On November 24th, we received an updated version of the Employer’s Frameworks for Settlement that included several new non-monetary proposals. Due to the solidarity and mobilization efforts of the membership, along with the hard work of the Bargaining Team, the Employer has listened to our clear objections and removed the concessionary changes they had originally proposed to Article 8 that would have made it easier to initiate disciplinary procedures against our members! Despite this step in the right direction, the employer is still refusing to engage with the union’s proposal which would make the employer disclose what members are accused of ahead of discipline meetings. This, undoubtedly, remains major concern for members.

Furthermore, the latest Frameworks for Settlement are still far from acceptable. The employer remains silent or unmoving on our proposals to improve the process for harassment and discrimination grievances; in fact the employer still wants to amend the language to make filing grievances more difficult and force members to go through York’s internal processes! As we had said before, we not only need to continue to push back against any attacks on existing protections but we need to keep fighting to make those protections better!

With the Employers on-going lack of meaningful engagement with the vast majority of our proposals, including monetary proposals, there is a clear indication that the Employer is looking to see what the results of our Strike Mandate Vote will be before they get serious about bargaining.

Vote YES during the Strike Mandate Vote to show the Employer that we are serious!

We will be opening our strike mandate vote on December 11th at the Special General Membership Meeting, and it will remain open until December 18th. The vote will take place online, through SimplyVoting.

What is the GJSP?

The GJSP, Graduated Job Stabiity Program, is a 2023 bargaining proposal created in hopes that it would considerably improve the predictability and stability of work for Unit 2 members

Click here to read the plain language proposal.

When did the proposal get approved?

At the November 22 Emergency Special General Membership Meeting Unit 2 members overwhelmingly approved the Graduated Job Stability Program (GJSP) proposal that the Bargaining Team presented.

Where did the GJSP come from?

At the end of nearly three years of trying to negotiate a comprehensive job stability program with the Employer, first at the bargaining table in 2020–21 and then in the Joint Job Stability Committee that emerged out of that round of bargaining, on November 14th Unit 2 members rejected the latest CUPE 3903 version of the job stability program that had emerged from the Joint Job Stability Committee process.

The GJSP represents the Bargaining Team’s attempt both to respond to the message we received from members on November 14th —“We can do better”—and to respond to the urgency of moving the bargaining process for all three unions of our local along to its next steps. The CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team and staff developed the GJSP proposal by drawing on the diligent work done by many Unit 2 members over many years. That is, it both builds on and improves existing provisions of our Collective Agreement negotiated over numerous bargaining rounds and incorporates and consolidates some of the more ambitious job stability proposals that our Union has presented, but not achieved, over the last several rounds of bargaining.

How will GJSP impact seniority?

Seniority has long been a fundamental principle in collective bargaining agreements, providing those who have been employed the longest with additional benefits, notably some degree of job security. The GJSP does not propose any changes to how seniority is measured or accumulated; it does look to complement the benefits of seniority with greater job stability overall. Under the GJSP, the Employer would have greater discretion in hiring in order to fulfil minimum guarantees of work, but members would continue to enjoy the existing advantages of seniority in supplementing their guaranteed workload. This is consistent with the approach taken by our existing job security programs like the Continuing Sessional Standing Program (CSSP) and the Long Service Teaching Appointment (LSTA) program.

How does seniority work at York?

In the context of academic precarity in which we work, seniority offers even less protection than it would in a workplace characterised by continuous employment, and its meaning and value are actually quite uncertain. In our Union local, seniority is measured by the number of full courses you’ve taught, or their equivalents (including tutor positions), not the length of your service. Those fortunate enough to teach at a high intensity (four or more courses per year, for example) can quickly acquire significant seniority points, while those teaching at relatively low intensity take much longer to build up any significant seniority. The real problem for much of our membership is less that they have low seniority and more that they chronically teach at a low intensity, usually not by choice. Seniority and teaching intensity are often related, but they are not the same.

