Finalizing proposals and preparing for a strike mandate vote.
Bargaining Team Report for the week of November 13-17
We are reaching a critical point in bargaining, and we need your participation. The Bargaining Team has nearly completed our union’s proposal package for the 2023-2026 Collective Agreement. In response to the Employer’s lack of response to our demands, and their wholly unsatisfactory (and so far largely incomplete) ‘settlement proposal’, we are preparing for a strike mandate vote.
Strike Mandate Vote, December 11-18
Since April, the BT has been working to create fair proposals that respond to members’ stated needs and that would strengthen our collective agreements.
So far, the Employer has not acknowledged the majority of our proposals, nor have we been met with proposals from the employer that address the unstable situations that our members are facing: from insufficient wages, to failed grievance processes, to the ongoing precarity of work contracts.
By voting yes in the strike mandate vote, we signal to the employer that they need to take our situations seriously and engage meaningfully with our proposals, and fast. Voting yes in the strike mandate vote means a faster bargaining process that will increase our collective security. We are in this together.
Emergency SGMM on Job Stability: Wednesday, November 22 at 1 P.M.
As in many past years, we are addressing job security at the bargaining table this round, and we need direction from you.
The Job Stability Committee (JSC) for the past two years has been attempting to develop a comprehensive job stability program that would serve members at all levels of seniority. At the Nov. 14th SGMM, Unit two members indicated they were not satisfied with the current version of a job stability program that’s come out of the JSC. We are requesting your attendance on the 22nd to help us pivot to other proposals for job security programs in a way that balances speed and the will of the membership.
While the focus of this meeting is for Unit 2s and their job stability, we need all members to come out, both for quorum and as we will also be having a discussion around our wage proposals and how we should respond to the wage increases outlined in the Employer’s settlement proposal.
Please register in advance for this meeting and join us on Wednesday November 22nd.
Union Bargaining Team Looks to Future Technology Changes and Workers’ Needs; Next Up: Counter-Proposals
Last week, the BT presented proposals on technological change to the employer. These proposals offer protection to union members against reduction in work that might arise from new technology (including increased use of AI in classrooms). The proposals also include language to ensure that union members will receive training on any new technology introduced that they are required to use during a work assignment.
Once we present our proposals on job stability for Unit 2, we will be turning fully to passing counter-proposals. Of these are two counters to the employer’s proposals on grievances, mediation and arbitration. We want to ensure with these counter proposals that grievances are processed as fast as possible while not sacrificing the necessary protections that ensure due process for matters relating to racial or sexual violence and other equity matters.
Meanwhile, we hope to hear from the employer on the elusive ‘Schedule C’ that they have put off presenting for nearly a month, when they first gave us their “Framework for Settlement” on October 27.
Get Involved! Upcoming Bargaining Meetings
We are close to entering the conciliation stage of bargaining! Get involved in this next critical stage that includes identifying our “red lines” (that is, key demands we are willing to strike over) and preparing for a strike mandate vote.
Our union practices open bargaining, meaning all meetings of the Bargaining Team—including our face-to-face meetings with the Employer’s bargaining team—are open to all members of CUPE 3903. All members are encouraged to attend bargaining meetings (the regular weekly meetings and our meetings with the Employer). As members of CUPE 3903, you are free to come and go from our meetings with the ER as your schedules allow.
Check the CUPE 3903 website’s calendar for any updates.
Bargaining Meetings with the Employer
With the exception of November 30, this month’s bargaining meetings are taking place in a hybrid format. Join us in person in Kaneff Tower 519 (located just east of York Lanes) or online via Zoom by registering in advance using the links below.
Friday Nov 24 – 10AM-5PM
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sd-ivrD0tHN1hit1wNSdYqT5RDaFTjg7v
Thursday Nov 30 – 1PM-5PM (Online)
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMld-upqTwuGN3CFB1OHp3lgtdmgy2WYrIS
Bargaining Team Meeting:
Nov 27, 2023 1:00–3:00 PM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86836769208?pwd=RUFjUWRSVHB4bi9Odi9wRjVDeFJXdz09