We wanted to remind you about the CUPE online hours tracker (<– Click Here), 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.
New Work Permit Offered by Federal Government to Keep International Students in Canada
Beginning January 27, 2021, and running until July 27, 2021, international students holding an expired or expiring post-graduation work permit (PGWP) can apply for another open work permit offered by the federal government. The new work permits will be valid for 18 months and offer flexibility to former international students whose post-graduation plans were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This change was made as a pandemic recovery measure to assist in mitigating the decline of international students remaining in Canada. The new work permit program will also facilitate graduates in gaining the needed work experience to later apply for permanent residency.
To be eligible for the new work permit, an applicant must:
- Have a PGWP that expired on or after 30 January 2020, or a PGWP that expires in 4 months or less from the date they apply;
- Still be in Canada; and,
- Have a valid temporary resident status or be applying to restore their status.
Application forms and details on how to apply will be added on January 27, 2021 to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s webpage concerning COVID-19 and international students.
January 2021 General Membership Meeting Information
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COVID Related Office Closure- Winter 2022 update
For details about how the local is operating, please click here. Please note that due to the omicron variant and the provincial regulations, the physical office remains closed this winter, but our staff and executive members are easily accessible online.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CUPE 3906 UNIT 1 MEMBERS WORKING IN THE WINTER 2021 TERM: DENTAL COVERAGE DEADLINES
The following message is for CUPE 3906 Unit 1 (Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants in Lieu) Members who did not work as CUPE Unit 1 Members (or as CUPE Unit 2 or Unit 3 Members) in the Fall 2020 Term:
CUPE 3906 UNIT 1 Members who did not work as CUPE 3906 Unit 1, 2, or 3 members in the Fall 2020 Term will be charged the Single Dental Coverage Premium for the 2020-2021 academic year ($125) on their TA and/or RA in lieu pay on the first pay in January 2021. This coverage reimburses costs incurred for eligible dental claims incurred between September 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021 regardless of when you begin working as a CUPE 3906 Unit 1 member in the 2020-2021 academic year.
Please note that there is a 30 day change of coverage period during which you may enroll in family dental coverage or opt-out of dental coverage (if you already have comparable coverage and provide proper supporting documentation. The deadline to submit forms and supporting documentation is January 27, 2021. Reimbursements for successful opt-outs will be issued via direct deposit (not via payroll) by our Third Party Administrator, The Prosure Group, within 30 days of the deduction being made.
Please click here for further details about dental change of coverage for Unit 1 Members: https://cupe3906.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/501/2021/01/U1-WINTER-Dental-Letter-2020-2021.pdf
To obtain a family dental enrollment or dental opt-out form, please visit the “Important Updates” or “Forms” section of our website, here: https://cupe3906.org/tas-unit-1/dental-plan/
Please note that, due to the office closure caused by COVID-19, forms and supporting documentation will only be accepted via email to administrator@cupe3906.org.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
In solidarity,
Your CUPE 3906 Staff
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CUPE 3906 UNIT 2 MEMBERS TEACHING IN THE WINTER 2021 TERM: DENTAL COVERAGE DEADLINES
The following message is for CUPE 3906 Unit 2 Members (Sessional Faculty and Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty) who did not teach as Unit 2 Members (or work as CUPE 3906 Unit 1 or Unit 3 Members) in the Fall 2020 Term:
CUPE 3906 UNIT 2 Members who did not work as CUPE 3906 Unit 1, 2, or 3 members in the Fall 2020 Term will be charged the Single Dental Coverage Premium for the 2020-2021 term ($170) on their Sessional Faculty pay in February 2021. This coverage reimburses costs incurred for eligible dental claims incurred between September 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021 regardless of when you begin working as a CUPE 3906 Unit 2 member in the 2020-2021 academic year.
Please note that there is a 30 day change of coverage period during which you may enroll in family dental coverage or opt-out of dental coverage (if you already have comparable coverage and provide proper supporting documentation. The deadline to submit forms and supporting documentation is January 31, 2021.
Please click here for further details about dental change of coverage for Unit 2 Members: https://cupe3906.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/501/2021/01/U2-WINTER-Dental-Letter-2020-2021.pdf
To obtain a family dental enrollment or dental opt-out form, please visit the “Important Updates” or “Forms” section of our website, here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-dental-coverage/
Please note that, due to the office closure caused by COVID-19, forms and supporting documentation will only be accepted via email to administrator@cupe3906.org .
