February 25, 2022

The Executive Committee of CUPE Local 3906, representing over 3,000 contract academic workers (teaching assistants, sessional faculty, and postdoctoral fellows) at McMaster University, stands in solidarity with the York University Faculty Association, as their Executive has called for a strike vote. Faculty at York have been working under an expired contract since May 1 of last year, and their bargaining team has met with university administration 17 times to try to reach an agreement under the constraints of Doug Ford’s anti-worker Bill 124. Despite their best efforts, the administration at York refuses to address their concerns around workloads, fair compensation and benefits, equity in hiring, privacy, and research support.

York’s unwillingness to bargain with the Faculty Association on the proposals that matter most to its members is a continuation of a disturbing trend, both at York and in the broader post-secondary education sector. Over the years, York has become infamous across the province for provoking bitter strikes by its workers with its complete disrespect for collective bargaining. College Faculty across the province have been working-to-rule as the College Employer Council refuses to offer meaningful improvements to workload issues and holds to a rigid interpretation of Bill 124. Earlier this month we saw a strike at Ontario Tech University over similar issues. Here at McMaster, the administration continues to offer no meaningful improvements with respect to wages, job security, retirement security, or working conditions in our ongoing round of Sessional Faculty bargaining.

Post-secondary employers across the province seem resolute in their desire to extract as much work for as little as humanly possible from their workers, despite having enriched themselves substantially throughout the pandemic. They are banking on the assumption that we won’t strike as the pandemic drags on, or that if we do, students won’t support us. For the sake of our working conditions–and by extension, students’ learning conditions–we must be willing to prove them wrong, as the Faculty Association at OTU recently did. As YUFA members vote on a strike mandate, CUPE 3906 stands ready to support them, and we encourage education workers across the province to join us.

Solidarity!

The CUPE 3906 Executive Committee

For a PDF file of this statement, please click here

The Mike Skinner Award is a member-mandated award offered by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 3906 on an annual basis. Its title honours long-time labour activist and former CUPE 3906 Staff Member Mike Skinner.

The recipient of the Mike Skinner Award may have been involved in the following possible issues over the course of their time with CUPE 3906:

• Fighting for social justice issues (these issues are diverse and can include environmental justice, labour solidarity, gender equality, equity issues, and the advancement of peace);

• Promoting the welfare of humanity and the environment, and the elimination of pain and suffering through acts of community organizing, mobilization, education and/or solidarity;

• Labour organizing and solidarity in support of workers in Hamilton, Canada, or abroad.

This is not an exhaustive list, but includes a few common examples of the things that past award winners have been involved in and that the selection committee considers.

The value of the award is $500 to one person (or committee), an award certificate and an inscription on the Mike Skinner Award plaque. This award is open to all current members of CUPE 3906 (this includes all Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants in lieu, Sessional Faculty, Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty and Postdoctoral Fellows), and/or anyone who has been a member of the local between January 2021 and March 2022. This year’s award will be for the 2021-22 year.

The nomination period for this award is from February 22, 2022 to March 19, 2022.

If a suitable candidate has been active in your organization or department within this time frame, or if you have seen a suitable candidate around campus or the in community, we invite you to nominate them for this award.

Award Criteria:

Please review the award criteria, and, when writing your letter of nomination and seeking supporting letters from others, include the nominee’s specific contributions. The main criterions are:

• Impact of their service to the community;
• Length and level of involvement or commitment of the nominee to their act of community service;
• The dedication and courage of the nominee’s activism.

The selection committee is comprised of members of the CUPE 3906 executive and members-at-large. Members of the selection committee cannot nominate a candidate. Members of the selection committee who have personal ties with the nominees must yield their place to another member of the Executive or a CUPE member-at-large nominated by the members of the selection committee.

This year’s Award will be presented at the Annual General Meeting, set to happen in late March or early April, 2022.

We look forward to receiving your nomination of an amazing CUPE 3906 member.

