CUPE 3906

Your bargaining team has been hard at work for the past few months since our last update. We have met with the employer at the bargaining table a total of 17 times now, and have been making slow but steady progress on our non-monetary items. We have recently been discussing compensation with the employer and are hopeful that we are on the path to a fair tentative deal. At present, we have three more dates booked for negotiations with the employer: Nov 7, Nov 10, and Nov 19. We are also trying to find more dates to keep negotiations moving.

Most recently, on October 30th, we met with the Employer in conciliation with a Ministry of Labour-appointed conciliation officer. While we don’t believe that we are at a complete standstill in negotiations yet, having met with the conciliation officer means we have now satisfied the legal requirement for us to set a strike/lockout deadline if/when we think that job action is the only way for us to get a fair deal.

While we are hopeful that we can reach a tentative deal without job action, we will need your continued support to get us there. Over the next few months we will be holding events and drop-ins so that we can talk about the union, keep you informed on our bargaining progress, and hear from you about what matters most. Please follow CUPE Local 3906 on Instagram and stay tuned for future opportunities to meet the team and get involved!

Share the Petition

Last year, we successfully presented the employer with a paper petition signed by almost every single Unit 4 employee, demanding a fair contract. Now we’re extending the call to action to residence stakeholders: students, staff, parents, alumni, and community members.

Please encourage everyone you know to sign the online petition for a fair deal. Send it to your students, your friends, heck – you can even send it to your profs. It only takes 30 seconds to sign.

Share the petition at this link: https://forms.gle/Dc8wUzcoXUe3rdCfA

Together we can achieve the fairness we deserve.

In solidarity,
Your CUPE 3906 Unit 4 Bargaining Team
Caleb, Elissa, Greg, Simran, Annie, and Anna

Our next General Membership Meeting, or GMM, will be held on Wednesday, November 19th at 3 p.m. via Zoom. A link will be sent to your McMaster email address in the coming days. The full agenda is TBA, but there will be an election for one (1) position on the bylaws committee. All further details will be posted on www.cupe3906.org/gmm-materials when they are available.

November is Labour Film Month!

All events are FREE to attend! Check out our list of virtual and in-person events and plan to attend a screening near you.

Festival screening events coming up this week:

Tue, Nov 4, 19:00 AST: NSGEU is hosting an in-person event at the Debert Hospitality Centre in Nova Scotia.

Fri, Nov 7, 19:00 EST: Join Mayworks Toronto for their virtual event (Get your ticket HERE). Anyone in Ontario can join.

Fri, Nov 7, 19:00 EST: Join ETFO – Halton Elementary Occasional Teachers for their virtual event (Get your ticket HERE). Anyone in Ontario can join.

Please share widely!

Check out our website, labourfilms.ca, for film and screening details

Dear Unit 2 (Sessional Faculty, Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty, and MELD Faculty) Members,

We are pleased to introduce a new benefits fund that we were able to establish thanks to your support during the most recent round of negotiations.

The CUPE 3906 Unit 2 Gender Affirmation and Reproductive Health Fund is now available to Unit 2 Members!

Please visit https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/u2garhf/ for details about this fund, including how to submit applications, and a claim form.

Claims are confidential, and administered by our Third Party Administrator, the Prosure Group. Please visit the link above for more information, and to use of this fund!

In solidarity,

Your CUPE 3906 Benefits Committee

Want to get involved to help improve benefits for you and your co-workers? Join our Benefits Committee! Email benefits@cupe3906.org for more information!

As part of the McMaster’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion and service excellence, and in collaboration with University Technology Services (UTS), the Office of the Registrar’s Office, Equity and Inclusion Office, and community partners, the employer has announce a new enhancement to Employee Self-Service (ESS) in Mosaic.  Your Union is supportive of this and encourages people to have their chosen or preferred name reflected in MOSAIC. We have already bargained language around being able to use a preferred name and secured language to prevent misgendering.

Starting October 6, 2025, employees can update their chosen/preferred first name directly in Mosaic’s Employee Self-Service (ESS).

On November 3, 2025, their display name in Microsoft 365 applications (Outlook, Teams, etc.) will automatically match the chosen/preferred first name in Mosaic.

What’s Next: Starting Monday, October 6, employees are encouraged to review and update their chosen/preferred first name in Mosaic before November 3. After that, one’s chosen/preferred name in Mosaic will automatically sync to Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams).

Why This Matters: This change streamlines processes and supports an inclusive campus experience by allowing individuals to be addressed by the name they identify with — without contacting support or navigating multiple systems.

Questions: For support, please contact the Employee Contact Centre: hr.mcmaster@mcmaster.ca or call 905-525-9140 x222HR

We have a vacancy on our executive committee for the Vice President External position. This position is open to all Local 3906 members and will be elected at our next General Membership Meeting (Tuesday, October 21st, 3 p.m. via zoom). You can find more about the position on the infographic below.

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