CUPE 3906

We warmly congratulate Anand, Amirhossein Rakhsha, Mina Naeini, Raghd Elgamal, Nicolas Randazzo & Lindsey Johnson on winning in the “Walk Around the World” theme contest for McMaster Fun & Comfy Zone- CONGRATULATIONS! Curious to know August’s theme for McMaster Fun & Comfy Zone? Here we go, it’s “Summer Vacation Inspirations”! Submit here for a chance to win one of 6 PRIZES for winners every month! If you have not already, join our zone on Facebook & Instagram.

HAMILTON, ON — August 19, 2021

CUPE 3906’s Unit 2 Bargaining Team met with their counterparts from the McMaster University Administration on three days this past week to begin this year’s round of bargaining.

The Union’s team presented a package that reflects the bargaining priorities that members approved earlier this summer. These priorities include: 1) Respect, Equity, and Inclusion; 2) Compensation; 3) Job Security; 4) Health and Wellbeing; 5) Workload; and 6) Professional Supports and Paid Training.

The Union’s package reflects and addresses the needs identified by the membership in survey taken earlier this year.  The existence of Bill 124, a piece of legislation passed by the Ford government that restricts wages and compensation to a maximum of 1% will present a challenge to the bargaining team, though at this point the Employer is not even offering union members a 1% total increase to compensation.

A number of unions, including CUPE Ontario, are challenging the legislation, which we believe is a violation of workers’ collective rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Over the first three days of bargaining, the parties were able to secure agreement on some smaller changes that will provide some benefit to the members, including improvements in the No Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Harassment article, as well as in the Health and Safety article.

McMaster did not address many additional proposals, including those reflecting the membership’s main priorities, in a meaningful way. “It was frustrating, to say the least,” explained Sharoni Mitra, the president of CUPE 3906, adding that “McMaster seems content with the status quo, which sees precarious workers struggling for job security and left without many of the benefits and entitlements – such as access to a workplace pension – that virtually all of the members of the Employer’s bargaining team enjoy.”

“We hope that the Employer will find a way to meet us on our proposals,” continued Mitra. “We expect the Employer to take seriously our proposals to improve both monetary and non-monetary language in the Collective Agreement. This round of bargaining is a chance for the Employer to demonstrate its concern and respect for its highly precarious workers.”

Sessional Faculty work is notoriously precarious, with instructors often working at two or more postsecondary institutions to make ends meet. This precarity, along with the Employer’s reliance on legislation that we believe is unconstitutional to supress wages and deny well-deserved gains, will be a consistent challenge the Union will confront at the bargaining table.

“Our proposals reflect the pivotal work performed by Sessionals,” said chief negotiator Brad Walchuk. “There’s something fundamentally wrong with an institution that refuses to improve job security and provide basic entitlements for a group of highly-educated workers. We refuse to take ‘that’s not something we’re prepare to agree to’ from the Employer as its default answer to any proposal that will provide a meaningful gain”

The next bargaining dates with the Employer are scheduled for August 23^rd, 25^th, and 27^th. For more information on how you can help with the bargaining support team, email bargainingsupport@cupe3906.org

Sessional Faculty, Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty, and MELD Sessional Faculty working at McMaster University comprise CUPE 3906’s Unit 2. The current collective agreement expires on August 31.

A PDF copy is available by clicking here.

The Unit 1 (TA and RA in lieu) and Unit 2 (Sessional Faculty and Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty) 2021-2022 dental information letters and change of coverage forms are now available on our website.

There are important deadlines regarding dental change of coverage that you need to be aware of if you plan on opting out of dental coverage or enrolling in family dental coverage.

PLEASE SEE the following important links for change of coverage deadlines and more information about the dental coverage.

UNIT 1 (Classification “A” TAs and RAs in lieu of TAS): 2021-2022-Dental-Letter-U1-Members.pdf (cupe3906.org)

UNIT 2 (Sessional Faculty): 2021-2022-Dental-Letter-U2-Members.pdf (cupe3906.org)

PLEASE SEE the following important links to obtain change of coverage (i.e., opt-out or family enrollment) forms.

UNIT 1 (Classification “A” TAs and RAs in lieu of TAS): Dental Plan | CUPE 3906

UNIT 2 (Sessional Faculty): Unit 2 Dental Coverage | CUPE 3906

DEADLINES FOR FALL 2021 CHANGE OF COVERAGE FORMS: 

UNIT 1: 27th September, 2021

UNIT 2: 1st October, 2021

Please email completed forms and supporting documentation to: administrator@cupe3906.org.

CUPE 3906 and the GSA are pleased to launch the “Gardening for Wellness” Program in partnership with Hamilton Victory Gardens to support the well-being of students.

Overview:
All students are welcome to apply to have an enjoyable time full of exciting gardening activities in any of the three sites of Hamilton Victory Gardens:
1) Venture Centre
2) St Helen’s
3) Jones Road

Please visit the website for more information about the locations.

This program runs from mid-April to Oct. and provides students with the opportunity to:
–Engage with nature for a meditating time
–Participate in various exciting gardening activities (no prior experience required)
–Socialize with other students and community members (while following public health guidelines)
–Plant, grow, and harvest fruits and vegetables; students experiencing food insecurity may discuss with the coordinator about bringing home seasonal produce

How to register:
Interested students are welcome to fill out the application form here. There is a section in the application form asking you to upload a filled/signed waiver. Please find the waiver form here.

General guidelines:
1. Hamilton Victory Gardens will reach out to applicants regarding their application and next steps.
2. Acceptance into this program depends on submitting a complete application with all required information. Students will be based on a first-come, first-serve basis.
3. CUPE 3906 and the GSA do not provide shuttle buses to the garden sites. It is the responsibility of successful applicants to provide their own transportation.

Questions? Please contact (volunteer@hamiltonvictorygardens.org) OR reach out to Sarah.

CUPE 3906 has partnered with the Coalition of Student Employee Unions (CSEU) to host their annual congress from August 12th till 15th.

This year’s congress will be particularly special as we crawl out of a global pandemic which has perpetuated, exacerbated, and amplified numerous fatal flaws in our institutional and social arrangements. How have the pandemic, successive economic crises, and austerity affected workers in academia? How can the precarious situations these workers face be addressed? Find out at this year’s conference as we address in multiple panels different issues related to our theme: academia, justice and the workplace.

The conference is also entirely free, neither attendants nor presenters have to pay anything. This year’s program will be published very soon, for now you can register and find out more information by heading over to the website: https://www.cseu-csee.org/en/congress/ .

If you want to learn more, please email us at: organizingchair@cupe3906.org  !

Did you know? We have a Gender Affirmation Fund! In recognition of Pride Season, we’d like to remind our members that our Gender Affirmation Fund is open to all our Unit 1 (TAs and Ras in-lieu) members who identify as Two Spirit, trans, or nonbinary. This fund provides a total of $10,000 per year to help offset the costs involved with various elements of affirming one’s gender – including everyday, medical, administrative, legal, and other expenses. Head over to https://cupe3906.org/tas-unit-1/gender-affirmation-fund/ to find more about it!