Register in advance for our GMM here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkf-Cppz0jEtJqptJUpdgboMFRWHDfCVPo

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

By-elections on this GMM agenda

Along with other important union business, this GMM will include by-elections to four different positions on our Executive Committee: Chief Steward Unit 1, President, Treasurer and Recording Secretary. You can find the details on each position – as well as certain eligibility criteria – in Section 5 of the CUPE 3906 Bylaws: Duties of Executive Officers.

About the virtual GMM elections process:

Nominations for both elections will be held on the (virtual) floor of the GMM, but our Bylaws also allow for those unable to attend to self-nominate in writing ahead of the meeting. If you are unable to attend the GMM but wish to run for one of the two positions up for election, you can nominate yourself by emailing your 500-word candidate statement to brad@cupe3906.org anytime before 10 AM on the day of the GMM. Because our Bylaws require that only staff accept nominations for elections, only those sent to brad@cupe3906.org will be accepted, and their CUPE 3906 membership then verified.

Voting on these elections will occur in real time (via Zoom), meaning only members in attendance will be able to cast a ballot. This is the method we have determined most closely aligns with our in-person GMM elections and the processes laid out in our Bylaws and the CUPE National Constitution. Please note: if you are attending via a phone call (instead of using the Zoom app), you will not be able to be able to vote, because all votes in elections are anonymous.

We hope to see you there!

To be 100% clear, CUPE Local 3906 believes that the Ontario government and McMaster (a publicly funded university) should be providing COVID 19 tests to all staff and students. As usual, the Ontario government prefers playing Hunger Games. We want to let members know about the following:

A rapid antigen test pop-up distribution site hosted by the Province of Ontario is scheduled for Monday, January 17, at McMaster University’s main campus.

A limited number of test kits will be available to the McMaster and wider Hamilton community outside the Bates Residence starting at 9 a.m.

You must register in advance. Advance registration to pick up kits can be booked here. Kits of five tests will be distributed two ways: drive through and walk up. One kit will be allotted per registrant.

Arriving to the distribution site:

Do not arrive earlier than your scheduled appointment time (avoid lineups).

Please use the drive through option, if possible. Walk-up is available if you do not have a car.

• Drive-through: Enter the University at the Main Street entrance and turn left onto University Avenue (before reaching the hospital), left on College Street and follow the signs to the pick-up area. Stay in your car and do not park on campus.
• Walk up: Walk to the pick up location and if a line is present join the line on the north side of Scholars Road. Remember to maintain physical distancing.

The pop-up site at McMaster is part of a larger provincial initiative to distribute tests across the province, including several university campuses.

Are you working in the Winter 2022 term (i.e., next term)? If you’d like to opt-out of our dental plan or enroll in family dental coverage for the next term, you can already check the requirements and download the forms by visiting the page below:

https://cupe3906.org/2021/12/23/dental-change-of-coverage-forms-for-u1-and-u2-members-working-in-the-winter-2022-term-now-available/

Our office is currently closed, but we’ll be happy to assist you and process the forms when we re-open in January.

Please note that the deadline for change of coverage forms for eligible members working in the Winter 2022 Term is January 31st, 2022

Register in advance for our GMM here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkf-Cppz0jEtJqptJUpdgboMFRWHDfCVPo

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

By-elections on this GMM agenda

Along with other important union business, this GMM will include by-elections to two different positions on our Executive Committee: Chief Steward Unit 1 and President. You can find the details on each position – as well as certain eligibility criteria – in Section 5 of the CUPE 3906 Bylaws: Duties of Executive Officers.

About the virtual GMM elections process:

Voting on these elections will occur in real time (via Zoom), meaning only members in attendance will be able to cast a ballot. This is the method we have determined most closely aligns with our in-person GMM elections and the processes laid out in our Bylaws and the CUPE National Constitution.

We hope to see you there!

The final pay for this term is December 31st. This date is later than usual, but the first pay was also later than usual. It is a simple reflection of the calendar and McMaster’s bi-weekly pay schedule. This final pay on December 31st represents 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 December 24th.  We would encourage all Sessionals who may utilize Employment Insurance at any point in 2022 to apply after December 31st, even if you are employed during the Winter term.

The first pay in the Winter term, for those of you who are employed, will be on January 28th and the first day of work will be January 9th. This means you should be able to collect EI from January 1st to January 8th if you have enough insurable hours. For information on EI, click here. If you have already served a withholding period in the past 52 weeks, you will be able to collect EI as of January 1st. If you have not served a withholding period, you can serve one week over the holidays and should be able to collect EI for a day or two. However, you will have served the one-week waiting period, which means you won’t need to do so again in the spring.

