Dental coverage rates and change of coverage forms for CUPE 3906 Members working as Classification “A” Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants (in Lieu) and/or Sessional Faculty in the Fall 2023 Term are now available!

Classification “A” Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants (in Lieu) with contracts to work in the Fall 2023 Term should click here for an important dental coverage letter, and visit our dental coverage website to obtain more information and forms to opt-out of dental coverage or enroll in family dental coverage for the 2023-2024 academic year. The deadline for Unit 1 members to submit forms and supporting documentation is: September 24, 2023.  Please submit forms and supporting documentation to administrator@cupe3906.org.

Sessional Faculty and Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty members with contracts to work in the Fall 2023 term should click here for an important dental coverage letter, and visit our dental coverage website to obtain more information and forms to opt-out of dental coverage or enroll in family dental coverage for the 2023-2024 academic year. The deadline for Unit 2 members to submit forms and supporting documentation is: October 1st, 2023.  Please submit forms and supporting documentation to administrator@cupe3906.org.

Please note that Classification “A” Unit 1 members and Unit 2 members must submit change of coverage forms every academic year to maintain opt-out or family coverage status.  Members who wish to default to single dental coverage do not need to submit enrollment forms. (In other words, Classification “A” Unit 1 members and Unit 2 members are automatically enrolled in our single dental coverage by the Employer).

Finally, please be aware that there is a coverage “black out” period that occurs starting every September 1, which can last into October.  This means that members who are eligible for our coverage but incur eligible expenses during this period may experience significant delays in the payment of eligible dental claims.  Unfortunately, this is the result of payroll schedules over which we have no control.  Eligible members can incur eligible expenses during the blackout period, but there will be a delay in reimbursements for these claims.

Our local sent 9 delegates to the recent CUPE Ontario convention. A report back and summary from our delegates can be found here.

The McCall MacBain Postdoctoral Fellows Teaching and Leadership Program is now accepting applications for our 2023-2024 cohort.

This unique, one-of-a-kind program is open to all postdoctoral fellows at McMaster University and is now accepting limited spots for regional partners. Interdisciplinary postdocs from around the region will come together on the McMaster campus once a week to network, collaborate and hone their teaching, communication, as well as leadership skills. Postdocs will gain an edge in the highly competitive academic job market as well as expand their reach in industry (attached please find further information about this past year’s cohort)

The program runs from September – May (1 day/week). By the end of the 8-month term, postdocs will receive two certifications: one for Teaching (The Instructional Skills workshop from the MacPherson Institute) as well as one for Leadership (Postdocs Leadership Certification from the DeGroote School of Business).

If you are a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University and interested in this professional development opportunity, visit our website for more information or email the program manager Katie George

Ready to Apply? Complete the Application https://forms.office.com/r/LQcMqECsNc

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Call for Proposals – Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowships

The University of Toronto is pleased to announce the second call for applications for  the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship, a program of Schmidt Futures, which brings together the brightest minds who have completed a PhD in the natural sciences or engineering and who aim to pursue a research project that includes the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to their domain. The program will fund cutting edge applications of AI in the natural sciences and engineering and creates a community of interdisciplinary leaders.

OVERVIEW

Value: $85,000 CDN/year, plus benefits

Applicants must demonstrate clear expertise and promise within their field of study. Experience with AI is not a requirement, but applicants must have a desire to learn new AI methodologies that stand to accelerate discoveries in their domain. These Fellowships will fund research and provide training in AI and related computational skills to support new directions in the application of AI.

Award Start Date: Between May 1, 2024 and January 1, 2025

Duration: 2 years of funding through the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship program.

Note: there is a possibility for a 3rd year global research exchange, industry internship, and/or teaching-focused postdoctoral experience, pending the availability of funding from the host supervisor(s), Mitacs, and/or an alternate source of funding.

Application Deadline: Monday, October 2, 2023 (5PM EST)

Adjudication Meeting: November 2023

Notifications: December 2023

Further Information: https://schmidtfellows.utoronto.ca

Questions? Please contact Amanda Mohabeer at schmidtfutures@utoronto.ca

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Developing Your EQ for Professional Success

July 25, 2023

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and regulate one’s emotions and understand the emotions of others. This is relevant as it allows you to communicate effectively, empathize with others, and be both self and socially aware. This talk will discuss emotional intelligence (EQ) and its impact on career success, job performance, and stronger mental health. Participants will learn the definition of EQ & understand how it differs from IQ, be introduced to the four parts of EQ, and acquire ways to develop and strengthen EQ, including increasing self-awareness, developing empathy, identifying emotions, and embracing differences.