The precarious nature of our work means that for Unit 2 members, seniority doesn’t actually equal job security, even for those with high seniority. It provides no guarantee that you can maintain the course load you’ve been working at, nor does it even guarantee that you can hold on to a specific course If a hiring unit decides to no longer offer a course you’ve been teaching—or decides to not offer all the courses you’ve been teaching, no matter how long you’ve been teaching them—seniority does not, by itself, guarantee that you will be able to replace the lost work or earn a liveable wage.

What is the GJSP effect on teaching loads?

In the context in which we are bargaining and designing new job stability programs, there is some seemingly inevitable trade-off between guaranteed workload, and the ability to choose what courses we teach (to the extent that any of us enjoy this ability). This is a tradeoff we already make in our existing job security programs: the CSSP and LSTAs already take work out of the regular hiring stream. In the LSTA program, the hiring unit must fulfil guaranteed workloads—–incumbency is a consideration, but the guarantee of work takes priority. In the CSSP, hiring units can post courses for the CSSP pool earlier than in the regular hiring process. Currently, members may grieve an appointment made under the CSSP based on seniority; we anticipate that this will remain the case under the GJSP.

The goal of the GJSP is to provide more security to more people–but we are seeking to accomplish this within the reality of long standing precarity. Under the GJSP, a much broader swath of the membership would benefit from a guaranteed minimum course load. Once members have achieved a certain average intensity, the program would effectively provide a guaranteed teaching intensity, or a floor, below which they would not fall. The GJSP also envisions a kind of progress through the ranks so that these minimums increase as your average teaching intensity increases.

What about low-intensity members?

Although the GJSP tries to address some of the biggest holes in our existing programs, we acknowledge it still doesn’t capture all members—especially the large number of members who teach less than two full courses, or their equivalents. These members have never really been served by the job stability programs we’ve been able to negotiate. In part for this reason, we are proposing that the Conversion program, under which members apply to be hired as (or converted to) tenure-stream faculty within YUFA, be opened up to all members of the bargaining unit. Despite its limitations, the GJSP would mean a broadening of the focus of our Union’s job security programs beyond the small minority of members teaching at high intensity who are currently the only ones to benefit from the limited job stability protections in our Collective Agreement. The GJSP provides greater guarantees of job stability to those high seniority members through CSA level 3 and to lower and medium seniority members through CSA levels 1 and 2.

What’s so good about the GJSP?

We want to emphasize the importance of bargaining this as a comprehensive program that addresses members of various seniority levels. Historically, as noted above, our unit has invested much of its bargaining power in trying to achieve programs for high seniority, high intensity members. This has created a situation in which job security is not a right that is available to most members but rather a privilege to be earned only for those teaching at the highest levels of intensity over at least several years. The GJSP moves us toward improved and expanded job stability for contract faculty at York. It improves upon existing programs in our Collective Agreement (CSSP, LSTAs, SRCs, Conversions, and Severance) and combines them into a comprehensive, graduated program designed to offer a level of job security that even members who are supposed to be covered by these existing programs often do not enjoy.

What are some of the challenges with bargaining the GJSP?

Like the existing programs it would replace, the GJSP is not perfect and doesn’t go as far as we might like. Even with its shortcomings, this proposed program will inevitably run up against the brick wall of our Employer’s intransigence and unwillingness to provide even a modicum of reasonable employment stability to all but a few members of Unit 2. What emerges from the bargaining process will, in all likelihood, look very different than our current proposal.  We assure you that we will keep members informed of developments at the bargaining table, including progress in negotiating for increased job stability for Unit 2 members.

How can I get involved and share my thoughts?

In keeping with this local’s tradition of open bargaining, we welcome and actively seek your input and feedback; our Bargaining Team meetings remain open to all members to attend, as do our bargaining sessions with the Employer.

