverage, or to obtain a form to opt-out of dental coverage or enroll in family dental coverage.

Unit 2 Members can CLICK HERE for a letter that explains the new rates, and provides important information about eligibility, and opting out of dental coverage, and enrolling in family dental coverage for the 2025-2026 academic year. Please note that the Unit 2 deadline for opting out of the dental coverage or enrolling in family coverage is September 29, 2025. Please visit this site for more information about dental coverage, or to obtain a form to opt-out of dental coverage or enroll in family dental coverage.

Please contact administrator@cupe3906.org with any questions about dental coverage. Due to the high number of inquiries at this time of year, please review the information at the links provided above before emailing. Thank you!

The student-workers responsible for creating and maintaining safe, supportive, and inclusive communities for over 4,000 residence students at McMaster University have delivered an overwhelming strike vote mandate in support of their Bargaining Committee.

After two days of online voting, Residence Life workers in CUPE Local 3906 Unit 4 – including Community Advisors (CAs), Graduate Community Leaders (GCLs), Guest Registration Assistants (GRAs), Residence Orientation Planners and Assistants (ROPs/ROAs), and Project Assistants (PAs) – voted 90% in favour of authorizing strike action should negotiations with McMaster’s Administration break down.

These workers, who unionized in April 2024, play a vital role in residence life. They respond to mental health crises and emergencies, plan and deliver curriculum-based educational and community-building programming, and support the well-being of thousands of undergraduate and graduate students. Much of this work is done unscheduled, and often without adequate compensation. All the while, McMaster charges live-in workers thousands of dollars in mandatory fees (including a mandatory meal plan), forcing workers to pay-to-work.

“This result is clear. We are united, organized, and ready to take action to secure the fair deal we deserve,” said Caleb Smolenaars, Chair of the Unit 4 Bargaining Committee. “For too long, McMaster has profited off the backs of student-workers. It’s time to put an end to McMaster’s exploitative pay-to-work model.”

Unit 4 members are calling for a compensation model similar comparable roles at other Ontario universities, including:

• A living wage for all Residence Life workers
• A stipend for live-in positions
• An employer-paid meal plan for live-in positions, instead of the status quo mandatory employee-paid meal plan
• A supplementary benefits fund

CUPE 3906 President, Oluwadamilola Babatunde, added: “Residence Life workers are on the front lines of student support. They deserve better than the exploitative model currently in place. McMaster cannot continue to ignore the value of these workers and the reality of these working conditions.”

With this strike mandate in hand, the Unit 4 Bargaining Committee will return to the table with a clear message that Unit 4 members are united and ready to take action if necessary.

The student-workers responsible for creating and maintaining safe, supportive, and inclusive communities for over 4,000 residence students at McMaster University have delivered an overwhelming strike vote mandate in support of their Bargaining Committee.

After two days of online voting, Residence Life workers in CUPE Local 3906 Unit 4 – including Community Advisors (CAs), Graduate Community Leaders (GCLs), Guest Registration Assistants (GRAs), Residence Orientation Planners and Assistants (ROPs/ROAs), and Project Assistants (PAs) – voted 90% in favour of authorizing strike action should negotiations with McMaster’s Administration break down.

These workers, who unionized in April 2024, play a vital role in residence life. They respond to mental health crises and emergencies, plan and deliver curriculum-based educational and community-building programming, and support the well-being of thousands of undergraduate and graduate students. Much of this work is done unscheduled, and often without adequate compensation. All the while, McMaster charges live-in workers thousands of dollars in mandatory fees (including a mandatory meal plan), forcing workers to pay-to-work.

“This result is clear. We are united, organized, and ready to take action to secure the fair deal we deserve,” said Caleb Smolenaars, a Community Advisor and Chair of the Unit 4 Bargaining Committee. “For too long, McMaster has profited off the backs of student-workers. It’s time to put an end to McMaster’s exploitative pay-to-work model.”

Unit 4 members are calling for a compensation model similar comparable roles at other Ontario universities, including:

• A living wage for all Residence Life workers
• A stipend for live-in positions
• An employer-paid meal plan for live-in positions, instead of the status quo mandatory employee-paid meal plan
• A supplementary benefits fund
• Stable and predictable hours

CUPE 3906 President, Oluwadamilola Babatunde, added: “Residence Life workers are on the front lines of student support. They deserve better than the exploitative model currently in place. McMaster cannot continue to ignore the value of these workers and the reality of these working conditions.”

With this strike mandate in hand, the Unit 4 Bargaining Committee will return to the bargaining table with a clear message that Unit 4 members are united and ready to take action if necessary.

Your elected union Bargaining Committee has met with McMaster’s Bargaining Committee twelve times since the end of August, 2024. Both parties (the Union and the Employer) tabled their monetary packages in July, 2025. Although some progress has been made, the Employer and the Union are far apart on key issues including compensation, housing, hours of work, meal plans, and the duration of the contract. The Bargaining Team is requesting Unit 4 members’ participation in a strike vote to help negotiations progress in a fair and timely manner.

If you have questions, we have answers: https://cupe3906.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/501/strike-vote-faq-unit-4-1.pdf