Most individuals employed as Postdoctoral Fellows at McMaster are members of CUPE Local 3906, Unit 3. Welcome to your Union! In this welcome letter, we’ve outlined some important things for you, including your benefits and some important contact information. Postdocs at McMaster were the first group of postdocs in Canada to unionize and have a collective agreement to protect and advance their rights as workers.
Unionized post-docs are those “whose salary is paid, in whole or in part, via McMaster payroll.” This means that those postdocs whose ‘salary’ is paid directly through a granting agency, and not through payroll, tend not to be unionized, unless their appointment includes teaching courses at McMaster. Please see articles 2 and 3 of the collective agreement for clarity.
Unionized post-docs receive considerable benefits under their collective agreement, including a SunLife health and dental plan, an additional health care spending account, a gender affirmation and reproductive health fund, access to a postdoc support fund, and a professional development fund. This most recent collective agreement is a 5 year agreement that is in place from September 1, 2022 until August 31, 2027. Please click the embedded links in this paragraph for specific details.
Unless stated otherwise and you are formally in a part-time position, all Postdoctoral Fellows are considered FULL TIME employees of the university (ie/ working 35 hrs. per week, consistent with the university’s definition of full-time work).