Speaker: Diane A. Safer, Ph.D., director, career and professional development for graduate students & postdocs; assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Register for this online workshop from the National Postdoctoral Association

We are happy to announce that the collective agreement which postdocs voted in favour of in April is now in place, as the employer (McMaster University) ratified the agreement at a Board of Governors meeting last week. This agreement, and the gains contained within it, would not have been possible without the support and solidarity that postdocs have shown over the past 12 months. A tentative version of your new collective agreement can be found here (a finalized version will be posted before the end of the week).

Wages

The current base/minimum salary for postdocs has increased from $36,200 per year to $40,000 per year (effective immediately) and will increase again to $42,500 on September 1, 2023. Any postdoc earning less than the minimum will receive an immediate increase to their yearly salary to the new minimum rate. By September 1, 2026, the minimum salary will be $50,000 per year, which is currently the highest minimum salary for postdocs in the country. These increases amount to 38.1% over 5 years, with an average of 7.6% per year and an immediate increase of 10.5%.

In addition to these increases, all unionized postdocs employed on June 8, 2023 will receive a bonus of $300. This will be reflected on a forthcoming pay cheque.

Health and Dental Benefits

One of the most notable gains under this collective agreement is a new health and dental benefits plan through SunLife. This will result in significant improvements to the existing SunLife health plan and Equitable Life dental plan and will streamline filing benefits. The existing plans covers most procedures and paramedical services to a maximum of $15 per appointment and $200 per year, while the new plan covers most procedures and services at 100% and to a maximum of $500 per year.

The previous plan covered only psychologists, while the new plan covers Psychologists, Social Workers, Psychotherapists, Psychoanalysts, Registered Clinical Counselors, Licensed Marriage and Family therapists. Your new dental plan now covers also covers orthodontic procedures. This plan is fully paid by the employer (for both single coverage and dependent coverage), meaning that you will no longer need to pay $7.29/month for single coverage ($87.48 per year) or $71.94/month for family coverage ($863.28 per year) for dental benefits.

A full comparison and list of the new benefits is available here: https://cupe3906.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/501/2023/06/Postdoc-Health-and-Dental-Plan-Summary-Chart.pdf

The new plan is effective as of September 1, 2023 and the existing plan remains in place until August 31, 2023.  More specific details about the changes to the dental plan are forthcoming; for now, please do see the summary chart linked above.

Health Care Spending Account

In addition to the above increases to the health and dental benefits plan, we have also increased the Health Care Spending Account fund from its current $47,500 to $70,000 per year, with a further increase to $80,000 in 2024. This is the fund that your current Health Care Spending Account comes from. What does this mean for you?

Your benefits committee recently voted to increase your yearly entitlement from $300 per academic year to $450 per academic year. This increase becomes effective as of September 1, 2023 (the current entitlement remains in place until August 31, 2023). The fund covers items that are not covered or not fully covered by the SunLife plan. More information about the HCSA is available here: https://cupe3906.org/postdocs-unit-3/post-doc-health-spending-account/.  A new reimbursement form will be available soon.

Gender Affirmation Fund and Reproductive Health Fund

Based on membership feedback and as a commitment to an inclusive and equity-seeking local, your bargaining committee negotiated language to ensure that the health care spending account specifically includes “support for reproductive health and well-being and gender affirming care.”

Your benefits committee has determined that the maximum eligibility will be set at $2,000 per academic year. For clarification, this would mean that members could claim up to $2000 in gender affirming care OR reproductive health care OR some combination of the two e.g., $1000 in gender affirming care and $1000 reproductive health. Entitlement to this fund is retroactive to September 1, 2022.

We are still updating criteria and finalizing an application form, but some information can be found here: https://cupe3906.org/postdocs-unit-3/gender-affirmation-fund-reproductive-health-fund/

Professional Development Fund

The Professional Development Fund is a union-administered benefits fund designed to cover/offset various costs (ie/ books, conferences, memberships, etc.). Previously this fund was $47 500, but your bargaining team made significant increases here and the fund is now $80,000 and will increase to $100,000 per year in 2024.

