Bargaining Team Report : Week of July 3 and 10, 2023

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Bargaining Team Report Back 

Week of July 3 and 10, 2023

Bargaining Special General Membership Meeting (SGMM): July 6, 2023

The 3rd Bargaining Special General Membership Meeting was held via Zoom on July 6, from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. At the SGMM, the Bargaining Team presented updates on proposals and timelines, and we strategized on next steps and due process when voting on proposals (individual vs omnibus) with input from membership. 

Mark your calendars for the upcoming GMM on July, 20 at 12 noon. We need your input to approve Bargaining Proposals. Tell the bargaining team you got their backs!

Bargaining Proposals Update

The Bargaining Team shared the first drafts for all-unit bargaining proposals on Health Benefits, Wages and Funds, and Equity proposals. Members present at the SGMM on July 6, 2023 shared feedback on these proposals. The Bargaining Team (BT) will incorporate these suggestions and present the membership with an updated draft during the next GMM scheduled for July 20, 2023. BT is also seeking comments from various 3903 standing committees to make sure that proposals are able to fully capture the demands and issues faced by the membership. In the meantime, staff and BT members are working on preparing the remaining all-unit and unit specific proposals for the membership’s approval.

Job Stability Committee Update

During the SGMM, members of the Job Stability Committee (JSC) shared their experiences and the employer’s lack of commitment to address Unit 2 issues during the mediation process. Experiences from the JSC (formed out of  the last round of bargaining in 2021) provides important lessons on employer’s time-killing tactics. As we include many of the Unit 2 demands raised during the JSC meetings into our final bargaining proposals, we understand that we are at our strongest when bargaining with the full-support of our membership. All eyes on the bargaining table!

Bargaining Timeline Update

After the first meeting with the employer, the bargaining team has now finalized the schedule of meetings for the next few weeks. Please see meeting dates below. We continue to approach the bargaining process with the aim of swiftly working towards a just Collective Agreement, as our membership cannot wait any longer! During the SGMM the Bargaining Team and members present discussed important dates and deadlines during the Fall semester to finalize summer negotiation timelines. We will continue to update membership with the timeline as events unfold, and as always we will take the timeline to the membership for approval.

Get Involved: Upcoming General Meetings and Bargaining Meetings

We are hosting a General Membership Meeting via Zoom! At this meeting we will be discussing bargaining, upcoming events and voting on important union business. All members are encouraged to attend.

  • July 20, 2023 from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Please register in advance for this meeting here. 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.

CUPE 3903 is committed to open bargaining, which means all members are welcome to attend bargaining meetings (either in person or via Zoom). Upcoming bargaining meetings with the Employer (also shared on 3903’s website’s calendar):

As always, we encourage members to participate in our regular bi-weekly bargaining team meetings (without the Employer), all on zoom Here are the next few meetings (also shared on 3903’s website’s calendar):

Accessibility of Bargaining Meetings 

For the regular twice weekly bargaining team meetings, Zoom captions will be enabled. For the bargaining meetings with the Employer, CART will be available. If you require ASL interpretation or reimbursement for childcare/caregiver/attendant care or have any other requests for accommodation, please contact our Equity Officer, Nadia Kanani, at cupe3903equity@gmail.com.

Due to the high demand for ASL interpreters, we encourage members to provide, when possible, two weeks’ notice if ASL interpretation is required. We are awaiting confirmation from the Employer about the room for our joint meetings; once we have finalized the meeting location with the Employer, we will provide the following access information for the room and building where the meeting will be held:

  • location of power doors/accessible entrance to the building
  • location of all gender, single user, accessible washroom nearest to meeting room
  • masking protocols