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
In solidarity,
Your CUPE 3906 Staff
Important Information/Deadlines for Sessional Faculty and Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty Working in the Winter 2021 Term
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CUPE 3906 UNIT 2 MEMBERS TEACHING IN THE WINTER 2021 TERM: DENTAL COVERAGE DEADLINES
The following message is for CUPE 3906 Unit 2 Members who did not teach as Unit 2 Members (or work as Unit 1 or Unit 3 Members) in the Fall 2020 Term:
CUPE 3906 UNIT 2 Members who did not work as CUPE 3906 Unit 1, 2, or 3 members in the Fall 2020 Term will be charged the Single Dental Coverage Premium for the 2020-2021 term ($170) on their Sessional Faculty pay in February 2021. This coverage reimburses costs incurred for eligible dental claims incurred between September 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021 regardless of when you begin working as a CUPE 3906 Unit 2 member in the 2020-2021 academic year.
Please note that there is a 30 day change of coverage period during which you may enroll in family dental coverage or opt-out of dental coverage (if you already have comparable coverage and provide proper supporting documentation. The deadline to submit forms and supporting documentation is January 31, 2021.
Please click here for further details about dental change of coverage for Unit 2 Members: https://cupe3906.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/501/2021/01/U2-WINTER-Dental-Letter-2020-2021.pdf
To obtain a family dental enrollment or dental opt-out form, please visit the “Important Updates” or “Forms” section of our website, here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-dental-coverage/
Please note that, due to the office closure caused by COVID-19, forms and supporting documentation will only be accepted via email to administrator@cupe3906.org .
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
In solidarity,
Your CUPE 3906 Staff
Unit 3 End of Term Update
Congratulations on making it to the end of a difficult term. We hope you’ve managed to stay safe and healthy – both physically and emotionally – and that the coming break will be relaxing and enjoyable. Having said that, we wanted to send a quick end-of-term email to inform you of a few important things.
Holidays
Please note that paid holidays to which you are entitled include any business days that fall on or between December 25th and January 1st. Such days are without loss of pay and do not come out of your annual vacation day entitlement below. While we’re at it, here is your annual vacation entitlement:
| Duration of Appointment in Years | Vacation Time Accrual Rate (Full-Time Days Per Month) |
| Less than 1 year | 1.25 |
| 1 or more but less than 3 | 1.67 |
| 3 years or more | 2.08 |
Please note that accrued and unused vacation time from the current entitlement year is payable upon the end of the PDF’s appointment. This means that vacation days that you do not use in the last year of your appointment are paid out when your appointment ends.
“Grey Zone” Lockdown Closure
As you may have seen, the province has recently announced that Hamilton will be entering the grey-lockdown zone as of 12:01 a.m. Monday, December 21. The University has posted this update to the community. What does that mean for you?
In the event that you are not already working from home and are not engaged in research on campus that is permitted under the new protocols, we expect that supervisors will work with you to address opportunities for remote work where at all possible.
If such work is not made available and you are informed that you will not be paid, please reach out to us immediately so we can help to address the situation.
Homewood Health Counselling
This past semester has been tough for all us for a variety of pandemic-related reasons. We wanted to remind you that you have free and confidential access to the Employee Family Assistance Program (through Homewood health). Homewood offers you free and confidential and professional counselling on depression, stress, bereavement, relationships and more, as well as counselling for careers, work-life balance, and health.
Log-in details and information guides on using the new homeweb.ca website are located on McMaster’s Employee and Family Assistance Program webpage here.
Dental Plan Information
For those of you enrolled in the Unit 1 dental plan, the $1000 in single coverage (or $2,000 for family coverage) per calendar year will re-set as of January 1, 2019. Unused money does not carry over, but all members enrolled in single coverage will now have $1000.00 for 2019 (and $2,000 for family coverage), in addition to any claims from eligible dental procedures done in 2018.
Office Closure
Lastly, please note that the “online office” is now closed and many 3906 email accounts will not be monitored and messages won’t be addressed until the New Year. If, however, you have any emergency emails, please direct them to staff@cupe3906.org and someone will respond accordingly.
Unit 2 End of Term Update
Congratulations on making it to the end of a difficult term. We hope you’ve managed to stay safe and healthy – both physically and emotionally – and that the break will be relaxing and enjoyable. With that being said, we wanted to send a quick end-of-term email to inform you about a few important things.
New Collective Agreement
First, we have received word that the Employer ratified the tentative agreement. This means that the new agreement is now in place. A full copy of this agreement – in which each of the changes has been highlighted – can be viewed here.
Effective at the start of the winter term, the base-rate of pay for a 3.0 unit course will be $7630.55. You are not likely to see an amended appointment letter reflecting the rate, but the payroll system will increase your rate to this amount automatically. You should be able to double-check this on your pay stubs- please let us know if there are any concerns.