For further information please contact president@cupe3906.org or mary@cupe3906.org

With the return to campus, we know that you are worried about your own safety, the safety of your families (and looking after them if needed), and the safety of your students. Public health guidelines are still recommending quarantining, which is an important way to help curb the transmission of COVID-19. But what does this mean from an employment perspective? What if you need to isolate? What if you or a loved one is sick? Look no further than your Collective Agreement.

Your Collective Agreement provides you with access to general leave, without loss of pay, under Article 18.01(a). The specific language reads:

18.01 (a)(i) In the event that an employee requires an unplanned leave it is the responsibility of the employee to both advise their Supervisor and to make up for any missed class and lost time that was missed. When making up the class(es) is a practical impossibility, an alternate arrangement, approved by the Supervisor, will be made. An unplanned leave is without loss of pay, subject to Articles 18.01 (b), (c), (d) and (e). Unplanned leaves may include, but are not limited to; sickness leave; bereavement leave; court leave; jury leave; family responsibility leave; domestic violence leave, and any exigent circumstances preventing access to classrooms. 

 (ii) If requested, an employee must provide medical documentation supporting the absence to their employment supervisor that includes confirmation of an in-person assessment by a physician; workplace restrictions, if any; and a return to work or reassessment date. Where the requested medical documentation includes the foregoing information, the Employer will, to a maximum of $50.00, reimburse the Employee 50% of the cost of the first medical documentation requested for each period of absence due to personal illness or injury regardless of length.  

Article 18.01(d) provides you with access to paid family responsibility leave. It states:

An employee who requires leave to attend to the emergency health needs of a member of their immediate family is entitled to leave up to a maximum of 1 calendar week without loss of pay provided the employee promptly contacts their Supervisor to make arrangements to make up the missed class(es) and lost time. When making up the class(es) is a practical impossibility, an alternate arrangement, approved by the Supervisor, will be made. Please see Article 3 for the definition of “immediate family”. 

You are also entitled to paid family medical leave under Article 18.01(e), which reads:

An employee may take a leave of absence, without pay, to provide care or support to a seriously ill family member. Such leave shall be taken in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and arranged with their Supervisor. i. An employee will be entitled to Supplementary Compassionate Care Benefits for up to 8 weeks. 

For each week of leave up to the 8th week, inclusive, the University will pay 95% of regular salary, less the maximum amount of weekly pay any individual is eligible to receive in accordance with the EIA (the “EI Max”), regardless of whether or not such amount is actually received by the employee. If the employee provides proof that their EIA entitlement is less than the EI Max, their weekly payment from the University will be 95% of regular salary less the amount of their EIA entitlement  

Please note that under the ESA, family medical leave may be taken to provide care or support to certain family members and people who consider the employee to be like a family member in respect of whom a qualified health practitioner has issued a certificate indicating that they have a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death occurring within a period of 26 weeks.

Your Collective Agreement also provides access to various other leaves (generally with pay), including planned leave, pregnancy and parental leave, and bereavement leave.

While certainly hope that none of these are needed, please be aware of them if you do need to use them, and know that we are here to support and advocate for you should there be an issue arising from needing to access any of the leaves.

With the return to campus, we know that you are worried about your own safety, the safety of your families (and looking after them if needed), and the safety of your students. Public health guidelines are still recommending quarantining, which is an important way to help curb the transmission of COVID-19. But what does this mean from an employment perspective? What if you need to isolate? What if you or a loved one is sick? Look no further than your Collective Agreement.

Your Collective Agreement provides you with access to paid sick leave under Article 21.02. The specific language reads:

Employees shall be credited with 10 paid business days per appointment year, or a pro-rated portion equivalent thereof for any portion of an employee’s appointment that is less than 12 months and for employees holding partial appointments. Such days are to be utilized for absences due to personal illness or injury. When an employee utilizes such day(s) they must include such days on the weekly hours of work report given to their Department Administrator. There will be no carry-forward of sick days from one appointment year to the next and there will be no cash pay out of unused sick days. 

