CUPE 3906 Bargaining Bulletin #4 — Unit 3: Postdoctoral Fellows

The Executive of CUPE 3906 openly condemns the Canadian federal government’s failure to meaningfully address the mercury crisis that has impacted the community of Grassy Narrows First Nation for more than fifty years. The government of Canada has long eschewed its responsibility and broken many promises to address the consequences of the community’s long-term exposure to toxic levels of mercury, which started when a paper mill in Dryden, Ontario was allowed to begin contaminating the Wabigoon River. Recent studies have even shown signs of congenital mercury poisoning in infants and young children.

It is incumbent upon the federal government, the leader of which campaigned on the importance of fostering “nation-to-nation” relationships with Indigenous peoples, to rectify this incredible injustice in ways deemed suitable by the community itself. CUPE 3906 thus endorses the following demands being made by Grassy Narrows community members: (1) Compensation for everyone in Grassy Narrows for the ongoing
mercury crisis, and (2) That the government of Canada put the full cost of building and operating a Mercury Home in Grassy Narrows into a trust so that the commitment is fulfilled regardless of who gets elected this October.

These demands will be central to River Run 2019: Walk With Grassy Narrows for Mercury Justice, wherein members of the community will be in Toronto from June 17 to 22 to lead several events and raise public awareness about their struggle for environmental justice, culminating in a large march to Queen’s Park on June 20 at noon.

CUPE 3906’s Political Action Committee will provide $300 in financial support and send a delegation of members to Toronto in order to help ensure that the River Run is a success and receives the attention it deserves. We also call on other organizations and associations like ours to do the same.

An original signed copy of the letter can be found by clicking here

The Executive Committee, Equity Action Committee, and Political Action Committee of CUPE Local 3906 have released the following joint statement on the recent racial profiling of Shelby McPhee of the Black Canadian Studies Association that occurred recently at Congress.

It reads, in part “We in CUPE 3906 stand in solidarity with Shelby McPhee and the BCSA in calling upon the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences to meet all four of the BCSA’s demands. We would also implore other organizations and associations like ours to voice their support of Mr. McPhee, the BCSA, and all other members of the academy who not only experience anti-Blackness on a regular basis, but also continue to do the difficult work of dismantling the structures of anti-Blackness that evidently pervade academia to this day.”

The full statement can be found by clicking here.

If you are a Sessional Faculty Member teaching for the first time this academic year in the Spring or Summer 2019 term, this message applies to you.

New Sessional Faculty Members who are beginning their teaching for the 2018-2019 academic year in May or June 2019 are able to make changes to their CUPE 3906 dental coverage until June 30, 2019.

• To enroll family members at a cost of $853.72 per family, please fill out the forms available on this link and provide completed forms and a void cheque or direct debit permission from from your bank to our office, KTH B111, no later than June 30, 2019: https://cupe3906.org/files/2018/09/2018-Unit-2-Family-Dental-Enrollment-NEW-2-1.pdf
• To opt-out of CUPE 3906 dental coverage if you have alternative dental coverage through your parents or spouse, please fill out the forms available on this link and provide completed forms, a copy of proof of alternate coverage with your name on it, and a void cheque or direct deposit permission from from your bank to our office, KTH B111, no later than June 30, 2019: https://cupe3906.org/files/2018/09/CUPE-U2-DENTAL-OPT-OUT-2018-2019-NEW-2.pdf

Please note: change of status (including family coverage enrollment and opt outs) expires for all members on August 31, 2019.  To maintain your coverage status (or opt-out) next academic year (if you are returning as a Sessional Faculty member), you must complete this change of coverage process again in September.

For more general information on dental coverage or dental change of coverage, please visit https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-dental-coverage/ or contact administrator@cupe3906.org.

We’ve announced a date, time, and location for our next General Membership Meeting. The full agenda will be released soon.

BSB 119 (Capacity 100)
12:00 PM-3:30 PM
Wednesday, July 3, 2019

As you may have heard, the Ford government – on the day they announced that the legislature would recess for 5 months – introduced a draconian piece of legislation that would place a wage restraint on public sector workers, require the provincial minister to approve a new collective agreement, and restrict free collective bargaining. As we hear more, we will provide updates. Below is a message from CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn.

Ford Government’s attack on workers’ rights a continuation of their assault on the people of Ontario, says CUPE Ontario President

TORONTO, June 5, 2019 /CNW/ – Legislation tabled today at Queen’s Park that would violate public employees’ right to engage in free collective bargaining is a continuation of the Ford Government’s assault on the people of Ontario, said the Leader of the Ontario Division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE Ontario).

Fred Hahn made the comments today after the Government tabled so-called ‘wage restraint’ legislation that will affect union and non-union employees this afternoon.

“Over and over again, we see the Ford Government continuing its assault on the people of Ontario. We saw it when they cancelled a scheduled increase to the minimum wage and when they stalled increases to social assistance. We saw it when they passed a budget that has resulted in devastating cutbacks to schools, universities, health care, social service agencies, libraries and a host of other services,” said Hahn.

“Now, after a sham ‘consultation’, the Ford Government is showing its hand again, targeting hardworking front line workers with legislation aimed at driving down wages, benefits and working conditions for public employees. In CUPE, our members make an average salary of $40,000 a year, and over the last decade, if there have been pay increases at all, they have not kept pace with inflation. The Government is sending a clear message to other employers that it’s open season on their employees as well,” he added.

“A government which forgoes billions in revenues, wastes hundreds of millions (and possibly another billion) more by casting aside signed contracts, which then tries to balance the books on the backs of hundreds of thousands of hard-working Ontarians while proclaiming the need for ‘wage restraint’ legislation should be considered a disgrace said Hahn.

He went on to urge every Ontarian—not just CUPE members—not to stand for a government that is indifferent to the harm they are causing to the norms and values Ontarians cherish.

“Ontarians need to make their voices heard—in their MPPs offices, in their communities, on the streets and on the grounds of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. CUPE Members will be standing shoulder to shoulder with them. If left to their own devices, Doug Ford and his government will inflict irreparable damage on this province. No one can sit this one out,” said Hahn.

The 3906 Unit 3 (Postdocs) bargaining team was at the bargaining table late this afternoon when we were informed of this draconian, unprecedented, and unconstitutional intrusion into the collective bargaining process.

We know that the government plans on capping wage increases at 1% for three years, but that the legislature will be put on recess beginning tomorrow. The legislation will not be passed until November. It is unclear how this will impact our bargaining and our members.

Our Unit 1 bargaining team (which includes staff and some executive members) will be bargaining with McMaster all of this upcoming week (June 10 to 14). As a result, the office will be open only intermittently. If you need to schedule an appointment, please contact administrator@cupe3906.org for benefits related inquiries, or staff@cupe3906.org for inquires related to your collective agreement.

Attn Sessional Faculty: Our Benefits Committee will be meeting on Monday, June 3 to review and approve the Professional Development Fund applications from the Winter 2019 semester. You’ll hear back from the committee shortly thereafter. We apologize for the delay.

Our latest bargaining update is now online!

Learn about what happened at our first face-to-face meeting with the Employer’s bargaining team. 👇👇👇

Bargaining Bulletin #3 — Unit 3: Postdoctoral Fellows