Based on gains secured during our last round of collective bargaining, your Benefits Committee has voted to expand your HCSA entitlement. These gains could not have been secured without your support and mobilization during the bargaining process.

Members of CUPE 3906 Unit 2 (Sessional Faculty and Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty working at McMaster University) may now submit up to $500 in eligible expenses, and will receive a reimbursement of 80% (to a maximum of $400 per academic year). Previously members would receive a reimbursement of only 70% of the cost (to a maximum of $350 per academic year).

If you submit a claim for $500 in eligible costs, you will receive $400 total for the academic year. In other words, for each $10 claim in eligible costs, you will receive $8 reimbursement, up to a maximum of $400 per academic year. If you have already submitted a claim of up to $500 and received only the previous maximum of $350, you will need submit an additional form to receive up to a $50 top up.

Further information about the HCSA, eligible expenses, and the claim forms, can be found here.

We’re reaching out to ask for your help in fundraising for Chantelle Krupka and Michael Headley. Chantelle and Michael survived a violent police attack at the hands of Peel Regional Police and have been on the frontlines fighting against police brutality ever since. 

On May 10, 2020, Mother’s Day, Chantelle and Michael — who were both unarmed and several feet away — were tasered outside of their home by Officer Tyler Bell-Morena. Chantelle was then shot in the stomach by ex-Officer Valerie Briffa and underwent two major surgeries. In the days following this violent attack by Peel police, healthcare professionals supposedly responsible for Chantelle neglected her care and chose to instead follow the narrative and assumptions about her from Peel police. She continues to experience chronic medical issues as a result of the police attack. 

Chantelle’s story is not unique, and we know our healthcare system not only fails to provide the adequate care that is needed after such a traumatic experience, but is also actively complicit in the policing of Black, Indigenous and racialized people.  

On Monday, February 8th, we held an event with Doctors for Defunding Police to allow Chantelle and Michael to share their story in full and expose the complicity of healthcare professionals in criminalizing marginalized and vulnerable groups. You can view the full recording of the event here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLDalrmD8fA/

Since the traumatic experience, Chantelle and Mike have dedicated their lives to fighting for justice for all victims of police abuse, including those who were not fortunate enough to survive encounters with killer cops: Jamal Francique, D’Andre Campbell, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, and Ejaz Choudry. However, the fight has come at great personal cost. Chantelle and Michael have endured immense physical, mental, and financial hardship as a result of their police attack, which they’ve put aside to fight for justice for others.  

Now, with a baby on the way — and after being permanently disabled and then robbed of thousands of dollars by Peel Police — they’re facing eviction. 

Chantelle and Michael’s situation is critical, and we need to urgently raise funds so that they can leave the house they were attacked in, have their baby in a safe, new home, and continue fighting for justice and systemic change. 

Please donate to Chantelle and Michael’s online fundraiser as an act of solidarity: https://chuffed.org/project/help-chantelle-mike-survivors-of-peel-police-violence

If you would like more information, contact the organizers of the fundraiser, Malton People’s Movement at maltonpeoplesmovement@gmail.com or connect with them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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 2020 and March 2021. This year’s award will be for the 2020-21 year.

The nomination period for this award is from February 22, 2021 to March 19, 2021.

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 criterion 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 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 in late March or our GMM in early April, 2021.

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

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

Mike Skinner Award nominations 2020-21

CUPE 3906 ANNOUNCES THE 15^th ANNUAL MIKE SKINNER AWARD

The Mike Skinner Activist 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.

CUPE 3906 represents roughly 3 3000 precarious academic workers employed as Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants (in lieu), Sessional Faculty, Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty and Postdoctoral Fellows at McMaster University each academic year.

The value of the award is $500 to one person (or committee), an award certificate and an inscription on the Mike Skinner Activist 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 2020 and March 2021. This year’s award will be for the 2020-21 year.

The nomination period for this award is from February 22, 2021 to April 1, 2021.

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.

Specifically, the recipient of the Mike Skinner Activist Award may have been involved in the following possible issues over the course of their stay at McMaster University:

• 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, education and/or solidarity.

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.

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 criterion 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 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/GMM on April 8, 2021.