Since the GJSP was presented in bargaining, the Employer has failed to engage with any part of the proposal. CUPE 3903 is a member-driven local, and all proposals are drafted and brought to the table with the guidance and approval of membership. It is time, once again, to hear from Unit 2 on how to move forward with Job Stability Proposals this round of bargaining.

We’re stronger together! Join us and other CUPE locals to talk bargaining, solidarity and building community. All members are welcome!

Event location: GSU Pub at UofT St. George campus (16 Bancroft Ave, Toronto)
Date & Time: December 5th at 5pm

Free Food and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided and a cash bar is available for those who wish to purchase alcohol.

Apply to the Teaching Development Fund by February 1st!

The deadline for the Teaching Development Fund is February 1, 2024. In order to apply, follow the directions in the TDF application form (Word version here). Application documents must be submitted using the MACH form linked in the form. References should be sent to teaching@yorku.ca.

The Teaching Development Fund assists Unit 2 members in the development of a new program of study, new courses and teaching materials, or teaching skills. There are five minor teaching development grants of $3,000, as well as two major grants equivalent to one course directorship. Only contract faculty who have held at least one Type 1 or equivalent position in each of the two years prior to the start of this contract year will be eligible for the major grants. The TDF is adjudicated jointly by CUPE 3903 and the Teaching Commons.

CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team Finalizes Package and Prepares for Next Stage of Negotiations

Bargaining Team Report for the week of November 20-24 

As we close in on our sixth month of collective bargaining for Units 1, 2 and 3, the CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team (BT) has finalized our proposal package. Although we expected to receive a complete response to our proposals this month, the Employer still has yet to respond to any of our major monetary items, including health benefits, and has refused to indicate whether and when we might expect a response. 

BT Proposes New Graduated Job Security Program

Our package now includes a Graduated Job Security Program (GJSP) that would considerably improve the predictability and stability of work for Unit 2 members. This proposal was drafted in response to the unacceptable outcome of the Job Stability Committee, a joint committee of the Union and Employer that was supposed to develop a comprehensive job stability program. The BT is excited about how this new proposal addresses the needs of Unit 2 members at various levels of seniority and teaching intensity, and with a view to equity. 

Unit 2 members of the BT presented the GJSP in bargaining on November 24. The Employer had several questions about the ability to fulfil a guaranteed workload and the source of incentive funding for conversion appointments. While these are important questions for university management to resolve, they are not insurmountable, and we look forward to the Employer’s bargaining team demonstrating their stated commitment to alleviate the precarity of contract faculty at York University.

Employer’s Framework for Settlement Still Incomplete

The Employer first introduced a “Framework for Settlement” for each bargaining unit on October 27, but the package was incomplete. On November 24, we received an updated version that included several new non-monetary proposals. We take it as a positive sign that the Employer has listened to our clear objections and removed the concessionary changes they had originally proposed to Article 8 that would have made it easier to initiate disciplinary procedures against our members. However, on the whole these latest Frameworks for Settlement are far from a deal the BT would find acceptable. As well as being silent or unmoving on our proposals to address racialized violence and overwork, the Frameworks are still unresponsive to our proposals on health benefits and other monetary items. When pressed on the question of benefits, the Employer stated that they are not ready to indicate anything further at this time. To the 3903 bargaining team, that’s a clear indication that the Employer is looking to see what the results of our Strike Mandate Vote will be before they get serious about bargaining. (See our Bargaining Proposals webpage for copies of all proposals made by both sides, including the Employer’s updated Frameworks for Settlement.)

Employer Continues to Downplay Concerns about Campus Safety

The BT has continued to press the Employer at the table about multiple safety concerns on campus. Since the Tik Tok pranks that occurred some weeks ago, the Employer has not developed or shared a comprehensive and proactive safety plan. This is deeply concerning given a trend of targeting gender studies classes that had a very recent and violent manifestation in a gender studies classroom at the University of Waterloo this past summer. The Employer must do better on this question, lest they embolden the perpetrators of these pranks and disruptions give way to violence in our workplace.

