CUPE 3906

We have confirmed that McMaster will be compensating incoming international postdocs during their mandatory quarantine period. Depending on when the individual arrives in Canada, the quarantine period may happen prior to the actual appointment start date or overlap with the appointment start date. In any case, folks will be paid their full weekly salary for each week during the mandatory quarantine period. In cases where the mandatory quarantine period falls within the start date of the appointment, the employee may be required to work, subject to them being able to complete the work remotely, during the quarantine period.

We’re back at the conciliation table on Monday and hoping to secure a fair collective agreement. Sessionals make vital contributions to McMaster and deserve a collective agreement that reflects this. Let’s go!!!

The CUPE 3906 Unit 2 Bargaining Team met in conciliation with the Employer on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 and Wednesday, October 21, 2020.  “Conciliation” refers to contract negotiations that are assisted by a government-appointed Conciliation Officer, who tries to help the parties reach agreement before they can initiate a strike or lockout deadline.

The implications of the Conservative Party’s Bill 124 continued to make negotiations difficult and frustrating for both parties.  The legislation limits compensation to 1% per year over the first 3 years of a contract.

Aside from the implications of Bill 124, the Employer refused to cede ground on job security, training, and the proration of 3-unit positions.

Both parties are returning to the table in the near future to continue negotiations.  The Bargaining team would like to thank members again for the strong show of support through the 81% strike mandate.

We wish we had better news, but our policy grievance regarding the Employer’s efforts to exclude out-of-province TAs from the bargaining unit was recently denied at Step 3, thus blocking these TAs from accessing our dental plan, healthcare spending account, Gender Affirmation Fund, various worker protections, and more. We have referred the matter to arbitration and continue to work closely with CUPE National’s legal department in preparation for this next (and hopefully final) step.

It is important to note that while out-of-province TAs are indeed being denied the benefits and protections of bargaining unit members (at least for now), this can have no bearing on one’s political membership. Essentially what this means is if you held a TA contract anytime during or after the Winter 2020 term, you can still attend union meetings, run for office, and vote in any by-elections – at least until the Fall 2020 term has ended.

If you are an out-of-province TA who has been affected by McMaster’s union busting and you have yet to get in touch with us, please do so by emailing president@cupe3906.org or staff@cupe3906.org. We’d also ask any CUPE 3906 members – be they out-of-province TAs or not – who are interested in organizing around this issue to please email us at organizingchair@cupe3906.org.

Hamilton, ON— The front-line instructors responsible for a significant proportion of undergraduate teaching at McMaster University have concluded a strike vote after three days of socially distant voting.  Sessional Faculty and Hourly-Rated Sessional Music Faculty at McMaster University, comprising CUPE Local 3906 (Unit 2), voted 81% in favour of providing their Bargaining Committee with a strike mandate should negotiations the table with the McMaster Administration fail.

A historic number of members participated in the vote between October 14^th and October 16^th, which was held online due to pandemic safety measures and restricted access to the University campus.  The Bargaining Team is overwhelmed that so many members participated in the vote. “We are grateful that members demonstrated such strong support for the Union’s proposals on the table,” says Sharoni Mitra, the Local’s President, “especially given the pressures and stress that members already face due to the pandemic, the increasingly precarious nature of employment at postsecondary institutions, and the restrictions imposed on front-line public sector workers by the Ford government’s legislation.”

This 81% mandate highlights the Employer’s need to take members’ concerns to heart immediately or face job action.  Proposals that erode job security and make already precarious work more piecemeal must be removed from the table.  The Employer must work with the Union to find ways to support members’ access to the training and resources they need to continue providing the teaching excellence on which McMaster prides itself.  Finally, proposals that address members’ fundamental needs—such as improvements to basic health funds and a promise not to reduce positions in the move to online teaching—must not be neglected in such volatile times where front-line workers everywhere are struggling.

The results of this vote do not mean that a strike is forthcoming, but do empower the bargaining team to call a strike should negotiations not provide meaningful gains to members. The next step in the bargaining process is conciliation, in which a provincially appointed conciliation officer will meet with the parties.  Conciliation is scheduled on Tuesday, October 20^th, and Wednesday, October 21^st, 2020.  More days may be scheduled if progress continues and the Parties agree to meet.

Local 3906 is eager to put the support of its members into action at the bargaining table and is committed to membership engagement throughout the process. Please watch for our updates and additional bargaining support initiatives.

CUPE Local 3906 (Unit 2) represents over 500 Sessional Faculty and Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Our Unit 2 Members (Sessional Faculty and Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty) will be able to attend our Strike Vote Special General Membership Meeting this week (October 14th at 2:00 P.M.) and will be able to vote in our strike vote following the SGMM until Friday, October 16th at 5:00 P.M.

For more information on how to attend the meeting and how to vote, please click here.

Please note that the Strike Vote SGMM and the Strike Vote is only available to our CUPE 3906 Unit 2 members as per the Local’s Bylaws and the Ontario Labour Relations Act.

The Union office will remain closed throughout the fall semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff and executive members are working safely from home, and can answer any questions you may have via email, phone, or Zoom/Teams/Jitsi. Please email first, and we can set something up with you later if email doesn’t answer your question.

Below are instructions for how to submit benefits claims while the office is closed:

For Healthcare Spending Accounts, UHIP Rebates, and Childcare rebates, please continue to leave forms in our drop-box (directly outside KTH B111) or mail them directly to the Prosure Group:

PROSURE GROUP ADMINISTRATORS LTD.

2225 Sheppard Ave East, Suite 1400, Atria III.

Toronto, ON. M2J 5C2

For Dental claims, please create a login at www.equitable.ca with Policy Number 97528 and your employee number as your certificate number (if you do not have a specific employee number, then use your student number), and follow Equitable Life’s instructions for submitting online claims.

For Professional Development Fund applications, please email benefits@cupe3906.org

For further assistance, please contact administrator@cupe3906.org

For issues or concerns with your rights under any of our three collective agreements, please email mecampbell@cupe3906.org or bwalchuk@cupe3906.org

For equity-related concerns, please contact equity@cupe3906.org