CUPE 3906

This is an important update that is relevant to Sessionals who did not teach in Fall 2023 and are teaching for the first time this academic year in Winter 2024.

For those of you who began teaching in January and did not opt out of the Unit 2 Dental Plan by widely publicized the February 5th deadline, the $150 single premium will be deducted from next week’s pay cheque (February 23rd). The plan offers $1000 per calendar year in dental services. You can find out additional information about coverage and how to make claims here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-dental-coverage/

For Sessionals who taught in the fall and did not opt out of the dental plan, your dental entitlement reset to $1000 for 2024 on January 1st

ISWG works to educate folks on the historical and ongoing local struggles for Indigenous self-determination in these Haudenosaunee & Anishinaabe territories. ISWG is committed to supporting Indigenous sovereignty & traditional self-governance by and for Indigenous nations.

For example, ISWG runs community impact funds that support Indigenous peoples & communities by offering up to $500 per applicant per year towards housing, groceries, bills, and community events & programming, food banks, & more.

You can follow ISWG on Instagram to stay updated with the work and donate to our GoFundMe page to support our decolonial efforts.

https://www.instagram.com/iswgcupe3906/

https://www.gofundme.com/f/cupe-3906-indigenous-solidarity-working-group?member=24690153&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefined

Register here for the next general membership meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqcuCtrz0uGdT6UpkqoPuc3lP55asaKfHt

In addition to updates and motions, we’ll be holding elections for several positions including: Vice President External, grievance committee member (1 opening), and delegates to the CUPE Ontario Convention.

We have received the following update from McMaster re/ T4 statements: Current employees can access their T4 in Mosaic. 2023 statements are not yet available. If a former employee still has an active MacID, they will be able to access their T4 in Mosaic. If it is not active, they will have a hard copy mailed to them.

Join us on Wednesday, February 7th at 7pm for a screening of the Afrofuturist film Neptune Frost (2021), directed by Anisia Uzeyman & Saul Williams. Set in an alternative Burundi, this Afrofuturist sci-fi punk musical follows a group of escaped coltan miners who form an anti-colonialist hacking collective. A genre-bending queer romance that explores labour, technology, environmental preservation, and revolution. Tickets are available at the door, but please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/d5DLD5TBPab2wDYE8

If you would like to be involved in selecting our upcoming films in this series, please reach out to Leah at president@cupe3906.org

Are you a McMaster international student? Then you’re welcome to apply to the “International Student of the Year Award” Program for the year (2023-2024) supported by CUPE-3906! Two awards are available, each worth $300. More info. about the award and the application is here. To apply, please fill out this form by January 31st 2024. Questions? Contact the International Officer at international@cupe3906.org

As the semester kicks off, you should be meeting with your supervisors to fill out and sign the Hours of Work Form. This form is important, as it outlines the various tasks expected of you, and an explanation of how much time you should be spending on each task. Because of this, you should make sure there is as much detail as possible on your form, allowing you to know exactly what is expected of you. This can also allow you to see if the time you are being provided for each task is appropriate. You can see some sample Hours of Work Forms here: https://cupe3906.org/tas-unit-1/hours-of-work/, which can help you to understand what a good form looks like. If you have any questions, reach out to Rebecca at leadsteward_tas@cupe3906.org. 

Join us for our firstly monthly General Membership Meeting of the 2024 Winter term on Wednesday, January 24 at 10 am to ring in the new semester! As always, pre-registration will be required to attend this meeting. These meetings usually run 2+ hours; we ask that you attend if you can, or drop by in-part otherwise. We will be holding elections for any vacancies and electing a Unit 2 bargaining team for upcoming negotiations.

Please remember: You must register with your McMaster email address. Using your Mac address is needed for us to confirm your union membership prior to the meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  Any members wishing to present pre-written motions should provide theirs via email to president@cupe3906.org by Monday, January 22.

Register in advance for our GMM here. You will receive a Zoom link after registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrfuuhqzMoGtYnzw5NnQXFivyuuyypPASN

If you are a CUPE 3906 TA, RA (in lieu of TA), and/or Sessional Faculty Member who is working in the Winter 2024 term (but did not work in the Fall 2023 term), this message is for you!

Until February 5th, 2024, CUPE 3906 Classification “A” TA, RA (in lieu of TA) holding an undergraduate degree, and Sessional Faculty Members who are working in the Winter 2024 term (but did not work in the Fall 2023 term) can opt-out of dental coverage or enroll in family dental coverage.  CUPE 3906 Classification “A” Unit 1 (TA or RA in lieu holding an undergraduate degree) and Unit 2 (Sessional Faculty and Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty) are automatically enrolled in CUPE 3906’s single dental coverage with Equitable Life of Canada unless they successfully submit a dental opt-out or family dental enrollment form by the deadline.

If you are a CUPE 3906 Classification “A” Unit 1 (TA or RA in lieu) Member working in the Winter 2024 term (and you did not work in the Fall 2023 term) and would like to opt-out of dental coverage or enroll in family dental coverage, please read this important letter and visit our website for instructions and forms: https://cupe3906.org/tas-unit-1/dental-plan/

If you are a CUPE 3906 Unit 2 (Sessional Faculty and Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty) Member working in the Winter 2024 term (and did not work in the Fall 2023 term) and would like to opt-out of dental coverage or enroll in family dental coverage, please read this important letter and visit our website for instructions and forms: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-dental-coverage/

The deadline to submit these forms and any applicable supporting documentation to administrator@cupe3906.org is February 5, 2024.

Unfortunately, we can no longer accept dental opt-out or family enrollment forms from members who worked in the Fall 2023 term.

Members who are working as Unit 1 or Unit 2 Members in the Spring/Summer term(s) (and did not work in the Fall 2023 or Winter 2024 terms) may opt-out of dental coverage or enroll in family dental coverage at the beginning of the Spring/Summer term(s).

General information about our dental coverage for TAs and RAs (in lieu of TAs) may be found at our website, here: https://cupe3906.org/tas-unit-1/dental-plan/

General information about our dental coverage for Sessional Faculty and Hourly Rated Sessional Music Faculty may be found at our website, here: https://cupe3906.org/sessionals-unit-2/unit-2-dental-coverage/