There are limitations on when you supervisor can ask you for a doctor’s note, and part of any cost must be paid by the employer. If you are asked to provide a sick note under any circumstance, please let us know.

Under Article 22.02, you have access to a broader general leave. It states:

……the parties understand that there may be circumstances in which a PDF requires a leave of absence for; professional development, union convention/seminars, personal reasons or to attend to familial obligations. Subject to the approval of the employment supervisor at their sole discretion, additional leaves of absence with, or without pay, may be granted. Prior to the leave commencing, the length of the leave and mechanism for making up the missed time, if any, will be agreed to between the PDF and supervisor in writing. Requests for such leave will not be unreasonably denied.

Finally, you are also entitled to paid family medical leave under Article 22.08 and 22.09, which reads:

An employee may take a leave of absence, without pay, to provide care or support to a seriously ill family member. Such leave shall be taken in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and arranged with their Supervisor. i. An employee will be entitled to Supplementary Compassionate Care Benefits for up to 8 weeks. 

For each week of leave up to the 8th week, inclusive, the University will pay 95% of regular salary, less the maximum amount of weekly pay any individual is eligible to receive in accordance with the EIA (the “EI Max”), regardless of whether or not such amount is actually received by the employee. If the employee provides proof that their EIA entitlement is less than the EI Max, their weekly payment from the University will be 95% of regular salary less the amount of their EIA entitlement  

Please note that under the ESA, family medical leave may be taken to provide care or support to certain family members and people who consider the employee to be like a family member in respect of whom a qualified health practitioner has issued a certificate indicating that they have a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death occurring within a period of 26 weeks.

While certainly hope that none of these are needed, please be aware of them if you do need to use them, and know that we are here to support and advocate for you should there be an issue arising from needing to access any of the leaves.

Finally, you also have access to paid vacation time, which varies depending upon the length of your employment contract. Vacation time accrues on a monthly basis, and they can be used as soon as they are accrued (or can be banked and taken together over a longer period).

Your entitlement is based on the length of your appointment according to the following:

Less than 1 year- 1.25 days per month

1 or more years but less than 3 years- 1.67 days per month

3 or more years – 2.08 days per month

While you and your supervisor must make every effort to see that full vacation entitlement is taken during the period for which it was granted, please note that accrued and unused vacation time from the current entitlement year is payable upon the end of your appointment.   

We wanted to share this information about leaves of absence as it may be important during the return to campus. We have access to a variety of leaves you can use, they can be found in full under Article 19. The collective agreement is attached below, here are the important points:

 19.01 (a) With the approval of the employment supervisor(s) concerned, an employee may arrange to exchange their duties, or for their substitution, with or by a qualified person, for periods not to exceed 10 days at a time and not to exceed 3 weeks per term. If the employee cannot find a suitable replacement, the employment supervisor, upon request, will assist in finding a suitable replacement. Examples of such an arrangement would be for the employee to attend an Academic Conference, a Union Convention, or to attend to an ill family member. Approval of the employment supervisor shall not be unreasonably withheld. (b) It is agreed that an employee may utilize 10 such substitution days for personal leave.

You are also entitled to sick leave yourself as a TA. Article 19.03 reads:

An employee will be credited with sick leave equivalent to 10 working hours per term in the academic year subject to the employee having a teaching assistantship (or a research assistantship in lieu thereof). 

Finally, you are entitled to paid family medical leave under Article 19.04, which reads:

(a) An employee may take a leave of absence, without pay, to provide care or support to a seriously ill family member. Such leave shall be taken in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000, and arranged with their Supervisor.
(b) Supplementary Compassionate Care Benefits
An employee will be entitled to Supplementary Compassionate Care Benefits for up to 8 weeks. For each week of leave up to the 8th week, inclusive, the University will pay 95% of regular salary, less the maximum amount of weekly pay any individual is eligible to receive in accordance with the EIA (the “EI Max”), regardless of whether or not such amount is actually received by the Employee. If the Employee provides proof that their EIA entitlement is less than the EI Max, their weekly payment from the University will be 95% of regular salary less the amount of their EIA entitlement.

