Calling all CUPE 3903 members

Join us in the Labour Day parade on Monday, September 2nd! This parade is a fun, safe, and family-oriented event. Feel free to bring children and family members! Click here for the link to the calendar event.

This year, CUPE 3903 will be marching in solidarity with other unions on campus: OHFA, YUFA, CUPE 1356, and YUSA. Wristbands for free entry to the CNE are usually available to a contingent of marchers from each participating union at the end of the parade. If you want to head to the CNE afterwards, please email!

3903 members will be assembling at 9:30AM on Centre Avenue just south of Dundas Street (one block east of University Avenue, north-west of Toronto City Hall). The parade departs from University Avenue and Queen Street at 9:30AM, goes west along Queen to Dufferin, and ends at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) gate at Dufferin Street north of Lakeshore Boulevard (usually ending at 2:30PM).

Accessibility notes: the route is approximately 3.5 kilometres, mostly moving along the street. Depending on the weather, it can be quite hot and sunny (or wet)!

Please bring water, sunscreen, and your CUPE 3903 gear! You can drop by the office this week Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to pick up a CUPE 3903 t-shirt or water bottle, if you’d like.

For questions and to coordinate with the CUPE 3903 Labour Day parade group, contact: Zoë Newman, Chairperson, at cupe3903chairperson@gmail.com

CUPE 3903’s Executive Committee calls on the CUPE National Executive Board to reverse its call for CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn’s resignation. CUPE National’s response contributes to the ongoing widespread repression of Palestinian solidarity.

As a labour union, it is our duty to be in solidarity not only with those in our own workplaces and communities experiencing oppression, but also those worldwide who are experiencing oppression. As workers, we know our struggles are intertwined. This is why CUPE 3903 must loudly resist the violent societal structures that not only restrict workers’ freedoms, but also the freedom of all peoples—especially, in this moment, those in Palestine. Over 50,000 Palestinian people have been killed by the Israeli government since October of 2023. We cannot lose sight of this horrific reality.

Fred Hahn was elected democratically to the National Executive Board at the National Convention in October 2023. Not even three months ago, CUPE 3903 members attended the CUPE Ontario Convention, where Fred was re-elected CUPE Ontario President by the majority of members. In this call for his resignation, the National Executive Board is acting without meaningful consultation and input from the rank-and-file members who elected him, eroding the fundamental democratic processes at the heart of our unions.

Let us be clear that we do not endorse Fred Hahn’s specific social media post in question. We appreciate that Fred has issued a statement to apologize for sharing the video and to acknowledge the nuances of antisemitism.

We must also see that the context for the call for his resignation was motivated by Zionists wanting to silence one of the strongest labour movement voices for Palestine, who has been vocally against the white supremacy that also harms those who are Jewish. Perhaps more importantly, when an elected representative takes open responsibility for a misstep and apologizes, attempting to force them out undermines the workplace culture of care that labour unions fight for.

Prioritizing Jewish members’ wellbeing is crucial. Denouncing Zionist attacks on Palestinian lives and Palestinian solidarity is fully compatible with that. Criticizing the violent and illegal actions of a state is not hateful. In taking this position, we are mindful of the significant grassroots activism by Jewish communities in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle.

CUPE National’s Executive Board should be concerned when their decisions are being immediately applauded by conservative actors like Doug Ford, whose ignorant, racist, and anti-worker patterns have been widely reported on.

In the current climate, we all need to be a strong voice against the Israeli state and their genocidal actions. This is evident here at York University and more broadly. Our previous statements provide more context to the way that student and worker activists in solidarity with the Palestinian people have faced serious threats, including the York admin’s shameful destruction of the People’s Commons for Palestine earlier this summer. 

For all these reasons, we call on the CUPE National Executive Board to reverse its call for Fred Hahn’s resignation. The National Executive Board’s actions contribute to the climate of repression that damages all workers’ attempts at resisting harmful conditions, inside and outside of their places of employment, locally and transnationally.

Stand with Fred:

https://www.labourforpalestine.com/statements/stand-with-fred

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stand-with-fred

Date of Notice: Aug. 19, 2024

Submitted By: Secretary-Treasurer, on behalf of the Ad Hoc Finance Committee

This bylaw amendment will be voted on through secret ballot at the November 2024 General Membership Meeting.

