On March 19, the CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team (BT) met with the Employer and presented proposals on issues such as wage increases, late payment penalties, updates to benefits. Members can see the proposals discussed in this meeting here. We hope to hear back from the Employer shortly on all of these important and substantive issues.
Compensation Increases and Late Penalties
The BT tabled a 1% wage increase (the maximum wage increase allowed by Bill 124) in wages for all units. Units 1 and 3 also tabled a 1% increase in Grant-in-Aid (GIA) and the Graduate Financial Assistance (GFA). We wish to note that 1% is far less than what we would have asked for had it not been for the constraints of Bill 124.
Benefits and Funds
The BT tabled a proposal to remove the $2000 spending cap on a single item in our paramedical coverage. We reiterated to the Employer that fuller access to benefits such as massage and psychotherapy is particularly urgent given the stress of the pandemic, and the workload of remote teaching.
We also presented proposals to make the Childcare Fund and the Sexual Assault Survivors Support Fund (SASSF) permanent funds, and countered the Employer’s proposals on SASSF and Tuition Cost Fund (TCF) with minor changes in the reporting process.
Unit 1 Specific Proposals
Proposals presented on March 19 also included late payment penalties for wages, GFA, GIA, and the International Tuition Offset (ITO). The Employer so far has not addressed these proposals aside from saying they contend that these proposals fall under the definition of “compensation” under Bill 124. This interpretation is not in line with the Union’s interpretation of the bill.
In addition to the contract deadline and late payment penalties, other Unit 1 specific proposals reiterated priorities such as having the Fellowship model included in the Unit 1 Collective Agreement, as well as extending priority pool eligibility to cover the summer semester of Year 6.
Unit 1 is hoping to have a sign off on the proposal on contract deadlines soon; however, we still have concerns around the lack of penalty incentives for the Employer.
Equity
The BT presented two proposals that clarify how articles around priority pool extensions in the Unit 1 Collective Agreement work together. These articles give Unit 1 members access to priority pool extensions for reasons related to protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code such as disability and illness (Article 15.10), as well as Executive Committee and Bargaining Team service (Articles 15.09.1 and 15.09.2). The Employer’s refusal to allow members with disabilities who have accessed extensions under Article 15.10 to obtain extensions for their union service is not only a violation of our collective agreement, but also ableist and discriminatory.
Next Meetings
Members are encouraged to join us for our upcoming bargaining meetings with the Employer. Dates and exact times of all meetings can be found on our calendar here. Please register in advance. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the meeting.
Members can also get in touch with the Bargaining Team for questions and comments.