Carlo Charles Handy has resigned from the position of Chief Steward Unit 3. It is with deep regret that Carlo made this decision, following a long period of thinking of possible solutions to continue fulfilling the requirements of the position while undergoing some personal concerns.

In the exceptional circumstances of the strike, and based on the past practice where a member of the Unit 3 Bargaining Team was elected at a Strike Special General Membership Meeting in 2015, an election will be held at the April 19 SGMM.

Chief Steward is a unit-specific position; this means that only members of Unit 3 may run for the position. To nominate yourself, email cupe3903vpu1@gmail.com.

CONTENTS

Updates

(1) Letter to President Lenton: York Needs to Bargain
(2) Apply to Temporarily Replace our Administrative Coordinator
(3) Share Widely: Send YorkU a Message!
(4) CUPE 3903 Hotline Hours

Meetings and Events

(5) Executive Committee Meeting: April 12
(6) Strike Committee Meeting: April 12

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On April 11, 2018, our Chairperson sent a letter to President Rhonda Lenton in response to her latest missive. In sum, we continue to await the university’s return to the bargaining table. Read the letter here, or in full-text below.

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Employer: CUPE 3903
Position: Temporary Replacement for Administrative Coordinator
Position Type: Temporary/Replacement (3 weeks, 32 hours/week)
Location: 45 Four Winds Drive, North York, ON
Salary: $36.12 per hour for a 32 hour work week
Posting Date: 10 April 2018
Closing Date: 13 April 2018, 5:00 p.m.
Start Date: 16 April 2018

We are looking for a member of CUPE 3903 who can temporarily replace our Administrative Coordinator for two weeks (plus one week of training) in order to process strike pay.

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Special General Membership Meeting
Wednesday April 11, 2018
5:30pm-8:30pm
30 Tangiers Road
UNIFOR local 112

Agenda

1. Roll Call of Officers
2. Reading of the Equality Statement
3. Reading of the Mississauga Land Acknowledgement
4. Approval of Agenda
5. Approval of Apr.  4, 2018 SGMM Minutes
6. Report from Executive Committee on the Conduct of the Strike
7. Treasurer’s Report
8. Report from Bargaining Team on the Status of Negotiations
9. Report by the Strike Committee and Subcommittees on the Conduct of the Strike
10. Strategic Discussion + Motions from the Floor
11. Adjournment

Please contact Sheila Wilmot at cupe3903.equity.officer@gmail.com or at 416-736-5154 ext. 3 if you require any of the following: ASL interpretation, reimbursement for childcare/caregiver/attendant care, and/or transportation costs for members who are unable to secure Wheel-Trans, or other requests for accommodation.

CONTENTS

Updates

(1) Units 1, 2, and 3 Vote NO in Forced Ratification
(2) CUPE 3903 Hotline Hours
(3) CUPE3903.com Was Billed to York University

Meetings

(4) Joint Exec-BT Meeting: April 10
(5) Special General Membership Meeting: April 11
(6) Executive Committee Meeting: April 12
(7) Strike Committee Meeting: April 12

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All three units of CUPE 3903 on strike, representing Teaching Assistants (Unit 1), Contract Faculty (Unit 2), and Graduate Assistants (Unit 3) have rejected the employer’s offer by large margins.

Voting in the forced ratification vote opened on Friday April 6 at 9 am and closed on Monday April 9 at 10 am. Turnout was excellent across all units: 75% for Unit 1, 69% for Unit 2, 68% for Unit 3. Some ballots are still in dispute, so the numbers may change slightly.

Here are the preliminary results:

Unit 1: 86% NO

YES: 210 votes
NO: 1279 votes
13 ballots in dispute
Total: 1502 votes cast

Unit 2: 86% NO

YES:108 votes
NO: 653 votes
11 ballots in dispute
Total: 772 votes cast

Unit 3: 98% NO

YES: 1 vote
NO: 43 votes
2 ballots in dispute
Total: 46 votes cast

These results send a clear message: Teaching Assistants, Contract Faculty, and Graduate Assistants at York University will not accept the same concessionary deal that they had rejected on March 2. The employer has wasted not only weeks of our time, but also — and most importantly – weeks of students’ semester in order to avoid bargaining. A deal must be reached at the bargaining table, not in the media or by underhanded tactics such as waiting five weeks for a forced vote in the hopes that the cold and loss of a paycheque weakens our resolve.

Our bargaining team remains ready and willing to bargain. We await York’s response.

Find out more about the forced ratification vote here.

On Wednesday, April 4, members of CUPE 3903 and the union’s legal counsel went to the Ontario Labour Relations Board to attend the first hearing of the Unfair Labour Practice (ULP) filed against York University for misleading and dishonest communication.

The hearing was adjourned until a later date because the union was unable to deliver the summons to the owner of CUPE3903.com: Michael Schiff. Schiff is an employee in the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies. Documents reveal that Schiff billed the cost of the fake CUPE 3903 domain to the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS).

CUPE3903.com redirected to York’s labour relations page. York denied having purchased the domain. However, the union was informed on Monday afternoon that Michael Schiff owned the domain, and immediately issued a summons. The Board chose to adjourn the ULP pending the parties being able to contact Schiff.

Regardless of whether this was deliberate or an incompetent oversight by York University, the fact remains that one of their employees — working in an office that includes a member of the employer’s bargaining team — purchased CUPE3903.com and billed it to the university. While the case is yet to be heard at the Labour Relations Board, members of the York community should be alarmed by these recent events, as it contributes to an ongoing pattern of incompetence and misinformation on the part of York University.

Special General Membership Meeting
Wednesday April 4, 2018
5:30pm-8:30pm
30 Tangiers Road
UNIFOR local 112

Agenda

1. Roll Call of Officers
2. Reading of the Equality Statement
3. Reading of the Mississauga Land Acknowledgement
4. Approval of Agenda
5. Approval of Mar. 28, 2018 SGMM Minutes
6. Treasurer’s Report
7. Report from Executive Committee on the Conduct of the Strike
8. Report by the Strike Committee and Subcommittees on the Conduct of the Strike
9. Report from Bargaining Team on the Status of Negotiations
10. Motions from the Floor
11. Adjournment

Please contact Sheila Wilmot at cupe3903.equity.officer@gmail.com or at 416-736-5154 ext. 3 if you require any of the following: ASL interpretation, reimbursement for childcare/caregiver/attendant care, and/or transportation costs for members who are unable to secure Wheel-Trans, or other requests for accommodation.

CONTENTS

Updates

(1) Information on the Forced Ratification Vote
(2) York’s Offer Has No Back-Pay or Protections
(3) Kosher Food on the Picket Lines
(4) CUPE 3903 Hotline – Monday to Friday 9am – 1pm

Meetings and Events

(5) Joint Exec-BT Meeting: April 2
(6) Strike Committee Meeting: April 2
(7) CCA Townhall: April 3
(8) Executive Committee Meeting: April 4
(9) Phone-In Townhall: April 4
(10) Special General Membership Meeting: April 4

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