Likewise, the BT has repeatedly called on the Employer to acknowledge the ongoing siege and genocide in Gaza and to join calls for a ceasefire instead of disciplining students, faculty, and organizations that have spoken and agitated for a free Palestine. We are disappointed to see the Employer frame these calls as distractions from the task of collective bargaining when many of our members and allies are experiencing first hand and in real time the material and political consequences of the university’s repression of pro-Palestinian activism, including police raids and arrests, workplace suspensions, and doxxing in the media. At the table and elsewhere, we will continue to refuse the Employer’s willful disregard of their role in these shameful developments.

Next Steps: Moving to Conciliation and a Strong Strike Mandate

Now that the BT has presented a full proposal package that addresses many of the issues facing members of Units 1, 2, and 3, it’s time to advance to the next step of the collective bargaining process. It’s time to show the Employer the collective power of our membership by returning a strong strike mandate. Our strike mandate vote will take place Dec. 11-18. You can join the mobilization efforts for this vote by signing up for phone banking and departmental events where members can talk to each other about what’s on the table and how we can fight for it. Once we have a strike mandate, we’ll hold a Red Lines GMM where the membership can determine the key items we are willing to strike over. Meanwhile, if we continue to see a lack of meaningful movement at the table, we can file for conciliation, a process by which the Minitstry of Labour appoints a conciliation officer who meets with the Union and the Employer to help them reach a collective agreement. In addition to providing support to the Bargaining Team, conciliation moves us one step closer to a legal strike position. 

Get Involved! Upcoming Bargaining Meetings

Our union practices open bargaining, meaning all meetings of the Bargaining Team—including our face-to-face meetings with the Employer’s bargaining team—are open to all members of CUPE 3903. All members are encouraged to attend both our weekly Bargaining Team meetings, which take place online, and our meetings with the Employer, which usually take place in a hybrid format. As members of CUPE 3903, you are free to come and go from any of our meetings as your schedules allow. To attend online, register in advance using the links below.

Check the CUPE 3903 website’s calendar for any updates. 

Bargaining Meetings with the Employer

Thursday, November 30, 1:00–5:00 PM  (Online only)

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMld-upqTwuGN3CFB1OHp3lgtdmgy2WYrIS

Bargaining Team Meeting:

Monday, November 27, 1:00–3:00 PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86836769208?pwd=RUFjUWRSVHB4bi9Odi9wRjVDeFJXdz09  

Wednesday, December 6, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84937388030?pwd=WTlWOUZxb0lEZU1iYWViQ1NYTHRtUT09 

Tuesday, December 12, 1:00–3:00 PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81511501110?pwd=Tzh0WDlMZjlEMVEwVzRMTnFoUlVOdz09 

Thursday, December 19, 1:00–3:00 PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81511501110?pwd=Tzh0WDlMZjlEMVEwVzRMTnFoUlVOdz09 

Finalizing proposals and preparing for a strike mandate vote.

Bargaining Team Report for the week of November 13-17 

We are reaching a critical point in bargaining, and we need your participation. The Bargaining Team has nearly completed our union’s proposal package for the 2023-2026 Collective Agreement. In response to the Employer’s lack of response to our demands, and their wholly unsatisfactory (and so far largely incomplete) ‘settlement proposal’, we are preparing for a strike mandate vote. 

Strike Mandate Vote, December 11-18

Since April, the BT has been working to create fair proposals that respond to members’ stated needs and that would strengthen our collective agreements.

So far, the Employer has not acknowledged the majority of our proposals, nor have we been met with proposals from the employer that address the unstable situations that our members are facing: from insufficient wages, to failed grievance processes, to the ongoing precarity of work contracts. 

By voting yes in the strike mandate vote, we signal to the employer that they need to take our situations seriously and engage meaningfully with our proposals, and fast. Voting yes in the strike mandate vote means a faster bargaining process that will increase our collective security. We are in this together.

Emergency SGMM on Job Stability: Wednesday, November 22 at 1 P.M.

