There will be a General Membership Meeting
Wednesday October 26th, 2011 (please note, the email notice said November 26th in error)
5:30pm
in MDCL 3020
Free food, and an orientation session for members attending their first meeting, at 5:00pm.
Childcare is reimbursement available on request. Agenda will be posted shortly.
We need Health and Safety representatives to sit on Joint Health and Safety Committees!
What are Joint 
Health and Safety Committees?
The Joint Health and Safety Committees, or JHSC for short, is a group of management and labour representatives that meet regularly to discuss Health and Safety issues on McMaster University Main Campus in addition to off-site locations. These individuals also conduct regular inspections of McMaster property to help better identify any safety-related issues that need to be addressed. JHSCs also make recommendations to Senior Management regarding the identification and control of hazards. These recommendations may include building improvements, procedure implementation, training requirements, policies and programs.
JHSC meetings are monthly and you are paid at your regular hourly rate of pay to attend. At minimum the idea is to be the eyes and ears of the union at these meetings. You’re encouraged to get involved as much as you want in order to make campus a safer place to work. Some ways of getting more involved include: getting health and safety training, participating in workplace inspections or joining some of the working groups and sub-committees. Attached is a list of vacancies we are trying to fill. If you don’t see a position that fits with your work position but you’re interested in getting involved get in touch.
Contact me at: healthandsafety@cupe3906.org for more information or to get involved.
To be eligible to sit on a committee you need to:
Come out to our second annual Welcome Party!
Thursday October 13th
Workers Arts & Heritage Centre (click here for directions)
51 Stuart St – 7:00-11:30pm
Live music, free food & cash bar
This event is only open to members and their invited guests
Childcare available on request
Your bargaining team is currently in bargaining with the University for a new contract. Over the next month we’ll be coming around to your departments to talk to members one-on-one to update you about the bargaining process and where things currently stand.
We will also be holding a series of information sessions, and we strongly encourage all members to try and make it out for one or more of the following events:
Tuesday September 20th
Kenneth Taylor Hall (KTH) B105 – 2:30-3:30pm
Free snacks available
Tuesday September 27th
Burke Science Building (BSB) B155 – 2:30-3:30pm
Free snacks available
Monday October 3th
Wentworth Lounge (beside The Phoenix) – 4:00-6:00pm
Free wings and nachos available
Tuesday October 4th
A.N. Bournes Science Building (ABB) 162 – 2:30-3:30pm
Free snacks available
Thursday October 13th – Union Social
Workers Arts & Heritage Centre
51 Stuart St – 7:00-11:30pm
Live music, free food & cash bar
This event is only open to members and their invited guests.
This is a reminder of the first CUPE 3906 General Membership Meeting of the new academic year.
Our GMM will be held on
September 28th
5:30PM
in MDCL 3020
Refreshments will be available at 5:00PM, and the Local can cover childcare costs.
The agenda will include (but not be limited to) the following items:
– A Motion to Increase the Executive Honourarium
– A Report from the Political Committee
– Discussion and Approval of the 2011/2012 Budget
– Bargaining Updates for Unit 1 and Unit 3
– Election of Open Executive Positions
– Election of a Unit 3 Bargaining Team Members
– Election of Bargaining Support Co-Chairs for Unit 1 and Unit 3
– By-Law Amendments
Dear Graduate Students,
The GSA provides a dental plan for graduate students who are *not* working at least 130hrs as a TA or RA in lieu to TA. If you are working 130 hours or more you are covered under the CUPE dental plan.
Due to a technical error all graduate students were accidentally charged for the GSA Dental Plan on their account. If you are eligible for the CUPE dental plan (working 130hrs as a TA (or RA in lieu)), this charge will be removed from your account following the September payroll run – you do not have to take any further action. For all other students, the charge will remain on your account and you will be enrolled in the GSA dental plan (excluding Divinity and MBA).
All graduate students will remain in the GSA Health Plan.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the GSA President Jessica Merolli at gsapres@mcmaster.ca We apologize for the inconvenience.
The latest issue of the OUWCC newsletter is out, click here to get your copy!
An excellent report by David Macdonald and Erika Shaker for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
Click here to download the report.
Click here for more information about the CCPA.
The annual Take Back the Night march to end violence against women will be taking place this Thursday, September 15th.
Women-Identified members of the community, and children are welcome for the main march at
City Hall (71 Main St)
6:30pm
Click here for more information
Male-Identified allies are invited to Taking on the Man: Strategies for Challenging Sexism
Skydragon Centre (27 King William St)
6:15pm (5:30 for sign making)
Discussion followed by a cheering section while the march goes by.
Click here for more information
The Political Action Committee is gearing up for another year and we’d like to invite everyone who’s interested to our first meeting on Monday September 19th @4pm. We’ll be meeting in the CUPE office in Wentworth B108 (below the Phoenix).
For those new to the local, the PAC is a member driven committee of CUPE 3906 that works to extend the union’s social justice and solidarity work within the labour movement and more broadly in McMaster, Hamilton, and the region. Regular meetings are held to plan events and distribute the local’s donations budget. All members of CUPE 3906 are welcome to join. As a member-driven committee we work together on ideas, projects, and actions brought forward by our members -so if you have a specific action, issue, or group you’re interested in working on or with we’d love to hear about it!
If you have any questions, or are unable to make it out to the meeting but would like to get involved, feel free to email me and I can add you to the listserve. We also maintain a flying-squad listserve where we send out regular updates on events, actions, rallies, or just keep you informed about local issues. If you’re interested in being added to the list, please let me know.
You can also check us out and see some of our past work at our website.