On Wednesday, December 20, the bargaining team for CUPE 3903 Units 1, 2, and 3 met with the employer for the last bargaining meeting of 2017. It was a brief meeting, but the union has now presented its full proposal package.
A comparative table of proposals and responses has been prepared by the bargaining team: Bargaining Proposals and Responses up to December 20. All of the proposal documents which have been tabled so far are available on the Reports page
Two New Proposals
The CUPE 3903 bargaining team presented the last two proposals from the full bargaining proposal package (the updated package is available here). Proposal 85 asks for the creation of an Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Intersectionality. Proposal 86 would allocate funds for the CUPE 3903 representatives on the Advisory Committee on Race/Ethnic Relations, Discrimination and Harassment to conduct an anti-racism report. In explaining these proposals, members of the bargaining team and the union’s staff shared data that illustrates that anti-racism and equity need to be approached at a systemic level.
Some Small Agreements
CUPE 3903 has indicated willingness to sign off on two of the employer’s counters, namely online access to work histories, and an online database for Notices of Recommended Appointment (NRAs) and postings.
Bargaining in the New Year
On December 4, CUPE 3903 filed for conciliation. Conciliation is a service offered by the Ministry of Labour to help the two sides reach an agreement. We are hopeful that the conciliation process will bring the two sides closer. Greg Long has been appointed as conciliator. Bargaining is scheduled to occur twice a week, beginning on January 8.
Vote ‘YES’ for a Strong Strike Mandate
CUPE 3903 has called for a strike mandate vote in late January. A strong strike mandate empowers the bargaining team to reach a fair deal. Historically, York has never begun bargaining in earnest unless a strike mandate has been achieved. Therefore, the strike mandate vote is a necessary step in bargaining.
There will be two Special General Membership Meetings (SGMMs) specifically to discuss any questions or concerns regarding the strike mandate vote: Friday January 19 and Tuesday January 23. Voting will open at the first SGMM, and continue until 5 pm on Friday January 26.