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

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

Mike Skinner Award callout 2020-21

We wanted to let you know that the Unit 2 training fund, which was secured during our last round of collective bargaining, is now up and running. While you have always been able to access training through the MacPherson Institute, we have now secured a limited, one-payment for completed select training: the Learning to Teach Online Course, the Instructional Skills Workshop, and Professor Hippo-on-Campus (Student Mental Health Education Program for Educators and Navigators).  Payment is capped at $75 per member for each completed course, to a maximum of $300 per member.

More information can be found here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/training-fund/ and the full details are also included below.

CUPE Local 3906 UNIT 2 LIMITED TRAINING FUND AWARD 2021

BACKGROUND: In the last round of CUPE Local 3906 Unit 2 and McMaster University contract negotiations, CUPE secured a Letter of Understanding that allows for limited, one-time payments for members who complete select training through the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching prior to August 30, 2021 (when the letter expires).

The eligible training includes the Learning to Teach Online Course, the Instructional Skills Workshop, and Professor Hippo-on-Campus (Student Mental Health Education Program for Educators and Navigators).

AMOUNT OF THE AWARD: Payment is capped at $75 per member for each completed training, to a maximum of $300 per member.

ELIGIBILITY: The payment is open to current members of CUPE Local 3906, Unit 2, who complete (or have completed) training associated with the following programs offered by the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation & Excellence in Teaching between the dates of  September 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021: the Learning to Teach Online Course, the Instructional Skills Workshop, and Professor Hippo-on-Campus (Student Mental Health Education Program for Educators and Navigators).

For more information about the above training opportunities, please visit: https://mi.mcmaster.ca/professional-development/

HOW TO APPLY: Please complete Parts 1-3 of the attached form and submit it via email to staff@cupe3906.org no later than August 31, 2021.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION:  The Local will accept forms an ongoing basis until August 31, 2021.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Please note that the award is subject to the availability of funds.  Awards will be made on a first-come, first-serve basis to eligible applicants based on the eligibility criteria.

CONTACTS: For any questions about the course content or enrollment, please fill in the form below https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWG5piXnyuhf-i9rwVejyXW2p-36pYuk_OPTAGC9fau9wiAw/viewform

For any questions about the fund, eligibility, or payment, please contact staff@cupe3906.org

COURSE INFORMATION (PLEASE NOTE: Training opportunities vary significantly for time commitment, in some cases the training can take 24 hours to complete):

Learning to Teach Online: In this self-enroll, self-paced Avenue to Learn course, you will learn the foundational pieces/steps in creating an engaging online learning experience. As you move through the elements, you will also be able to build your own online course, using an online course planning guide and weekly content, activity, and assessment worksheets. You will have the opportunity to get peer feedback on your plan – you must submit your plan for feedback for your engagement in the training to be considered complete and for you to be eligible for payment via the Training Fund Award for 2021. It will take you approximately 12 hours to go through the online course content, and an estimated 3 hours more to develop your plan.

Instructional Skills Workshop: In this workshop, participants have approximately one week to complete a number of introductory modules including a six-part series on lesson planning. Though these asynchronous online modules, participants learn about the BOPPPS model of lesson planning, watch a sample micro-teaching lesson, create a group agreement for the workshop (i.e., set expectations for both colleagues and instructors, and set parameters for giving and receiving feedback). The asynchronous portion of the workshop concludes with the submission of a written lesson plan. During the first full group meeting, participants get to know their instructors and peers, learn about the lesson cycle process, and receive instructions for their homework. For the remainder of the workshop, the participants break into smaller subgroups to prepare and present three different lessons. During each of the lessons, participants: set daily goals for themselves, deliver a 10-minute lesson, receive feedback on their lesson from their peers, and provide their peers with feedback on their lessons. Opportunity for participants to reflect on how they could improve upon their lessons will be provided. Feedback is provided in a safe and encouraging environment where all are learning in the process. If you choose to complete this workshop, the total time commitment is approximately 24 hours. Upon completion, you will earn an internally recognized Instructional Skills Workshop Certificate. Please see the MacPherson Institute website for upcoming workshop dates: https://mi.mcmaster.ca/instructional-skills-workshop/