Bylaw Amendment to Article 7: Dues and Assessments

a. The regular monthly dues shall be established or altered by the membership of the Local only at a General Membership Meeting, provided that at least seven (7) days notice at the previous meeting or at least sixty (60) days written notice has been given.  A two-thirds majority vote is necessary when amending the dues level.

b. Special assessments may only be levied in accordance with the rules and procedures set out in the CUPE National Constitution.

c. Currently, the dues per unit (applied to gross wages) are as follows:

• i. Unit 1: 2.8% 3.0%;
• ii. Unit 2: 2.3% 3.0%;
• iii. Unit 3: 2.3% 3.0%;
• iv. Unit 4: 2.3% 3.0%;
• v. Unit 5: 3.0%
• vi. the monthly dues shall be $1.00 per month for the extended membership as described in Article 6 (f).

d. Payment of initiation fees is a tangible confirmation of the desire to become a member of your local union and the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Each application for membership in the local union will be directed to the Secretary-Treasurer and will be accompanied by an initiation fee of one ($1.00) dollar. The Secretary-Treasurer shall issue a receipt. If the application is rejected, the fee shall be returned.

e. The re-admittance fee shall be one ($1.00) dollar.

f. A member with a current contract who voluntarily withholds dues and assessments for two months is automatically suspended from membership. For members who hold multiple contracts, suspension will apply if dues are withheld from one or more contracts.

The suspensions will be reported to the Executive Committee by the Secretary-Treasurer. The Executive Committee will then report all suspensions to the membership at the next general membership meeting, entering the names of suspended members into the record. The suspended member(s) may return to membership in good standing by paying a readmission fee and any other penalty set by the local union.

You may have seen that the York University Faculty Association is trying to resist “restructuring” in its current bargaining with the Employer. Read this to find out why restructuring is an issue we should all care about.

Restructuring leads to cuts that affect all of us at York U! The Employer has mismanaged its finances, so now students and workers are bearing the cost.

Speak up and tell the Employer to stop treating York University like a money-making business instead of a space for learning. Sign the open letter in support of YUFA (linked), read the Auditor General report (also linked), and be vocal!

Unit 2 Members!

Please fill out this survey to help us assess the impact of recent job losses in Unit 2 (contract faculty).

You can find the survey link by clicking here.

For any questions, contact: Neil Braganza, Lead Steward Unit 2, at cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com.

Thank you to members who have inquired about the Extended Health Benefits Fund. Processing members’ health expenses is a top priority, and the EHB Committee is currently working through a significant backlog. The executives are taking the necessary steps to expedite this process and appreciate members’ patience.

The EHB Committee projects to clear the current backlog of applications by the end of August. Moving forward, we will implement the necessary precautions to prevent such delays from reoccurring in the future.

For any questions, contact: Collin Xia, Vice-President Unit 1, at cupe3903vpu1@gmail.com.

There is currently a divergence of interpretation in regards to post-strike Records of Employment (ROEs).

The Employer’s position regarding post-strike ROEs:

• is that work not directly tied to a workload form should not be counted in the total hours worked.
  • This means that the Employer has not included in members’ ROEs the hours covered by the 90% automatically paid out to anyone who returned to work after the strike.

For the purpose of ROEs, the Employer had counted only the hours covered by the remaining 10% (which was linked to a workload form). Once insurable hours completed before the strike are included, the Employer’s position results in excluding from ROEs 15% of Fall/Winter and 40% of Winter contract hours.

The Union’s position regarding post-strike ROEs:

• is that this formula and calculation make no sense since, in order to be eligible for the 10%, members needed to first complete the other 90% of their work.

If members completed 100% of their contract, they should receive 100% of all pay and insurable hours for completing that work.

What CUPE 3903 is doing about this:

• We will continue to demand that the Employer amend ROEs to reflect the EI insurable hours mandated by our Collective Agreements.
• We will be persistently following up with Service Ontario regarding the misclassification of 90% of remediation work as non-work hours.
• Members are urged to complete the ROE issues jotform (linked here) so that we have as much evidence as possible of this problem, in order to better collectively address it.
• We will be potentially filing grievances for the Employer’s misrepresentation of what was obviously work for pay in the ROE.

