We’ve reviewed the survey results, and have identified your four major priority areas for a #BetterMac. Our next step is to vote and give our bargaining team the mandate they need to move forward in negotiations. Please join us for a very important membership meeting on April 11 at noon in BSB 147 to ratify your major priority areas.

As always, the meeting is in an accessible location, pizza lunch is provided (halal options, gluten free/vegan options), and childcare costs involved with facilitating your attendance will be reimbursed.

We’ve heard many questions from members about where to access their T4s (as well as T2202s for those who are also students). These are created by the Employer and uploaded to MOSAIC. Information about how to find them in MOSAIC is available by clicking on the link HERE.

Due to circumstances outside of your Union’s control, the $170 dental premium for Sessionals who started in January 2019 will not occur until April 12th. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please note that you are still eligible for coverage (backdated to September 1st, 2018) but there will be a delay until our provider is able to issue a reimbursement to you for services already paid or to your dentist for services rendered. If you have outstanding claims retro to September 1, 2018, please feel free to ask your dentist to fax us a copy of your claim (905-525-3837) and we will have it paid out as soon as the eligibility information upload to the insurance company is complete. This has no impact on those who began teaching in September 2018. More details about our dental plan can be found here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-dental-coverage/

The deadline for Winter 2019 Professional Development Fund applications is April 9th, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. Please ensure that you have submitted your claim form and all applicable recipients in hard copy to KTH B111. More information about the Fund can be found here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/professional-development-fund-unit-2/

Finally, we wanted to remind you that at a Special GMM in August 2018, the Unit 2 membership was presented with a few options to make the Unit 2 Health Spending Account viable until the end of the Collective Agreement. The option that the membership decided on included the cancellation of the Unit 2 Travel Coverage to make sure that there are sufficient funds in the Health Care Spending Account to continue to pay out claims.
Unfortunately, March 31, 2019 marks the end of our contract with our travel coverage carrier. This means that our coverage under iA Special Risks will no longer be active after March 31, 2019.

If you would like to arrange for personal travel coverage, please feel free to contact our Broker, Craig Griffith, at McLean Hallmark to discuss coverage options. Craig can be reached at cgriffith@mcleanhallmark.com or 1-888-404-0000. Just mention that you are a member of CUPE 3906 Unit 2, and he can discuss comparable coverage with you.

**Please note that, if you are a Graduate Student, you are likely eligible for the GSA travel coverage (visit www.studentcare.ca). You might also have coverage through a credit card.**

We sincerely regret that this was necessary. It is possible to negotiate emergency travel coverage into our next Collective Agreement, if members choose to make this kind of benefit a priority.

Please feel free to contact chiefsteward_sessionals@cupe3906.org or benefits@cupe3906.org for more information.

Congrats to our newly (re)elected executive members.

President- Angie Perez
Vice President- Nathan Todd
Vice President External- James Watson
Treasurer- Chris Fairweather *new position*
Recording Secretary- Adam Gruber-O’Hagan
Chief Steward Unit 1- Nishant Kashyap *newly elected*
Chief Steward Unit 2- Peter Graham
Chief Steward Unit 3- Kezhuan Gu
Health & Safety Officer- Arghyadeep Sarkan *newly elected*
Benefits & Advocacy Officer- Zobia Jawed
Equity Officer- Shirleen Datt *newly elected*
International Officer- Avijit Mallick
Undergraduate Officer- Mrinal Kumar Tiwari

Trustee- Sahand Sepehrvand

Thanks to all those who attended our standing room only meeting, and a special thank you to those who put your name forward to run for elected office. The new executive has been elected for a 12 month period beginning today and ending with our next AGM in 2020.

✊🏿✊🏽✊🏻

We’re holding our Annual General Membership meeting on Tuesday, March 26th, 2019. At this meeting, all 13 executive positions are up for election. All members in good standing are able to run for these positions. Full details on the positions, as well as the election/nomination process, can be found in our Bylaws.

ROOM(S):
MDCL 3023

TIME: 12:00 PM-2:00 PM

DATE:Tuesday, March 26, 2019

In November 2017, CUPE 3906 filed a grievance against McMaster University to address an alleged inequitable wage gap between men and women working as postdoctoral fellows. CUPE 3906 claimed that the difference in wages violated both the collective agreement and the Equal Pay provisions of the Employment Standards Act.

The University and the Local, after extensive review and discussion, came to an agreement that the inequitable wage gap applied only to postdocs working in the Faculty of Science.

The resolution represents a meaningful gain for those members, and also helps to advance equal pay in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. The resolution not only addresses the inequitable wage gap, but also mandates proactive practices going forward.

We’re holding our Annual General Membership meeting on Tuesday, March 26th, 2019. At this meeting, all 13 executive positions are up for election. All members in good standing are able to run for these positions. Full details on the positions, as well as the election/nomination process, can be found in our Bylaws.

ROOM(S):
MDCL 3023

TIME: 12:00 PM-2:00 PM

DATE:Tuesday, March 26, 2019

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.

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 within the past 12 months.

The nomination period for this award is from February March 4, 2019 to March 24, 2019.

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.

More information, including how to submit a nominee, is available by clicking here.

Congratulations to Nathan Todd (Philosophy), our now former Recording Secretary, who was acclaimed as our new Vice President at this afternoon’s GMM. Congratulations also to Adam Gruber-O’Hagan (Labour Studies) who replaces Nathan as Recording Secretary, and to Pulkit Mathur (Chemical Engineering) who was elected as Chief Steward, Unit 1.

At today’s GMM, we also voted to send up to 10 delegates to the CUPE Ontario convention in May/June and 6 delegates to the ACORN CanadaNational Convention in June (held right here in Hamilton). Elections will take place soon, exact date TBA, but likely following the AGM in March/April.

With unanimous support, your Local voted to donate $250 to the Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton and Area (SACHA), as well as $250 to United Way Halton and Hamilton‘s upcoming Tampon Tuesday event