CUPE 3903-Side Employment Equity Committee: Consultation Invitation

A picture of a microphone in front of a large audience
We have some hard-won new Employment Equity language in our new Collective Agreements, and now it is time to negotiate the implementation with the Employer. In particular, there are 2 new Article 5.03 provisions in the Memorandum of Settlement (Unit 1 and 3), and also apply to Unit 2:

5.03 …

The Parties agree to make the definition of underrepresentation and the application of intersectionality data a priority for discussion on the reconvening of the Employment Equity Committee following ratification of the 2014-2017 collective agreement.

5.03.1 – No later than 3 months following the ratification of the 2014-17 collective agreement , the Employment Equity Committee will be convened to develop a plan for the inclusion of LGBTQ as an employment equity group under the collective agreement and the CUPE 3903 Employment Equity Plan, taking into account the absence of reliable external and internal representational data. The Plan to include LGBTQ as an employment equity group will be recommend to the Parties and the agreed upon plan will be promptly implemented.

Representing CUPE 3903 on the union-side of the Employment Equity Committee (EEC) are elected members Hazel Gashoka, Nicole Leach, and Maria Wallis (and, ex-officio, staff Equity Officer, Sheila Wilmot). The first meeting of the joint EEC was June 30, and we got agreement from the Employer that the concrete first step was getting LGBTQ identification options added to the self-identification survey.

So, we need to get members’ feedback and direction on this. We are asking you to please:

1) Give us your feedback on the employer’s draft of the way they propose to include LGBTQ categories. We have set up an email address for this purpose – EmploymentEquityCommittee@gmail.com – so you can write directly to the union-side of the EEC. We will not share your name or otherwise identify you with either the Employer or the Union as a whole.

2) Attend a consultation, We have set up 2 times to discuss all 3 parts of the new language above:

  1. developing a plan for including LGBTQ as an EE group;
  2. defining under-representation;
  3. applying intersectionality throughout EE practice.

This will take place in the Union office, Atkinson 143. We will also set up for people to Skype in.  They meetings will be the same so please just pick one time and let us know you will be coming or phoning in. The dates are:

Any questions? Please let us know!