As a result of these increases, your benefits committee has voted to increase your current entitlement from $600 per academic year to $1000 per academic year on a trial basis. The forms will be updated soon, but more information is available here: https://cupe3906.org/postdocs-unit-3/postdoctoral-fellow-professional-development-fund/

Postdoctoral Support Fund

The postdoctoral support fund is an employer-administered benefits fund to cover/offset unexpected or emergency costs, extended UHIP, and childcare expenses. In this most recent of bargaining, we secured support for “moving or relocation expenses” and increased your reimbursement entitlement from $500 to $750. An updated and application form and more information will be made available soon, but you can find support fund website here: https://gs.mcmaster.ca/app/uploads/2020/01/postdoctoral_support_fund_2017.pdf

Other Gains

In addition to the above-noted monetary gains, your bargaining team also secured the following:

• Anti-Discrimination – a right to be referred to by self-identified gender pronouns
  
• Postings- preference in hiring for Indigenous, Inuit, and Metis scholars for postings in Indigenous Studies Dept.
  
• Access to email for 12 months following the end of your appointment
  
• An additional seat on the health and safety central committee for postdocs
  
• Stronger language to not have to work on statutory holidays
  
• Supplementary Benefits (ie/ paid leave) were expanded to include miscarriage, stillbirth, and adoption
  
• Vacation – a clear ability to carry over and use within 4 months of next calendar year, and ability to receive payout for all unused vacation at end appointment
  
• Access to leave, without loss of pay, for members requiring leaves for reproductive health and well-being and gender-affirming care
  
• An additional 5 days leave, with pay, for those who require domestic violence leave

To ring in the summer and celebrate these collective gains, all postdocs are invited to a bargaining social event at The Phoenix on June 27 at 5:30 PM with free dinner and drinks.

To RSVP, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6O-LTlX8VhUNRqZc3Nl8RYlIQC1wr201wvzKvsxQatUcv-Q/viewform

Free First Aid Training

Here are a few useful updates and reminders from your Union relevant to the end of the term. Specifically, this mailer concerns the following:

1. Final Payment
2. Large Class Supplement
3. Post-Contract work
4. Employment Insurance
5. Professional Development
6. Health Spending Account
7. First Consideration Appointments
8. Teaching and Learning Month Opportunities

Final Payment

The final pay of the winter semester arrived in your account on Friday April 21^st and covers the period from April 2^nd to April 15^th. As of April 21^st, your contract was officially over.

Large Class Supplement

Some sessionals have yet to be paid the Large Class Supplemental Fee. For those of you earning the base rate and teaching a class with more than 75 students, please note that your last pay stub should reflect an additional supplementary payment of $2.00 per student per unit for each student above 75. 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 and you have yet to see the supplemental fee added, please reach out to us immediately. If the payment is not processed soon, it could adversely impact EI entitlement, so please follow-up with your us or your department administrator this week and let us know if there are any issues.

Post-Contract work
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 $68.72/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. If you are asked to perform this work and are collecting EI, please let us know.

Once your marks have been submitted (the main list, this does not need to include any deferred exams or extensions based on accommodations), your contract is over, and this triggers the beginning of the post-contract period.

Employment Insurance
The final pay was April 21^st. This final pay triggered 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 April 15^th.  We would encourage all Sessionals who may utilize Employment Insurance at any point in 2023 to apply as soon as possible, even if you are employed during the spring term.

The first pay in the spring term, for those of you who are employed, will be on May 19^th and the first day of work will be April 30^th. This means you might be able to collect EI from April 16^th to April 29^th 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 should be able to collect EI as of April 16^th. If you have not served a withholding period, you will need to serve a one week over period before you collect EI.

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 at some point this week or early next week, but please apply to EI as soon as you can if you plan to utilize EI in the spring or summer.

Professional Development

For those of you who are curious, applications made to the Professional Development Fund this semester were adjudicated earlier this month and we will provide you with an update on your outcome as soon as we can. Cheques will be cut as soon as possible and should arrive shortly.

If you’ve missed the previous winter semester’s deadline, no worries. We have one final deadline for Unit 2 Professional Development Fund applications for this academic year – August 4th, 2023. All applications for the 2022-23 academic year MUST be submitted in advance of August 4^th.

Health Spending Account

Finally, a quick reminder that your Health Care Spending Account entitlement was recently increased to $500 per academic year. The fund covers the cost of various health care related expenses (as approved by Revenue Canada) and provides a tax-free reimbursement to you. More information is available here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-benefits/

There is no cost or fee to you. The fund is secured through collective bargaining and made available to members to use as needed.

First Consideration Appointments

One major question we get related to seniority relates to job security. Sessionals have job security in the form of First Consideration Appointments. These function in the same way as a right of first refusal. First Consideration Appointments are a form of job security that occurs when you are appointed to a course without having to apply to it through a competitive application process.