As in many past years, we are addressing job security at the bargaining table this round, and we need direction from you.

The Job Stability Committee (JSC) for the past two years has been attempting to develop a comprehensive job stability program that would serve members at all levels of seniority. At the Nov. 14th SGMM, Unit two members indicated they were not satisfied with the current version of a job stability program that’s come out of the JSC.  We are requesting your attendance on the 22nd to help us pivot to other proposals for  job security programs in a way that balances speed and the will of the membership. 

While the focus of this meeting is for Unit 2s and their job stability, we need  all members to come out, both for quorum and as we will also be having a discussion around our wage proposals and how we should respond to the wage increases outlined in the Employer’s settlement proposal.

Please register in advance for this meeting and join us on Wednesday November 22nd. 

Union Bargaining Team Looks to Future Technology Changes and Workers’ Needs; Next Up: Counter-Proposals

Last week, the BT presented proposals on technological change to the employer. These proposals offer protection to union members against reduction in work that might arise from new technology (including increased use of AI in classrooms). The proposals also include language to ensure that union members will receive training on any new technology introduced that they are required to use during a work assignment.

Once we present our proposals on job stability for Unit 2, we will be turning fully to passing counter-proposals. Of these are two counters to the employer’s proposals on grievances, mediation and arbitration. We want to ensure with these counter proposals that grievances are processed as fast as possible while not sacrificing the necessary protections that ensure due process for matters relating to racial or sexual violence and other equity matters.

Meanwhile, we hope to hear from the employer on the elusive ‘Schedule C’ that they have put off presenting for nearly a month, when they first gave us their “Framework for Settlement” on October 27. 

Get Involved! Upcoming Bargaining Meetings

We are close to entering the conciliation stage of bargaining! Get involved in this next critical stage that includes identifying our “red lines” (that is, key demands we are willing to strike over) and preparing for a strike mandate vote.

Our union practices open bargaining, meaning all meetings of the Bargaining Team—including our face-to-face meetings with the Employer’s bargaining team—are open to all members of CUPE 3903. All members are encouraged to attend bargaining meetings (the regular weekly meetings and our meetings with the Employer). As members of CUPE 3903, you are free to come and go from our meetings with the ER as your schedules allow.

Check the CUPE 3903 website’s calendar for any updates. 

Bargaining Meetings with the Employer

With the exception of November 30, this month’s bargaining meetings are taking place in a hybrid format. Join us in person in Kaneff Tower 519 (located just east of York Lanes) or online via Zoom by registering in advance using the links below.

Friday Nov 24 – 10AM-5PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sd-ivrD0tHN1hit1wNSdYqT5RDaFTjg7v

Thursday Nov 30 – 1PM-5PM  (Online)

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMld-upqTwuGN3CFB1OHp3lgtdmgy2WYrIS

Bargaining Team Meeting:

Nov 27, 2023 1:00–3:00 PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86836769208?pwd=RUFjUWRSVHB4bi9Odi9wRjVDeFJXdz09 

The nomination period for the vacancies on the Bargaining Team and Executive Committee closed at the end of the nomination period (Nov 17, 2023 12:00 p.m.).

Executive Committee: Secretary-Treasurer – Acclaimed
Congratulations to Niloofar Golkar!

For contested positions, the nomination period will be followed by two weeks of campaigning and Voting (through Simply Voting) will begin at the December 1st GMM and will continue for five days.

Candidate Statements

Alex Wilson:

Hello Fellow 3903ers! I am running for the position of Bargaining Team Member Unit. I am doing a second PhD in Science & Technology Studies at York and I am currently on the Bargaining Mobilization Committee as the Unit 1 Steward for my department. I was involved in the union in many ways during my first PhD in philosophy. I was a picket captain in the ’08-’09 strike, I participated as a political member in the ’15 strike, and I supported the picket lines in the ’18 strike though I was no longer in the union. I was also on the Research Costs Funds committee, so I have experience dealing directly with York’s administration. Obtaining funding for the sciences was easy, but I fought hard for our members in the social sciences and the humanities to receive funding for their projects. As a member of the bargaining team, I will be using this experience on the research cost funds committee, a veteran of three strikes, and as a returning PhD student to fight for the best contract our union can get. Thank you for your consideration. Solidarity!