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.

We are told that your ROE will be issued in advance of December 31st.

It has been a few long months of negotiation and research for our CUPE 3906 Unit 2 Bargaining Committee. As you have likely heard through our ongoing phone calls and personal emails, we left the table in August with a request for more detailed information from the Employer to draft proposals that comply with what is commonly referred to as “Bill 124”.

Bill 124 refers to the Ontario Conservative Party Government’s restriction to increases to wages and other Collective Agreement entitlements to a maximum of 1% per year over a 3-year “moderation period”. Unit 2 has already been through one year of these restrictions, and we have two years remaining under the legislation (i.e., until September 2023). The legislation also restricts unions’ abilities to “make up” for the three years of restrictions in the year following the restriction period. (It is unclear what exactly is prohibited under this portion of the legislation.) This legislation makes negotiating meaningful improvements in the first two years of the Collective Agreement extremely difficult.

The Bargaining Team has spent weeks trying to maximize the gains in years 1 and 2 in creative ways, and offering proposals in year 3 that take into account the consequences of inflation and underfunding in several benefits. Items such as improvements to job security cost the employer nothing, but they continue to say ‘no’ and seem content with the current level of precarious work.

Even our proposals that deal with equity between Sessional Faculty and other employees on campus—such as recognition for our members who have been teaching for five, ten, and even thirty years or more—have not
been adopted by the Employer. We met with the Employer again on December 6th and 9th, 2021, with a modified package of proposals to attempt to meet the employer’s proposals partway, but unfortunately the Parties were not close in key priority areas such as Job Security, Wages, and Retirement Security.

The employer continues to say ‘no’ to improvements to job security, ‘no’ to meaningful retirement security, and insists on keeping wage increases to a minimal level that falls well below inflation. We are continuing to negotiate, but we are getting to the end of what can be negotiated without arriving at an impasse. In the event that the Parties reach an impasse, the Bargaining Team may request a Strike Vote from Members.

A strong Strike Vote gives the Bargaining Team the option of calling a Strike in the event that talks break down entirely at the table. It does not automatically lead to a strike, but demonstrates that the Union and its members are serious about their proposals in the process of Conciliation (or else the Employer “holds all of the cards”). Conciliation is a process involving an authorized third-party Conciliation Officer who attempts to guide the Parties to an agreement. If an agreement is not achieved during Conciliation, either Party can file a “No Board Report”, which is a document filed with the Government that starts a 17-day countdown to a legal strike by the Union or a lockout by the Employer.

The Bargaining Team anticipates more bargaining dates in the Winter Term and we are asking for your continued support. It is necessary to achieve an improved Collective Agreement that you deserve. Without your demonstration of support, it is unlikely that we will be able to negotiate anything other than a “roll-over” agreement for the next few years. We think you deserve more in wages, benefits, resources, and retirement planning. We think that you deserve to be treated in a way that is more equitable with other instructional staff on campus. The Employer will need to hear your voices united in this demand in the coming weeks.

A PDF version can be found here

Dear Members,

If you are a Classification “A” (i.e., holding an undergraduate degree) TA or RA (in lieu of TA) (Unit 1) Member or a Sessional Faculty or Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty (Unit 2) Member who is working in the Winter 2022 Term (and did not work as a CUPE 3906 Member in the Fall 2021 Term) and would like to opt-out of dental coverage or enroll in family dental coverage, your change of coverage forms are now available!

Unit 1 Members fitting the description above can find dental opt-out and family dental enrollment forms at Dental Plan | CUPE 3906.  An important letter describing the dental plan is available here: 2021-2022-Dental-Letter-U1-Members-WINTER-VERSION.pdf (cupe3906.org)

Unit 2 Members fitting the description above can find dental opt-out and family dental enrollment forms at Unit 2 Dental Coverage | CUPE 3906.  An important letter describing the dental plan is available here: 2021-2022-Dental-Letter-U2-Members-WINTER.pdf (cupe3906.org)

Please note that, if you wish to keep your single dental coverage and do not wish to opt-out of dental or enroll in family dental, you do not need to fill out any forms.  The deadline for change of coverage forms for eligible Unit 1 and Unit 2 members working in the Winter 2022 Term is January 31st, 2022.

Have a safe and happy holiday from your CUPE 3906 Staff!

We have been in regular contact with Facilities Services at McMaster, and they are doing or have already done the following as part of McMaster’s ventilation plan for teaching and non-teaching spaces.

1.       Increase outside air/fresh air in all our main air handling systems as the system design and outdoor temperature permits
2.       Replaced all return air filters with MERV 13 filters
3.       Inspected and verified that air dampers in air handling systems are operating as per design.