New Members

Welcome to CUPE 3903! 

As a new member, it can feel like there are a lot of different procedures and paperwork to keep track of. But never fear, we are here to help! Below you will find a new member checklist, as well as information about some of the most common first steps new members may want to take. 

New Member Checklist

1. Enroll in health benefits

As a member of CUPE 3903, you get excellent health benefits for you and your dependents (spouse and children) at no extra cost. However, you must enroll! Follow this link to find out more about your benefits and the enrolment process.

2. Sign up to receive the CUPE 3903 newsletter

All members are encouraged to sign up to receive the CUPE 3903 newsletter. You will receive the latest news from the union, meeting schedules, and deadline reminders directly in your inbox! Members are encouraged to sign up with a non-York email address. Sign up right here!

3. Apply for workplace accommodations (if applicable)

If you need accommodations due to medical, disability, or family-status reasons, get the process rolling as soon as possible! You can use this website to find out more about workplace accommodations and family status accommodations specifically. The sooner you get the process started, the sooner you will get the support you need. 

4. Attend your first General Membership Meeting

The General Membership Meeting (GMM) is the highest decision-making body of the union. It is open to all members, which means that YOU have the power to decide on  the direction of the union. GMMs take place monthly and are always advertised in the newsletter and also on the union event calendar! 

5. Read the Members’ Manual and Handbook

There is a comprehensive 2024-2025 Members’ Manual available that is a one-stop resource for many of the important facets of being a CUPE 3903 member! If you’re in Unit 1 or Unit 3, there are also updated 2024-2025 handbooks to understand more about being a member of those units.

Find the 2024-2025 Members’ Manual PDF here, the Unit 1 (Teaching Assistants) Handbook PDF here, and the Unit 3 (Graduate/Research Assistants) Handbook PDF here.

6. Learn more about Stewards’ Council and becoming a steward

Stewards are rank-and-file members like you who volunteer to be the first point of contact between members in their department and the union. Find out who your steward is, or even better, volunteer to become a steward yourself! Stewards’ Council meets once a month. Learn more about Stewards’ Council and what it means to be a steward here.

7. Get familiar with your collective agreement

The collective agreement (CA) sets the terms of your work at York: Unit 1 for TAs, Unit 2 for contract faculty, Unit 3 for Graduate Assistants, Unit 4 for part-time librarians and archivists, and Unit 5 for workers at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. You can find the current CAs here. For Units 1 and 2, the member handbooks are a good place to start!  

How to Get Your Employee Passport York

A Passport York login is necessary to access many resources, including your paystubs and health care benefits enrollment. If you do not already have an employee Passport York account (distinct from the student PPY account for members who are also students), you will need your employee number. 

How Do I Find My Employee Number?

Once you are offered your first contract, you will be assigned an employee number by payroll. This number will be important for a number of reasons: health benefits, access to paystubs and tax documents, interacting with the York bureaucracy, etc. 

The easiest way to find your employee number is on your paystub, which you can find on HR Self Serve. Unfortunately, signing up for HR Self Serve requires you to know your employee number.

Here are some ways to find your employee number:

1. If you have applied for and received an Employee ID card, your employee number will be on this card. 
2. Ask your hiring unit. The department in which you teach will have your employee number in order to process your pay. So if you’re getting paid, they have your employee number!  
3. Look at your Sun Life card. If you have enrolled in the Sun Life benefits plan and have received a physical drug card, your employee number is on the card. It is the 9 digits following the 0 on the third group of numbers.
4. Ask the Treasurer. The union gets membership lists regularly, so feel free to reach out to the CUPE 3903 Treasurer (sectreasurer3903@gmail.com) for your employee number. Please note, however, that the lists we receive from the employer are often incomplete, so we may not have your information yet if you have only recently signed your contract. 

Registering for an Employee Passport York

To set up an Employee Passport York you need:

• Your 9 digit employee ID number
• Last four digits of your Social Insurance Number (SIN)

The process is as follows:

1. Go to the Passport York login and click the ‘Employee Sign Up’ link (do not click the ‘New Student Sign Up’ link).
2. Fill in your employee number and last four digits of your SIN followed by the last four letters of your last name as per the instructions on the page. 
3. Click the ‘Sign Up’ button. 
4. You will be asked to enter a username. This name will be used for both your employee email address, and your Passport York account. Instructions for acceptable usernames are provided. Once you have entered a username click ‘Create Username’.
5. When your username choice is accepted, you will receive an attention screen prompting you to write down your username. Once you have done so click ‘Continue’.
6. After setting up a username you will be prompted to change your password. Enter your current passport York password (last 4 digits of SIN, last 4 letters in last name). Use the Password Guidelines provided to select a new password, and click ‘Change Password’.
7. You will then get a “Successful” page acknowledging that your password has been changed. Click ‘Continue’.
8. You may then be prompted to set up security questions in case you lose your password. If you wish to set them up click ‘ok’ (you may not be given the option and may be forced to set up security questions).
9. Select security questions from each drop down menu, and type your answer in the space provided below each. All questions must be completed. Once finished, click ‘Set Questions’.