Ahmed Mohamed:

Dear CUPE 3903 Members,

I’m Ahmed Mohamed, a devoted PhD candidate in Human Resource Management at York University, vying for the Unit 1 Bargaining Team position. Serving as a Teaching Assistant for the past five years, I intimately understand our challenges and am ready to transform this experience into effective representation for us all.

The recent bargaining updates spotlight the 3903 team’s commitment to fair compensation for our intellectual and research work. I pledge to amplify this commitment, advocating vigorously for proposals on fellowship amounts, priority pool language, workload, academic freedom, and intellectual property.

Health benefits are paramount. I aim to enhance coverage for medical devices, hearing aids, and diagnostic tests, advocating for automatic enrollment to ensure swift access to dental, vision, drug, and paramedical services.

Equity is a top priority. I wholeheartedly support proposals for racialized members, championing a $50,000 fund for immediate assistance and tailored accommodations. I propose the establishment of a Joint Workplace Accommodations Committee for ongoing collaboration on policies affecting our diverse membership.

My candidacy is grounded in transparency, inclusivity, and tireless advocacy. I bring a fresh perspective and a fervor for addressing our pressing issues. Let’s fortify our bargaining power and shape a future reflecting the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion within CUPE 3903.

Vote Ahmed Mohamed for a united and empowered Unit 1.

In solidarity,

Ahmed Mohamed

The Executive Committee is calling an Emergency Special General Membership Meeting on Job Security on November 22nd at 1:00 PM.

The Job Stability Joint Committee (JSJC) has been meeting since Fall 2021 with the mandate of developing a new comprehensive job stability program. The 3903 membership has shown good will and patience in trying this approach, but after two years of efforts, including extending the timelines a year beyond our original end date, the Job Stability Joint Committee has not delivered a proposal that is acceptable to the Unit 2 membership.

Now it’s time to address job security at the bargaining table. The Bargaining Team needs to hear from as many members as possible so we can immediately put essential and meaningful job security proposals on the table.

Please register in advance for this meeting

In order to register, you will need to provide your employee number, which will be kept confidential. Your employee number is on your monthly pay stub. If you don’t know your employee number, please click here for instructions.

If you require any of the following: ASL interpretation, reimbursement for childcare/caregiver/attendant care, or other requests for accommodation, please contact our Equity Officer Nadia Kanani at cupe3903equity@gmail.com

Bargaining Team Report: Week of November 06, 2023

As the Union clears its Proposals’ deck, the Employer further delays Countering

Following a busy GMM on October 31, the Bargaining Team (BT) had a large volume of proposals to present to the Employer at our meeting on November 7. An updated–and nearly final–proposal package is available online. Because the Employer did not prioritize reaching agreement on a new, comprehensive job stability program for Unit 2 members at the final meeting of the Job Stability Committee (JSC) on November 2, at this late stage in bargaining we now need to address job stability at the bargaining table. After hearing our November 7 proposals, the Employer is delaying the presentation of their “Schedule C,” the incomplete portion of their October 27 proposal package that would address non-wage items. The Employer’s package originally stated that they would present Schedule C on November 7 despite the uncertainty of what would unfold at the JSC on November 2.By the end of the October 27 meeting, they indicated we could expect a comprehensive response on November 17. And then at the November 7 meeting, they announced this would no longer be the case. We await for the Employer to finally provide us with Schedule C at our upcoming November 24 bargaining meeting. Please read below for a fuller update on the November 7 bargaining meeting.

Finally, we have a vacancy on the Bargaining Team for a representative from Unit 1. The nomination period is open until November 17. Please consider putting your name forward!