Professor Hippo-on-Campus: Faculty and instructors (educators) and those who interact with, support, and supervise McMaster students in many other ways (navigators) are often ideally situated to recognize and respond to stressed and distressed students and to start important conversations and prevent unnecessary stress and distress. They must feel prepared and comfortable to address student needs in ways that are consistent with and appropriate to their roles. The Professor Hippo-on-Campus program has been designed and tested to help accomplish these goals in an accessible and engaging format. In completing the training, you will learn a lot about what’s available and what to do to support student mental health. To access the modules, you must sign up for the Professor Hippo-on-Campus course on Mosaic. It will take approximately 3 hours to complete the online training modules. If you complete all of the requirements (pre-survey, training modules, summative quiz, and post-survey) within the timelines noted, you will earn a Certificate of Attendance upon completion.

CONFIRMATION OF TRAINING (this MUST be included with your application form):

Instructional Skills Workshop: At the end of the workshop, the instructors create Certificates and either give them in print format (when the workshop is offered face-to-face) or electronic PDF format via an email (when the workshop is offered online).

Professor Hippo-on-Campus: A student project assistant tracks module and survey completion. Once all of the surveys and modules are done, a customized Certificate of Completion is emailed to the participant as a PDF.

For any training in which registration takes place via Eventbrite (e.g., synchronous online workshops), participants receive a confirmation email for their registration. There is no automatic system that tracks whether they actually attended/completed the training.

APPLICATION FORM: CUPE 3906 Unit 2 training fund application form

We wanted to let you know that the TA training that was agreed to in the last round of Unit 1 bargaining is in the development phase, with the Union having met with the MacPherson Institute and Employee-Labour Relations last week. This training will provide all TAs with 5 hours of paid training on various topics such as anti-oppression and best practices and strategies for TAs.  The Union has representatives on various sub-committees related to the training, as well as the central steering committee. The training will be in place by September 2021, so be sure to stay tuned for more updates until then!

As many of you are aware, our recent General Membership Meeting included two Executive Committee elections. We are pleased to announce that Sarah Elshahat was elected to the position of International Officer, and Kyle Morrison was elected to the position of Benefits and Advocacy Officer. Additionally, Wouter van den Berg was recently named the new co-Chair of our Organizing Committee. Please join us in congratulating Sarah, Kyle, and Wouter, and in thanking all members who put their names in the running!

Change of dental coverage reminder: If you hold an undergraduate degree, are working as a TA or RA in lieu during the Winter 2021 Term, and did not work as a CUPE 3906 member in the Fall 2020 Term, there may be important updates about dental benefits (specifically, changes of coverage) and relevant deadlines (January 27, 2021) that apply to you.  For more information, click here.

The Hamilton District Labour Council is campaigning for the city of Hamilton to pay its student workers a Living Wage. As university students, you can help in two ways:

(1) Emailing a quote on why YOU as a student need to be paid a living wage to hdlcsummeryouth@gmail.com and
(2) Signing up to talk to Hamilton City Council about why you support a living wage for student workers on February 8. If interested, please email hdlcsummeryouth@gmail.com and someone will help you sign up!

Did you know? Meeting with your supervisor is paid work! In our last round of Unit 1 bargaining (for TAs and RAs in lieu), we clarified that any time spent meeting with your employment (TA or RA in lieu) supervisor to discuss your work is paid time!  This means that your Hours of Work form should reflect the time it takes to meet with your employment supervisor to fill out the Hours of Work form itself. If your Hours of Work form does not reflect the time it took you to meet with your employment supervisor to discuss your TA/RA in lieu duties and fill out your Hours of Work form, you have the right to meet with your employment supervisor and revise the Hours of Work form – and your workload – to make sure that you get paid for your time. To view this protection in your Unit 1 Collective Agreement, see articles 13.03(b) and 13.04 (page 18) here.

Finally, we also wanted to remind you about our online hours tracker, developed with help from CUPE Ontario. You will need to make an account, and from there you can easily join the CUPE 3906 group. From there, you will see a number of pre-loaded drop-down options of common TA tasks from which to choose. Given that a number of our Unit 1 Members (TAs and RAs in-lieu) have expressed concerns about going over their hours allotted by their employment contracts, we are encouraging you all to use this hours tracker. The more you track your hours, the better chance we have at ensuring you aren’t overworked or underpaid! Please also feel free to forward any feedback or technical issues to president@cupe3906.org.