Please note that under the ESA, family medical leave may be taken to provide care or support to certain family members and people who consider the employee to be like a family member in respect of whom a qualified health practitioner has issued a certificate indicating that they have a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death occurring within a period of 26 weeks.

While we certainly hope that none of these are needed, please be aware of them and know that we are here to support and advocate for you should there be an issue arising from needing to access any of the leaves.

Don’t miss out! The exhibition ends on February 26

It is with great pride that we invite you to WAHC’s newest exhibition: Mobilize! CUPE 3906 Sessional Labour in the Time of COVID-19. How can labour organize in a pandemic? This is the question that Sylvia Nickerson, previously Chief Steward for Unit 2 and Member Mobilizer for our Local, set out to answer with artist and member Simon Orpana. Sylvia and Simon collaborated to create the brilliant cartoons that are now being shared from our Local to the world. The exhibition will remain open for the public till February 26, be sure to check it out and share it with your friends!

February 2 – February 26

It is with great pride that we invite you to WAHC’s newest exhibition: Mobilize! CUPE 3906 Sessional Labour in the Time of COVID-19. How can labour organize in a pandemic? This is the question that Sylvia Nickerson, previously Chief Steward for Unit 2 and Member Mobilizer for our Local set out to answer with artist and member Simon Orpana. Sylvia and Simon collaborated to create the brilliant cartoons that are now being shared from our Local to the world. The exhibition will remain open for the public till February 26, be sure to check it out and share it with your friends!

On related news, our Local struck a second home run with WAHC on January 27, when Dr. Rob Jones, our former Bargaining Support Committee Chair, gave a fascinating presentation on the history of the early 20th-century labour movement in the United States, highlighting how Christian leaders responded to both the rise of industrial Capitalism and labour militancy. He was accompanied by Rev. Francisco Garcia, whose talk focused on his experiences growing up as a priest and labour organizer in Southern California. You can watch their presentations on WAHC’s facebook page: https://fb.watch/aVp2T3vqf0/ .

For TA’s who are new this term, you should have received an email about five hours of additional paid training our union secured in 2019, that covers anti-oppression training among other things. Some new members have shared they were not informed by Mac about this (despite it being their duty) so I wanted to share the information about it.

Our union pushed hard for this in 2019 and won it through the hard work of the bargaining team and our members mobilizing. The training will improve your skills as a TA and give you additional pay. It is broken down into Anti-Oppression (2 hours), TA Rights & Responsibilities (1 hour), and a selection of elective workshops (2 hours). This training is mandatory, so make sure you enrol!

Registration

You can register for the training through Mosaic. Once registered, you will be able to access the training workshops in Avenue to Learn. The How to Register for the Training document, found below, will provide step-by-step instruction, including screenshots, to help TAs with registering for the training.

https://hr.mcmaster.ca/app/uploads/2021/08/TA-Training-Communication_How-to-Register.pdf

More Information and FAQs

More information can be found here: https://hr.mcmaster.ca/employees/health_safety_well-being/our-safety/health-and-safety-training/ta-training/ 

We are inviting any members in good standing to come to CUPE Ontario’s Spring School. Our Local has voted to cover the costs of sending up to 10 members to the Spring School. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the labour movement and brush up on your skills so that you can better contribute to it. Click here to read the Final Call announcement and see the workshops available. Please note: you can register for one workshop only as they run simultaneously.

Although the Spring School begins on March 5, the registration deadline is Friday, February 25th. If you’re interested in going, please send an email as soon as possible to president@cupe3906.org indicating the course on offer you’d like to take so that we can sign you up on time. First come, first served!