Unit 1 and Unit 2

At our November 7 bargaining meeting, the 3903 team presented the employer with Unit 1 (Teaching Assistants) proposals to increase fellowship amounts consistent with the wage increase proposals. These proposals would ensure that both domestic and international students benefit from the fellowship increase equally. In the last few years, the real value of our funding packages has decreased drastically due to inflation and the rapidly increasing cost of living, and it’s high time the employer puts genuine effort into fairly compensating intellectual and research work performed by graduate students on campus. 

As well, we proposed essential changes to the priority pool language to ensure that members are not penalized by funding clawbacks for receiving financial awards. We also exchanged other proposals on Workload, Academic Freedom, and Intellectual Property with the employer. 

We also shared proposals addressing issues of overwork, such as by lowering class size caps for foundation courses. These proposals not only benefit Contract Faculty (Unit 2) and Teaching Assistants (Unit 1) but will also improve the quality of education by increasing one-on-one learning opportunities within undergraduate classrooms.

Health Benefits

At the table, the 3903 bargaining team introduced a second round of proposals to add Sunlife coverage of medical devices, hearing aids, and diagnostic tests not covered under OHIP/UHIP. These proposals respond to our membership’s needs (as reflected in Extended Health Benefits usage data) and also seek to match our collective agreement benefits with improvements seen in other public sector unions in recent years.

We also pushed the Employer to begin automatic enrollment for new employees (and re-enrollment for members whose previous coverage has expired) for our dental, vision, drug and paramedical services plans. The current manual process of enrollment is inefficient and obsolete and inevitably results in new and returning members going uninsured for long periods. 

Equity Proposals

The Bargaining team introduced proposals that will extend a range of support and services to racialized members who may have experienced discrimination, harassment, and violence. These proposals are designed from the point of view of centering and taking seriously the voices of racialized members. We asked the Employer to (1) provide a fund of $50,000 to support racialized members to receive immediate and tangible support if and when they experience discrimination, harassment, and violence and (2) to agree to provide accommodations when such cases arise to ensure appropriate measures are taken to support said members. We also noted that these proposals provide members the opportunity to self-determine the nature of support they require. It is the responsibility of the Employer to provide necessary accommodations and funds for racialized employees, especially as they have made commitments to Decolonization, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (DEDI) and to better support racialized members. In light of these publicly stated commitments, we look forward to the employer engaging in both of these interrelated proposals seriously and meaningfully. The 3903 BT also proposed the creation of a Joint Workplace Accommodations Committee that would, in collaboration with the Employer, receive and make recommendations on policy and practice regarding workplace accommodations including, but not limited to, medical/disability accommodations, family status accommodations, and religious accommodations. The Employer would be required to consult the committee on changes being considered to workplace accommodations policies and practices and the Employer’s Disability Support Program.

Job Stability Committee (JSC) update

After over two years of trying to reach an agreement with the Employer through the Joint Job Stability Committee (JSC) the Union has lost faith in the process. With considerable misgivings, at the end of our 2020–2021 contract negotiations we agreed to the creation of the JSC to reach an agreement on a comprehensive job stability program for Unit 2. The JSC is now more than a year past its original deadline agreed to by both parties. The 3903 membership has shown good will and patience in trying this approach, and was willing to allow one final meeting of the JSC, which was then scheduled for November 2. Our growing frustration with the process was unfortunately confirmed just a few hours into our session that was mediated by Chris Albertyn, when the employer said that because of other commitments, they did not have the people on their side to continue negotiating. We asked if they would be willing to return to the table later that evening; they declined. Despite considerable progress toward the creation of a new job stability program (JSP), and despite 3903 members of the JSC having ideas about how to proceed, the larger joint committee is at an impasse on key issues such as the criteria for entry into the program, the minimum teaching load for those in the program, and how long it will take to fully implement the program. After the November 2 meeting, the Union floated the idea of going into arbitration on these issues as a way to resolve the impasse, but the University has since refused that idea. Join our upcoming SGMM on Tuesday November 14 as we make important decisions on the path forward for ensuring that our Unit 2 Contract Faculty members receive the long overdue job stability they deserve. As one of the most precarious employee groups within an increasingly privatized education sector, we deserve a JSP that ensures guaranteed work as well as pathways to dignified retirement for all Contract Faculty.