You become eligible for a Standard First Consideration Appointment when you have taught the course for two consecutive appointments after applying to teach it in two open competitions. With First Consideration, you are entitled to be appointed to that course, without it being posted or you needing to apply for it, the next three times that it is offered to Sessional Faculty.

Members who have completed a Standard First Consideration Appointment are then eligible for an Enhanced First Consideration Appointment. When the course is posted again and you are hired in an open competition, you are then entitled to be appointed to that course, without needing to apply for it, the next four times that the course is offered to Sessionals.

Once you have secured a Standard or Enhanced First Consideration, the department can extend your appointment and continue to appoint you directly.

Teaching and Learning Month Opportunities

May is Teaching and Learning month at McMaster, and many useful courses are being offered. Many of these courses are included in our Training Fund, which provides payment for completion of certain courses ($100 per course, maximum of $300 per year). Please consult the Training Fund link for more information and to access the application form. The fund includes training includes the Learning to Teach Online Course, Intensive Workshops, Teaching & Learning Certificates of Completion Program, and Professor Hippo-on-Campus (Student Mental Health Education Program for Educators and Navigators).

Below are some opportunities being offered by the MacPherson Institute that you may be interested in, though not all are covered by the Training Fund. Many of the events are now listed on the Teaching and Learning Month Zoom Event page, and it is being updated regularly.

EDUCATN 740: Peer-Evaluated Teaching Experience  **eligible under Teaching Fund**

This zero-unit graduate course is offered in a small group setting and is designed to enhance teaching effectiveness. During the course (full attendance is mandatory to earn a pass), students design and conduct short lessons and receive verbal, written, and video feedback from the other students who have been learners in the lessons. Using an intensive experiential learning approach, students are provided with information on the theory and practice of teaching adult learners, the selection and writing of useful intended learning outcomes with accompanying lesson plans, techniques for eliciting learner participation, and suggestions for evaluation of learning. Reflection and examination of one’s teaching practices are encouraged.

Format: Virtual and Online

Dates & Times:  Students will complete asynchronous work Monday, May 1 to Friday, May 5, as well as select two of the following options:

Wednesday, May 10, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Thursday, May 11, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Wednesday, May 17, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Thursday, May 18, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Wednesday, May 24, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Thursday, May 25, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Wednesday, May 31, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Thursday, June 1, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Wednesday, June 7, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Thursday, June 8, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Wednesday, June 14, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Thursday, June 15, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

EDUCATN 780: Essential Skills in University Teaching **eligible under Teaching Fund**

In this zero-unit graduate course, learners will engage in a self-directed teaching experience in order to apply teaching and learning theory in a real-world context. Critical examination of the colonial origins of the university as it relates to teaching and learning theory and the learning environment is a key component of this course. Learners will develop a teaching application plan, deliver their lesson, and observe a lesson. Learners will reflect on their experience throughout the course and identify further areas for growth and exploration.

Format: Virtual and Online

Dates & Times: This course will largely take place asynchronously with weekly in-person class sessions on the following dates:

Tuesday, May 9, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Tuesday, May 16, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Tuesday, May 23, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Tuesday, May 30, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM

Tuesday, August 1, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM

Note: you must be able to identify a teaching opportunity in the term you have registered (e.g., teaching a course, guest lecture, teaching in a volunteer/work setting, etc.) at the beginning of the course. If you have questions about the appropriateness of your teaching opportunity, please email Stephanie Verkoeyen (verkoeys@mcmaster.ca).

Featured Workshops:

Conflict Resolution In The Workplace

Conflict at work is inevitable; it’s not a matter of if it will happen, but when. Gain the skills, strategies and best practices to manage workplace conflict in a sensible, equitable manner; strengthening your working relationships.

Date: May 1-2, 2023

Time: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. ET

Course Code: ESS 899

Instructor: Lesley Calvin

Flexible Work as a Catalyst for Organizational Agility & Well-being

How do leaders move beyond words and make the commitment to enable this strategy in their environment, with a goal to improve productivity, equity, and morale? Explore successful practices that support a productive, flexible workplace strategy that benefits both the individual’s growth potential and the organization’s success.

Date: May 4, 2023

Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET

Course Code: ESS 913

Instructor: Jennifer Hagen

Remote Work – Strategies for Efficiency

Remote work is here to stay. The good news is working remotely can be productive, effective, and convenient. To achieve this, we need to be prepared, which means thinking beyond technology. Remote work involves structure, clear goals, and strong communication practices.

Date: May 11, 2023

Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET

Course Code: ESS 905

Instructor: Lori Stephenson