Our bargaining team has been elected! We are excited to welcome to the team Carolyn Capretta (DeGroote School of Business), Kojo Damptey (Intersession), Leon Karan (Music), Peter Graham (Labour Studies) and Zoi Bogdanova (Engineering). Congratulations on your election! Thank you to those of you who took the time to attend the nomination meeting and vote in the election. You’ll soon be receiving a bargaining survey to gather input on your priorities for the upcoming round of bargaining.
Meet and Eat Zoom Event
Calling All international and national/domestic students from across McMaster’s faculties. Join your fellows on March 27th (5 to 6:30 p.m. EST) for a virtual inclusive “Meet and Eat” Event hosted by CUPE 3906 International Committee and the GSA. Grab your ethnic dish & come to celebrate our multi-cultural Mac, while learning about different authentic food cultures from all over the world! Send a photo of your neat ethnic dish by March 24th to your International Officer, Sarah Elshahat, at international@cupe3906.org, for a chance to win one of 6 gift card prizes! (3 for each international and domestic students). Competition rules and Sign up here (https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=B2M3RCm0rUKMJSjNSW9Hcsfa5bTuwzFKuex3CWXop_FUQjRPTkZSQ082V1oxMUJMS1ZVOU5QWjBCQi4u)
Questions: Contact your International Officer- Sarah Elshahat (international@cupe3906.org)
Sessional Faculty (Unit 2) Bargaining Team Election
Sessioansl, you are invited to a Zoom meeting for the election of the Sessional Faculty (Unit 2) Bargaining Team.
When: Mar 11, 2021 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)You will need to register in advance for this meeting. Please check your McMaster email for the link, or email staff@cupe3906.org if you do not see it.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The election will begin shortly after the meeting (once the e-ballot is created and launched through Election Runner) and will continue for 72 hours, closing on Sunday afternoon (likely around 3 p.m.). All members will receive an e-mail with a link to the ballot, and all members can vote, even if they are unable to attend the meeting. All candidates will be encouraged to submit a 250 word write-up which will be included with the ballot. To be elected, candidates must receive at least 50% of the votes.
Any member is able to nominate themselves, or another sessional, in advance of the meeting if you cannot attend by emailing staff@cupe3906.org. You can also nominate yourself or another sessional at the meeting. The only agenda item is the election of 4 members to the bargaining team. We’ll provide an overview of the process and answer any questions in advance of the nominations.
Election of Sessional (Unit 2) Bargaining Team
As you may recall, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was ratified in December is a one-year agreement; it expires August 31, 2021. We need to elect a new bargaining team consisting of Sessionals to help re-negotiate the new Collective Agreement. We expect that this process will begin in the summer and may continue until the fall. Sitting on a bargaining team is an important way to ensure that the voices of Sessionals are heard and that their priorities are reflected in our bargaining proposals.
We are holding a Special General Membership Meeting (SGMM) on Thursday, March 11th at 1 pm via Zoom. A registration link will be sent to you in a separate email.
All members are encouraged to attend, and any member is able to nominate themselves or nominate someone else to serve on the bargaining committee. This is an important opportunity to help to ensure that our CBA continues to grow stronger and reflect the diverse interests of our members.
If you have any additional questions about the bargaining process or sitting on the bargaining committee, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Unit 2 Dental Plan- Delay for Winter Semester Hires
We are sad to inform you of an unfortunate situation that is delaying Winter 2021 Sessional Faculty and Hourly-Rated Sessional Music Faculty (Unit 2) members’ ability to access dental coverage this term.
Due to pandemic quarantine measures, the dental deduction and enrollment for Unit 2 members who did not teach in the Fall 2020 term has been delayed until later in March. We anticipate that the $170 single coverage deduction will occur in mid- to late March, and the dental upload will be complete in mid-April.
Please note that this delay will not impact your entitlement to dental benefits. It will only delay when claims will be paid out and when you can create an online profile on Equitable Life’s website. As long as you did not opt-out of dental coverage, you will still be able to submit claims retroactive to September 1, 2020, and have eligible expenses paid out once the upload is complete. (The eligibility period still ends on August 31, 2021, regardless of whether or not you are teaching in the Spring/Summer 2021 term.)
