On Thursday, April 22, the Bargaining Team met with the Employer and presented a series of proposals, including the monetary proposals that were passed by our membership at the SGMM on April 16. The Employer also presented a few new proposals.
CUPE 3903 Proposals
The Bargaining Team’s proposals (which can be seen here, dated ‘April 21’) were primarily about adding definite amounts to several funds of which we had previously indicated we would be asking for an increase. The Bargaining Team passed-back a proposal (proposal 28) relating to Unit 1 TA contract deadlines, in which we agreed with the Employer’s request for acceptance deadlines on the condition that the Employer would agree to penalties for late contracts. The Bargaining Team also put forward a response (proposal 53) to the issue of equity hiring for Unit 1 ticketed course directorships, which emphasizes a fair distribution of tickets across the Unit as well as increased hiring targets for equity seeking groups.
Employer’s Response
After caucusing, the Employer returned and edited two proposals from their so-called “comprehensive proposal packages” which we had received and rejected earlier in the week. In response to our proposal on Unit 1 TA contract deadlines, the Employer agreed to an acceptance deadline of 10 working days, but refused to move on the issue of penalties for late contracts. Instead, the Employer is offering off-cycle payments “as soon as practicable”. The Employer also indicated that they would provide a response to our proposal on equity hiring for Unit 1 ticketed course directorships, but the full language was only sent to the CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team after a few days had passed. We are currently reviewing the Employer’s proposal.
CUPE 3903’s Response: Rejecting Ultimatums Again
The CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team reminded the Employer that we were not interested in dealing with comprehensive proposal packages, in which agreement to one item would necessitate agreement to all items. Instead, the CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team stated that it would take these proposals as single proposal responses, and would consider them accordingly.
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.