For any questions, please contact: Joseph Tohill, Vice-President Unit 2, at cupe3903vpu2@gmail.com.

Campus Unions Call On York To Negotiate with YUFA

CUPE 3903, YUSA, CUPE 1356, and Osgoode Hall Faculty Association are united in supporting the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) and its effort to negotiate a fair deal with York University.

On July 12, York University requested a “no board” report, which triggers a legal countdown to a possible lockout or strike. Despite claiming in their recent communications to have increased financial difficulties due to the CUPE 3903 strike, the university administration has not hesitated in veering toward yet another possible campus shutdown. These continual threats of labour disruptions also damage the student experience at York.

York claims that student enrollments are too weak to justify increases to faculty salaries that YUFA has requested to match the rate of inflation. Yet York does not have those same worries when it comes to the salaries of senior administration, which have increased by an alarming 47% since 2018 despite university revenue only increasing by 3% over the same period.

In its recent mass email, York blames its inability to support faculty members at the bargaining table on the “slower than expected recovery” since the pandemic began. Concerns about the impact of the pandemic did not prevent them from spending $260.5 million on building the Markham Campus over the same period.

York claims it wants to “reach consensus toward a common goal of a stable and thriving university”. Yet, continuing with its record of violating collegial governance, York is proposing to eliminate the joint committees with YUFA that would ensure consultation with faculty members about how reducing the number of courses and introducing much larger ones might impact teaching and learning.

Far from fostering a thriving university, York’s proposals to YUFA appear aimed at circumventing overwork protection, making increases to class size part of the normal routine, and freeing the senior administration of their obligation to consult faculty members and adequately research the potential impact of these changes. York must bargain in good faith with YUFA if it is truly committed to student success and what it acknowledges are the “absolutely essential” contributions of YUFA to this university.

CUPE 3903, YUSA, CUPE 1356, and Osgoode Hall Faculty Association call on the university community to support YUFA in its effort to defend employees, students, and the quality of higher education at York.

Did the hours that York calculated for your Record of Employment (RoE) seem wrong?

Did this potentially even interfere with your ability to claim Employment Insurance?

CUPE 3903 has been working to pin down exactly how the Employer has calculated the hours listed for members’ RoEs, some of which do not seem to reflect the amount of work completed by members. Staff have identified the opportunity to file a grievance to address this issue, but for that to happen—they need members’ data.

• April/May 2023 RoE,
• Aug 2023 paystub
  • (or final 2022-23 contract year paystub if not teaching in the summer)
  • Dec 2023 paystub,
  • May 2024 paystub,
  • May/June 2024 RoE
  • All Written Offers of Appointment for FW 2023-24

Notice: A member has submitted a proposed bylaw amendment to Appendix E, relating to the Professional Development Fund, which can be voted on at the September GMM. It is as follows:

APPENDIX E – Professional Development Fund

I. Preamble

The Professional Development Fund (PDF) is available to members of all bargaining units.

II. Criteria & Procedures

• This money will be distributed three times per Collective Agreement year, in periods that correspond with academic terms and peak conference periods:
  • Period 1 (FALL) Sep 1 — Dec 31 Deadline: Jan 10
  • Period 2 (WINTER) Jan 1 — May 31 Deadline: June 10
  • Period 3 (SUMMER) June 1 — Aug. 31 Deadline: Sept 10
• Priority will be given to applications for events that occur within the current period (e.g., applications for conferences in October will be given priority in the Fall period. If submitted in the Winter period, the same application will be considered lower priority and will only be funded if money remains after all current applications are processed)
• The PDF does not cover capital costs such as equipment, software, stationary, and books.

III. Amounts & Distribution of Awards

• In each funding period, a maximum amount of funding is made available for disbursement.
• In the interest of awarding monies equitably to all eligible applicants, the maximum individual award for conference presentations in any academic year will not exceed $800 $1,200. The maximum individual award in any academic year for all other costs will not exceed $400 $600. Depending on the availability of matching funds, this maximum may also be adjusted to ensure widest coverage of the applicant pool.
• A member may only draw up to the total maximum of $800 in a given academic year.