If after checking your recent pay statements via HR Self Serve, you have received less than 100% remediation pay, CUPE 3903 is able to file a grievance on your behalf in order to advocate that you get all the pay you are owed. A Jotform link will be released soon for you to upload the relevant information, which includes:

• All Written Offers of Appointment for 2023-24
• Paystubs, including:
  • the one with 90% advance pay
  • the one with 10% remaining pay
• CD/TA remediation workload forms
• Any correspondence indicating departmental approval of those forms

Please keep an eye on this post for the upcoming Jotform, and consider attending a Check Your Paycheque help session (linked) if you are in Unit 2!

On June 25th, you should have received all retroactive pay increases you are owed from the Fall term of 2020 to the Winter term of 2024, provided that you were an active employee in the Winter term of 2024 when the new collective agreement was ratified. 

If you were not on contract in the Winter term, you should have recently received an email from someone from Payroll & Records at York asking you to send them your banking information. You must submit that information by September 30th in order to receive the back pay you are owed from 2020-2023. You should receive that back pay by October 25th, 2024, which is the next regular pay date after the deadline.

Important note: This long wait is intended to give the union time to reach out to all former employees to make sure they submit their banking information to receive the pay they are owed. Please help spread the word to your colleagues in this situation who may not be checking their York email!

Notice: Fund applications will now be requiring employee number and non-York email addresses from applicants. This will allow for smoother disbursal of funds to members going forward. Thanks!

The Lead Steward Unit 1 and Vice-President Unit 2 positions proceeded to a runoff election as no candidate was able to secure >50% of the initial vote. According to CUPE 3903 bylaws, in order for someone to be elected they must receive a majority of the votes (50%+1). This election has now concluded, having ran from Thursday, June 20th – 5PM to Tuesday, June 25 – 5PM.

• Rebecca (Becky) Whiley: 100 (51.0%)
• Vinnie Collins: 66 (33.7%)
• Sofia Chaudhry Schlichting: 30 (15.3%)

VOTER SUMMARY
Total: 203
Abstain: 7 (3.4%)

• Joseph Tohill: 75 (52.1%)
• Catherine Swenson: 69 (47.9%)

VOTER SUMMARY
Total: 147
Abstain: 3 (2.0%)

The CUPE 3903 Unit 4 Bargaining Team Committee election nominations period closed on June 19th at 12pm. The following positions are acclaimed:

Daniel Payne – BT Representative

Susan Bryant –  BT Representative

Thank you and congratulations everyone!

Results – Executive Committee Elections 2024-25

Start: 2024-06-14 17:00:00 America/Toronto
End: 2024-06-19 17:00:00 America/Toronto

Communications Officer

Mackenzie Edwards: 193 (58.3%)
Elisa Dong: 94 (28.4%)
Kathleen Cherrington: 44 (13.3%)
VOTER SUMMARY
Total: 368
Abstain: 37 (10.1%)

Vice-President Unit 1

Collin Xia: 155 (73.1%)
Aidin Torkameh: 57 (26.9%)
VOTER SUMMARY
Total: 223
Abstain: 11 (4.9%)

Lead Steward Unit 1

*Run-off Election Needed*

Rebecca (Becky) Whiley: 93 (44.3%)
Vinnie Collins: 64 (30.5%)
Sofia Chaudhry Schlichting: 31 (14.8%)
Anson Nater: 22 (10.5%)
VOTER SUMMARY
Total: 223
Abstain: 13 (5.8%)

Vice-President Unit 2 

*Run-off Election Needed*

Joseph Tohill: 53 (39.3%)
Catherine Swenson: 43 (31.9%)
Sylvia Peacock: 39 (28.9%)
VOTER SUMMARY
Total 141
Abstain 6 (4.3%)

Lead Steward Unit 2

Neil Braganza: 74 (55.2%)
Christopher Bailey: 60 (44.8%)
VOTER SUMMARY
Total:141
Abstain: 7 (5.0%)

Run-Off Elections

The Lead Steward Unit 1 and Vice-President Unit 2 positions will be proceeding to a runoff election beginning June 20th – 5PM as no candidate was able to secure >50% of the vote. According to CUPE 3903 bylaws, in order for someone to be elected they must receive a majority of the votes (50%+1). A plurality is not sufficient to be elected. As no candidate for these two positions were able to obtain a majority of the votes, a run-off election will occur with the candidate receiving the fewest votes withdrawn. The process will continue until a candidate obtains a majority.

Below is the relevant passage in the bylaws:

“A candidate must obtain a majority of votes cast, i.e. at least 50% plus 1, to be declared elected. When no candidate obtains a majority, the candidate receiving the fewest votes shall be dropped and a second ballot taken. The process shall continue until one candidate has obtained a majority.”

All electors will be receiving a new ballot and the runoff election will occur from Thursday, June 20th – 5PM to Tuesday, June 25 – 5PM.

The following are the remaining candidates:

LS U1
Rebecca (Becky) Whiley
Vinnie Collins
Sofia Chaudhry Schlichting

VP U2
Joseph Tohill
Catherine Swenson

Report Back from A Day of Organizing! 

On June 10th, 2024, members of CUPE 3903 came together to discuss where we are, where we’re going, and how we can get there! The members who attended came from different bargaining units and different faculties; some had been working at York for decades, while others will be joining CUPE 3903 in September. While participants were all very different, we all share the most important thing: the desire to build power together to improve working conditions at York University!

Through brainstorming and discussing, we learned that the main issues on people’s minds are remediation pay, restructuring, and how to improve communications to increase solidarity. People also expressed a desire for more social spaces and a need to find organic ways to connect despite our work environment changing so that less of it is in person. The event was opened with discussion and closed with planning next steps, facilitated by the incoming Chairperson Zoë Newman!

We also worked on how to reach more members, how to build campaigns, and discussed what our next steps are to build power and address the problems we are facing. The first workshop, led by the outgoing Chairperson Mackenzie Edwards, highlighted on how to mobilize your fellow members toward actionable change. The second workshop, led by Assistant Staff Representative Maija Duncan, focused on structural ways to build campaigns.

Several attendees agreed to bottom-line wide-ranging initiatives and will be meeting to develop these. The campaigns members devised included workshops to help members understand their pay statements, a remediation-centric petition, and creative ideas for protest swag. Eventually, these initiatives will hopefully be brought to the next Stewards’ Council. If you are interested in getting involved with one of these campaigns, email cupe3903chairperson@gmail.com so that you can be connected to a member-organizer!

We had a great time discussing and working together; this is only the beginning. There’s a lot of work to do, but the good news is that there’s a willingness to do it! To be part of future events, make sure to subscribe to the union’s newsletter and attend Stewards’ Council on June 25th at 1PM.

Committee Elections took place during the June 14th Annual General Meeting.

Click here to see a list of acclaimed and elected positions.

The new committee members will be contacted directly by Alie Hermanutz, VP Unit 1, over the next week.

Some positions remain vacant, please stay tuned for the by-elections to fill the remaining seats.

Congratulations and thank you to our newest committee members!

Nominations closed on June 9 at 5pm.

Click here to see a list of acclaimed and contested positions.

Any committees with more nominees than positions open will be voted on at the AGM on June 14th. Otherwise, nominees will be acclaimed to their position.

Nominees will be notified if their candidacy will be voted on at the AGM and the short written candidate statement submitted through the jotform (max 150 words) will be included in the AGM package. There will also be time at the AGM (Friday, June14th) for nominees to briefly speak about their candidacies if they want to.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Alie Hermanutz, VP Unit 1, at cupe3903vpu1@gmail.com.