Dental Plan for Sessionals (Unit 2 members)

Brad WalchukUncategorized

Over the past few years, CUPE 3906 has been in the process of negotiating and establishing a premium-based dental plan for our Unit 2 Members.
We are pleased to announce that we are finally launching the dental coverage for our members this fall.
The coverage provides 100% for most standard basic services up to $1,000 per calendar year.  Access to the benefit is subject to current eligibility, which is determined by Unit 2 employment within the current academic year.  The member cost for single dental coverage is $170.00 for the current academic year (i.e., September 1, 2018-August 31, 2019).
Members will be automatically enrolled in single coverage (unless they are otherwise covered by our Unit 1 or Unit 3 plan).  Participation in the plan is mandatory for Unit 2 members, unless members can provide proof of alternate coverage in another dental plan.  Members can elect to enroll in family coverage (which provides up to $2,000 in coverage per family per calendar year subject to the enrollment period (however there is an additional cost to enroll in family coverage).
For more general information about plan, including a link to the coverage booklet, please visit our website: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-dental-coverage/
For important information about opting out of the dental plan, or enrolling in our family dental coverage, please see this important letter: https://cupe3906.org/files/2018/09/Dental-Letter-to-Members-U2-Fall-2018.pdf
To obtain a copy of the DENTAL OPT-OUT FORM, please click here: https://cupe3906.org/files/2018/09/CUPE-U2-DENTAL-OPT-OUT-2018-2019-NEW-2.pdf
Please note that we require supporting documentation (i.e., proof of alternate dental coverage with your name on it) to opt-out of the plan.
To obtain a copy of the FAMILY DENTAL ENROLLMENT FORM, please click here: https://cupe3906.org/files/2018/09/2018-Unit-2-Family-Dental-Enrollment-NEW-2-1.pdf
Please note that there are IMPORTANT DEADLINES associated with opting-out of the plan and enrolling into the family dental coverage.  THE DEADLINE for OPT-OUTS and FAMILY ENROLLMENTS is OCTOBER 1st, 2018. 
Questions can be addressed to administrator@cupe3906.org.  Due to the high volume of questions we anticipate, please do read the important letter (see: the second link above) before sending questions.

Political Action Committee Meeting- September 11th at 4 p.m.

Brad WalchukUncategorized

Hello to new members interested in joining the Political Action Committee (PAC) of CUPE 3906 at McMaster!

We hope everyone is having a good start to the new school year. This is a reminder email that we’ll be having our first PAC meeting of the semester this Tuesday September 11th at 4pm. The meeting will be held in the CUPE 3906 union office in Kenneth Taylor Hall (KTH) room B111.
We’ll be sharing updates from the summer and electing two new PAC co-chairs at this meeting – we look forward to seeing you there!
There will be snacks!
In solidarity,
-Chloe & Rosa

Dental Benefit Information for Unit 1 (TA/RAs in lieu) members

Brad WalchukUncategorized

This message contains IMPORTANT and TIME-SENSITIVE information that may require your immediate attention.
If you (1) are employed as a Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant (in lieu of a Teaching Assistant) between September 1, 2018 and August 31, 2019, and (2) hold an undergraduate degree, you will automatically be enrolled in single dental coverage under the CUPE 3906 plan.
If you hold other coverage under a spouse or a parent, and wish to opt-out of our dental plan, you have until September 28 to do so.
If you wish to enroll in family dental coverage, you have until September 28 to do so.
For more information on how to opt-out of the plan or enroll in family coverage, please read this important information: https://cupe3906.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/501/2018/08/CUPE-3906-Unit-1-Dental-Letter-2018-2019.pdf
For general information on the plan and for links to the opt-out and enrollment form, please visit our Unit 1 dental benefits website, here: https://cupe3906.org/tas-unit-1/dental-plan/
We wish you best of luck in the upcoming year.

Labour Day 2018

Brad WalchukUncategorized

As you likely know, Labour Day is this upcoming Monday (September 3rd). Not only is this the last long-weekend of the summer, it is an important recognition of the role of working people in Canada.
As always, your Union will be participating in the Hamilton and District Labour Council’s events, which include a parade in the downtown core and a BBQ celebration at Bayfront thereafter. Full details are available here.
We’ll be meeting around 10 a.m. at Stuart and Bay for the parade, and we hope to see you there. You can also join us for lunch at Bayfront after the parade. We’ll have free hamburgers and drinks. We’ll be sharing space with CUPE Local 5167.

We’ll also have some free swag on hand, including CUPE 3906 sunglasses, cell phone wallets, water bottles, and lanyards. CUPE National President Mark Hancock will also be joining us for the festivities.
If you have any questions, please contact our Political Action Committee: politicalaction@cupe3906.org or vpexternal@cupe3906.org

In solidarity,

Your CUPE 3906 Executive and Political Action Committee

September General Membership Meeting- Weds, Sept 26 at 12:30

Brad WalchukUncategorized

Our first General Membership Meeting (GMM) of the academic year will take place in MUSC 311-13 on Wednesday, September 26th at 12:30. As always, pizza lunch and childcare reimbursements are provided.

We will be debating and ratifying the 2018-19 operating budget at this important meeting. Further agenda items will be finalized closer to the meeting.

Unit 2 (Sessionals) Benefits Changes

Brad WalchukUncategorized

Thank you everyone who attended the General Membership Meeting on Wednesday, August 22 at noon. The meeting went well and we had many U2 members who joined the meeting, asked questions/clarification and context behind these new proposed changes to the Health Care Spending Account.