This delay should only impact members who did not pay dental premiums in the fall. Also, it should not impact members who have opted out of the coverage either in the Fall 2020 or Winter 2021 term (you should not see a dental deduction of $170 at all this academic year on your pay statement).
We will update members as soon as we have additional information regarding when the single dental deduction will occur and when the coverage is up-and-running.
We are very sorry for this unexpected delay and appreciate your patience and compassion.
Sincerely,
Your CUPE 3906 Executive Committee
Tax Forms Update- T4, T2200, T2200s, and T777-S forms
**Given that we are not tax professionals, this is for informational purposes only. We strongly advise you to consult a tax professional for any specific questions. Nothing contained here should be seen as ‘advice.’ If you’re questions about are labour law, we can help. For tax law questions, we urge you to consult a professional in that field**
We wanted to provide a quick update re: T2200 and T2200s and resources that the Employer has prepared. Resources are already posted on McMaster’s payroll website as follows: https://hr.mcmaster.ca/employees/payroll/t2200s-and-t2200/
The resources include:
- Home Office Expenses Overview
- Home Office Expenses FAQ
- Home Office Expenses Calculation Template
There is a webinar with KPMG scheduled for March 2 @ 1:00pm. Employees need to register at Webinar Registration – Zoom. This session will also be recorded and posted afterward for all employees to view at a time that works best for them.
T2200S forms will be prepared for eligible employees and distributed via email by March 31, 2021. For clarity, ALL CUPE 3906 members (Units 1, 2, and 3) are eligible. For clarity, a T2200 is a traditional tax form for those working from home, (https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/forms/t2200.html), while a T2200s is for those working from home due to COVID-19. The T-777s form is for a new tax credit (of up to $400) introduced by the federal government (https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/how-canadians-can-get-a-400-tax-credit-no-questions-asked-for-working-from-home-during-covid-19).
For more information and a User Guide on how to access and print your T4 slip please visit https://hr.mcmaster.ca/employees/payroll/tax-information/. The T4 is a tax form outlining your regular earnings/wages. We have confirmed that members who are no longer employed with McMaster will continue to have basic access to Mosaic for the purposes of seeing their payroll and tax slips for 18 months after their contract is over. Therefore, all T4s can still be accessed. If someone doesn’t remember their Mosaic password, then they can go through regular protocols with UTS to have their password reset. There shouldn’t be a problem with the Sessional/TA/postdoc staff accessing their 2020 tax slip but let us know if there is, please let us know and we can follow-up with the HR Service Centre on your behalf.
A T4s form is for a self-employed contractor, not an employee. All 3906 members are employees, so you should be receiving a T4 and not a T4A for your TA/Sessional/Postdoc work.
The CUPE 3906 International Committee is recruiting 10 new members
Are you an international CUPE 3906 member who would like to help ensure that the needs of international workers at McMaster get the attention they deserve? Perhaps you are more interested in fostering a sense of community among your fellow international members? If so, you should join our International Committee! It requires very little commitment, typically about 2 hours or 1-2 meetings per month (sometimes more and sometimes less, depending on the initiatives and programs being organized at any given time). On top of the experience you will gain from working in a union environment, it’s also a great opportunity to make connections among your fellow international workers at McMaster, particularly in a time when meeting new friends comes with its own unique challenges!
All international CUPE 3906 members (including Permanent Residents) at any level of study are welcome to apply. You can do so by sending an email to international@cupe3906.org with your name, department, and level of study or employment position (i.e. sessional instructor). These positions are being filled on the basis of first come, first served.
The Unit 3 Professional Development Fund reimbursement maximum has increased to $400 per academic year for eligible members
The Fund has also been expanded to include research journal subscriptions, leadership development courses, and language courses, on top of the already expansive list of eligible expenses. Applications are being accepted electronically until further notice. Remember to combine your materials into a single document and then submit it to your Benefits Officer via email: benefits@cupe3906.org. For more information on the Unit 3 Professional Development Fund, as well as the most recent version of our application form, click here.
The Unit 2 Health Care Spending Account entitlement is now $400 per academic year
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.
Financial Support for Survivors of Peel Police Violence, Chantelle & Michael
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.