Homewood Health Counselling
Second, this past semester has been tough for all us for a variety of pandemic-related reasons. We wanted to remind you that you have free and confidential access to the Employee Family Assistance Program (through Homewood health). Homewood offers you free and confidential and professional counselling on depression, stress, bereavement, relationships and more, as well as counselling for careers, work-life balance, and health.
Log-in details and information guides on using the new homeweb.ca website are located on McMaster’s Employee and Family Assistance Program webpage here.
Employment Insurance
Please note that the final pay for this term is December 31st. This 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 2020 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 15th and the first day of work will be January 6th. This means you should be able to collect EI for a brief period of time prior to January 6th, 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 sooner. If you have not served a withholding period, you can serve one week over the holidays and should be able to collect EI sooner in late April. If you have yet to serve the one-week withholding period in the past 52 weeks and plan on accessing EI over the spring/summer, we would strongly encourage you to apply for EI over the holidays to serve the withholding period.
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.
The employer will upload your ROE automatically to Service Canada. You can apply for EI at any point after you see it uploaded to your Service Canada site.
Post-Contract Work
Remember, any post-contract work (that is, work requested by your supervisor and done after your final grades have been submitted) is separate from your contract and payable at a rate of $66.70/hour. This would include reviewing grades that are being challenged, marking exam that have been deferred, and dealing with cases of plagiarism. This is not an exhaustive list, and more information, including the appropriate form you’ll need to fill out and submit to get paid, is available here.
Large Class Supplemental Fee
If you have yet to be paid the Large Class Supplemental Fee, please let us know. For those of you earning the base rate and teaching a class with more than 75 students, you are eligible for this added supplement. For a typical 3-unit course, this would amount to $6.00 per student for each student above 75. If you taught a class with more than 75 students, you may wish to remind your department (we’ve had HR do this as well), and please confirm that this additional supplement will be paid prior to the end of contract (and contact us if you haven’t received it!).
Professional Development Fund
All applications to the Fall 2020 round of professional development fund have been reviewed and decisions made. Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision by early next week.
Office Closure
Lastly, please note that the “online office” is now closed and many 3906 email accounts will not be monitored and messages won’t be addressed until the New Year. If, however, you have any emergency emails, please direct them to staff@cupe3906.org and someone will respond accordingly.
Unit 1 End of Term Update
Congratulations on making it to the end of a difficult term. We hope you’ve managed to stay safe and healthy – both physically and emotionally – and that the coming break will be relaxing and enjoyable. Having said that, we wanted to send a quick end-of-term email to inform you of a few important things.
No Obligation to Grade Deferred Work or Exams
Article 12.06 of your Collective Agreement states that employees will not be required to grade deferred term work or deferred exams submitted after the end of the academic term in which an employee holds an assignment. It is understood that such work is the responsibility of the course instructor. However, if an employee agrees to grade deferred term work or deferred exams submitted after the end of the academic term in which an employee holds an assignment, the employee will be paid at the rate specified in Schedule “A,” based on the employee’s status at the time of grading. Furthermore, if an employee agrees, at the Employer’s request, to attend an academic integrity hearing or at an academic appeal hearing, the employee will be compensated for such attendance at the rate specified in Schedule “A,” based on the employee’s status at the time of such hearing.
No Work Required After December 24th
Article 20.03 of your Collective Agreement states that all hours of work assigned to the TA for the fall term, including those allocated for marking exams and associated duties, shall be completed as assigned but no later than the close of business on December 24, with one exception as follows: If a TA is requested to perform duties after December 24th, additional hours may be assigned and completed over the period up to and including December 31st. For each such hour worked, a stipend of half the regular hourly wage rate will be paid on the second regular pay date in January.
Homewood Health Counselling
This past semester has been tough for all us for a variety of pandemic-related reasons. We wanted to remind you that you have free and confidential access to the Employee Family Assistance Program (through Homewood health). Homewood offers you free and confidential and professional counselling on depression, stress, bereavement, relationships and more, as well as counselling for careers, work-life balance, and health.
Log-in details and information guides on using the new homeweb.ca website are located on McMaster’s Employee and Family Assistance Program webpage here.
Dental Plan Information
For those of you enrolled in the Unit 1 dental plan, the $1000 in single coverage (or $2,000 for family coverage) per calendar year will re-set as of January 1, 2019. Unused money does not carry over, but all members enrolled in single coverage will now have $1000.00 for 2019 (and $2,000 for family coverage), in addition to any claims from eligible dental procedures done in 2018.
Office Closure
Lastly, please note that the “online office” is now closed and many 3906 email accounts will not be monitored and messages won’t be addressed until the New Year. If, however, you have any emergency emails, please direct them to staff@cupe3906.org and someone will respond accordingly.