We will be holding a COVID Table debriefing meeting on February 3rd from1–2 pm. At this meeting, we’ll discuss what was covered at the most recent COVID-Table meeting with the employer and potentially directions for our response going forward. The meeting information is here:
Topic: COVID Table Debrief
Time: Feb 3, 2022 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83774465280?pwd=VGQwVG9VdmN4ekVBZklUdS9PTTJjQT09
Meeting ID: 837 7446 5280
Passcode: 113790
If you are a student and want to learn more about the shortcomings of York’s rushed, one-size-fits-all plan, what steps they should be taking to keep us all safe, and/or you are wondering what you can do to pressure the administration to take your concerns seriously, you’ve come to the right place.
Want to survey your students regarding how they feel about remote versus in-person? Feel free to use this survey template: Student Mode of Delivery Survey. The link will prompt you to create a copy of the Google form. You can then adjust the questions to reflect the specifics of your course.
If you do survey your students, please forward the results to yorkstudentsurvey@gmail.com.
In consultation with the Teaching Commons and Faculty Relations, the Teaching Development Fund Committee has extended the deadline for applications to the TDF until March 1, 2022 11:59pm. There is a new electronic application form (available also in Word here) that members can use, replacing the older version, and all applications can be sent to the Teaching Commons at teaching@yorku.ca. Reference letters can also be sent by referees to this same email; please let your referees know to clearly indicate for whom the letter is written for ease of retrieval when the TDF committee meets to adjudicate the applications. For members who have already submitted applications to the Teaching Commons, you do not have to resubmit with the new form though further information may be requested if required and is missing. Given the extended deadline the TDF committee will endeavor to meet shortly after the final submission date to adjudicate applications.
Yesterday, January 20th, York University announced their plan to implement a phased return to in-person classes between January 31st and February 14th. The CUPE 3903 executive committee takes the position that this plan is disruptive and truly harmful, putting the administration’s desire for a rushed campus return over the safety and mental health of the York community.
We are all educators, and many of us are students. There is no denying the value of in-person learning and the importance of community engagement. We also recognize the efforts of instructors and staff who continue to provide quality learning remotely and our ongoing struggle to fight isolation where it is necessary to keep ourselves, our families, and our communities safe. Some sacrifices are worth it when the consequences are measured in lives.
Despite what President Rhonda Lenton claimed at the January 21st town hall, Omicron is not a mild virus. Its highly infectious nature means that even if fewer people get severely ill proportionally, more people will become sick – many seriously ill – as already reflected in the rising hospitalization and ICU rates. It is also too early to say with any confidence that Omicron will lead to fewer cases of “long COVID,” a set of medium to long-term conditions that affect a significant number of people who have been infected with the virus.
This Saturday, the Ontario Federation of Labour will be hosting a province-wide emergency day of action to hold the Ford government accountable.
The action will take place online and is only one hour. Click here to sign up.
In the first part of the meeting, front-line workers in health care, education, and other sectors will let us know the scale of the crisis we’re facing.
In the second part of the meeting, activists will take action in a province-wide Phone Zap of Doug Ford and his government. We will make our demands loud and clear.
The registration link and more information is available here:
https://ofl.ca/event/zap-ontario-in-crisis/
Close to 500 CUPE 3903 members have already filled out the Winter Campus Return Survey since its launch in late December 2021. While there is still time to have your say, we would like to share the following preliminary conclusions:
We are hosting a General Membership Meeting via Zoom on January 19th from 12:00pm to 3:00pm! All members are encouraged to attend.
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.
Keep reading for the tentative agenda, accessibility information and more.
Have you had your Winter 2022 contracts cancelled or been placed on an unpaid leave for any reason not covered by the collective agreement (e.g. low enrollment)?
Likewise, have you been deemed ineligible for future contracts (e.g. through the Continuing Sessional Standing Program (CSSP)) due to a reason not covered by the collective agreement?
The union is aware of an increase of contracts being cancelled for reason that are not legitimately covered by the collective agreement, and we want to help members in this situation. Please contact Equity Officer Nadia Kanani at cupe3903equity@gmail.com as soon as possible.