The two co-pay options were discussed as follows: Option 1: 70% co-pay option and no travel insurance and Option 2: 55% co-pay option with travel insurance.

The U2 members present at the meeting unanimously supported the 70% co-pay option without the travel insurance (option 1). This simply means that a U2 member can get back 7 dollars for every 10 dollars claimed. So, out of 500 dollars allocated, the U2 member can claim 350 dollars from Health Care Spending Account.

These new changes will take place for U2 Health Care Spending Account Claims starting September 1st, 2018. If you have any further questions, please contact the CUPE office (administrator@cupe3906.org) and/or benefits officer (benefits@cupe3906.org)

Travel insurance will still be available for Unit 2 members use until March 2019 (when the purchased insurance expires) at which point it will not be renewed.

Unit 2 (sessional) Pay Dates and Work

Brad WalchukUncategorized

There are potential impacts to an employee’s EI if their first day worked is stated as September 1.  EI is payable Sunday to Saturday and since this is part of the payable week it may impact their earnings.  Therefore the start date for the Fall Term will be September 2.

Pay periods for the 2018-19 academic year are as follows: https://cupe3906.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/501/2018/08/2018-19-pay-peroids.pdf

General Membership Meeting- Aug 22nd at noon

Brad WalchukUncategorized

Dear Members,

The Union’s most significant decisions are made by Union members at General Membership Meetings (GMMs).

All CUPE 3906 members of all 3 units (TAs and RAs in lieu, Sessional Faculty, Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty and Postdoctoral Fellows) can attend regular GMMs and get involved in the Union’s decision making processes.

Our next GMM will be held on Wednesday, August 22nd at noon in BSB 108.

We offer a free lunch and reimbursement for childcare costs. The agenda will include a discussion of the Stoney Creek Rent Strike and a sponsorship package of the Workers’ Arts and Heritage Centre.

We hope to see you there!

August General Membership Meeting

Brad WalchukUncategorized

We will be holding our August General Membership Meeting on Wednesday, August 22nd at noon in BSB 108. The agenda will be posted in advance of the meeting. We hope to see you all there.

Statement on Trump’s Immigration Policies

Brad WalchukUncategorized

The General Membership of CUPE 3906 strongly condemns the recent policies of the Trump administration and the practices of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency who have willfully abused human rights and engaged in torture through the separation of parents and children in various detention centers across the country. The most recent numbers indicate that at least 2300 children have been separated from their families since April; however, this is a considerable underestimation given that not all ports of entry have reported their numbers to Homeland Security.

While the Trump administration has rescinded its policy of separating families at the border due to mounting political backlash, there have thus far been no efforts to actively reunite families, as children are effectively being used as hostages for political leverage. This gross violation of human rights is utterly deplorable and must not pass with silence.

The international community, including Canada, must take a stand against these practices. CUPE 3906 would like to call on elected officials and ordinary citizens alike to take two minutes out of their workday to sign and submit the Council of Canadians’ and Amnesty International Canada’s letters to Justin Trudeau and Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen, urging them to suspend Canada’s “Safe Third Country Agreement” that prevents the vast majority of asylum seekers who arrive in the U.S. from making claims in Canada. By now it should be clear to everyone that refugees are no longer safe in the United States.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Trudeau’s statement that “this is not the way we do things in Canada,” denies a history of forcibly separating children from their family, and contradicts the practices that continue today. The forceful separation of families has been a central practice in Canada’s settler-colonial institutions. The current child welfare system represents a “humanitarian crisis” as over 50% of the are Indigenous.

Moreover, while we must rightly call on the United States to end their policy of detention and reunite these families for good, CUPE 3906 also calls on Canada to end its policy of separating children from their parents in immigration detention. Year-over-year the number of families separated in detention has increased. This unacceptable and inhumane practice has lasting negative consequences that do not conform with the best interests of the children that our system is intended to protect.

We urge you to take the following action(s):

The Council of Canadians’ letter to PM Justin Trudeau and Minister Hussen: https://secure.canadians.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1899&ea.campaign.id=65127

Link to Amnesty International Canada’s letter to Minister Hussen: https://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1770&ea.campaign.id=63426&_ga=2.70040338.363122809.1529501450-419011758.1529501450

You can also contact your local MP directly by following the directions linked here: https://www.amnesty.ca/blog/tell-your-mp-usa-isnt-safe-refugees

Anyone looking for more information on Canada’s Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S. can read the FAQ fact sheet provided by the Canadian Council for Refugees linked here: http://ccrweb.ca/en/refugees-entering-us-and-safe-third-country-faq

Finally, we’d also urge you to connect with local migrant rights groups, such as Justicia 4 Migrant Workers (http://www.justicia4migrantworkers.org/), the Hamilton Immigrant Working Centre (http://iwchamilton.ca/), Wesley Urban Ministries (https://wesley.ca/refugee-information-portal/) , Refuge: Hamilton Centre for Newcomer Health (https://www.newcomerhealth.ca/), the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War (http://hamiltoncoalitiontostopthewar.ca/), and the Emergency Support Committee for Refugees (https://www.escr1987.com/), to whom our General Membership Meeting supporting making a financial donation to on June 27th, 2018.

We urge you for your support in these trying times.

Sincerely,

 

Angie Perez, President

On behalf of the General Membership of CUPE Local 3906