The Bargaining Team (BT) held a meeting on Friday, January 30, 2026, with current BT members, other members (including various executives), and CUPE 3903 staff in attendance.
Working parameters were thoroughly discussed, with particular attention to possible solutions should there be a lack of representation amongst any of the units to the elected BT. Currently, there are no members of Unit 3 on the BT. Staff and CUPE National were consulted to verify bylaws and hear their recommendations. The BT will finalize all internal parameters and present them for approval of the membership at the upcoming General Membership Meeting on February 11 (10AM – 1PM), so make sure to register!
The BT is confident in their timeline for bargaining preparations and has delegated tasks amongst the team and to the Bargaining Research Committee (BRC). CUPE 3903 staff will be communicating their recommendations for proposals to the BT within the coming weeks. Initial proposals prepared by the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) and an AI proposal shared from CUPE Local 4600 at Carleton University were reviewed.
Don’t forget to fill out the bargaining survey if you haven’t already! The BT will be using survey responses to help shape bargaining priorities and want to hear from as many members as possible.
The Communications Committee, Departmental Stewards, and the BT will be connecting with members through department visits, communications content, events, and email blasts to elicit more survey engagement.
By-elections for the BT have now closed, and you can see the full list of nominees on this spreadsheet (linked). During the campaign period from January 30 – February 13 (4PM Eastern), you can get to know your BT candidates! Voting will then take place via SimplyVoting from February 13 (4PM Eastern) until February 18 (4PM Eastern).
The BT’s next meeting will be held virtually on Monday, February 9, 2026, and all members are welcome to attend. A Zoom link will be made available on the CUPE 3903 calendar soon.
Questions and comments can be sent to the BT at bargaining@cupe3903.org
– Janelle Hanna, Bargaining Team Unit 2 Representative