Unit 3 Grievance Update 

Unit 3, representing the Graduate Assistants (GAs) at York University, met with the Employer on October 31, to discuss the grievance filed by the Union over the Employer’s grievous violation of our collective agreement. Through two consecutive rounds of bargaining covering our previous two collective agreements, York University has acted in bad faith by concealing the true cost to hiring units and principle investigators of hiring Graduate Assistants and, consequently, improperly administering the Graduate Assistant Training Fund (GATF). We continue to push for a decent settlement from the employer on this matter. It is important to note here that the Employer can in fact find a solution for its many mistakes by meaningfully engaging with—and agreeing to—the Unit 3 proposals we have placed on the bargaining table. 

Get Involved! Upcoming Bargaining Meetings

We are close to entering the conciliation stage of bargaining! Get involved in this critical stage of identifying our “red lines” (that is, key demands we are willing to strike over) and preparing for a strike mandate vote.

Our union practices open bargaining, meaning all meetings of the Bargaining Team—including our face-to-face meetings with the Employer’s bargaining team—are open to all members of CUPE 3903. All members are encouraged to attend bargaining meetings (the regular weekly meetings and our meetings with the Employer). As members of CUPE 3903, you are free to come and go from our meetings with the ER as your schedules allow.

Check the CUPE 3903 website’s calendar for any updates. 

Bargaining Meetings with the Employer

With the exception of November 30, this month’s bargaining meetings are taking place in a hybrid format. Join us in person in Kaneff Tower 519 (located just east of York Lanes) or online via Zoom by registering in advance using the links below.

Friday Nov 17 – 10AM-5PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sd-ivrD0tHN1hit1wNSdYqT5RDaFTjg7v 

Friday Nov 24 – 10AM-5PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sd-ivrD0tHN1hit1wNSdYqT5RDaFTjg7v 

Thursday Nov 30 – 1PM-5PM  (Online)

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMld-upqTwuGN3CFB1OHp3lgtdmgy2WYrIS 

Bargaining Team Meetings

Nov 20, 2023 1:00–3:00 PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86836769208?pwd=RUFjUWRSVHB4bi9Odi9wRjVDeFJXdz09 

Nov 27, 2023 1:00–3:00 PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86836769208?pwd=RUFjUWRSVHB4bi9Odi9wRjVDeFJXdz09 

Upcoming 3903 Bargaining Special General Membership Meeting

We encourage members to participate in the SGMM on Bargaining, which are now HYBRID!  (For Zoom participation, you need to register in advance), in person: Location TBA.  Here’s the link to join the next bargaining team meeting (also shared on 3903’s website’s calendar):

Tuesday Nov.14, 2:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Register here! 

Upcoming 3903 GMM

We encourage members to participate in the GMM, which as part of our bargaining process will obviously have updates about bargaining, but which also includes general union business, and which are now HYBRID!  (For Zoom participation, you need to register in advance), in person: Location TBA.  Here’s the link to join the next bargaining team meeting (also shared on 3903’s website’s calendar):

Friday Dec. 1, 2:30 – 5:30 p.m., 

 Register here!

Upcoming 3903 Bargaining Team and 3903 EXEC Meeting

As always, we encourage members to participate in our regular bargaining team meetings with 3903 EXEC (without the Employer). Here’s the link to join the next bargaining team/EXEC meeting (also shared on 3903’s website’s calendar):

Tuesday Nov. 21, 3:00-6:00 p.m.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86295371912?pwd=MUN6dEZieDBVaC95cEd1ZEV1WCtiQT09