CUPE 3903

Townhall Discussion: Unit 2 Report on "Faculties of the Future" Restructuring at York
2025-01-21 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Toronto) | Zoom
Members of CUPE 3903 are warmly invited to this informal, online discussion of “The ‘Faculties of the Future’ Proposal: A Critical Analysis and Alternative Vision“, a report produced by Unit 2 stewards. We will start with short presentations from authors of the report followed by a response from a unit 1 steward. We will then have an open discussion.

Participants are encouraged to read the document before the meeting. We will be working with the PDF copy, which can be downloaded here. Please make every effort to arrive on time so that we can make the most of our time together.

Some questions to consider:

How would you be impacted by the changes criticized in the report?
How might CUPE’s analysis be elaborated, deepened, broadened or complicated?
How might we work toward building a “sanctuary university”?

Members from all units are welcome!

REGISTRATION: Please register for the meeting by following this link. Registration is required.
QUESTIONS: For any questions or accessibility requests, please contact Neil, Lead Steward Unit 2, at cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com

January Stewards’ Council
2025-01-23 15:00 - 17:00 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
All members are invited to join the January Stewards’ Council meeting on January 23, 2025 from 3:00–5:00 pm.

The tentative agenda for the meeting can be viewed here.

This will be a hybrid meeting! Members can join us in person in the CUPE 3903 Office (Atkinson 143) or via Zoom at this link.

Important note: after the meeting, at 7pm, stewards are warmly invited to attend the screening at the Nat Taylor Cinema of the Strike To Win documentary film!

Strike to Win: Documentary Screening!
2025-01-23 19:00 - 22:00 | Nat Taylor Cinema, Ross Building - North, North York, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
As part of the celebrations for CUPE 3903’s 50th Anniversary of our certification by the Ontario Labour Board, we’ll be presenting a free screening of the recently digitized Strike to Win documentary! You can also click here to watch from home.
Originally screened in 2001 and credited to Birgit Dettenkofer-Armstrong and Shahriar Karimi, this documentary chronicles the 2000-2001 CUPE 3903 strike. The screening will be accompanied by a discussion panel featuring activists, bargaining team members, and more who were in the documentary.
The event will be taking place on Thursday, January 23rd from 7PM-10PM at the Nat Taylor Cinema in Ross North 102. A special thanks to our amazing Archive Committee for taking the lead in coordinating this event! Members, former members, and 3903 community allies are all very much welcome to attend.

Executive Committee Meeting
2025-01-27 14:00 - 16:00 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
The Executive Committee is holding a meeting. All members are welcome to attend. Only executive committee members can vote. This meeting will be hybrid, on Zoom and in the CUPE 3903 office at 143 Atkinson.
Please click here for the Zoom link for this meeting!

The agenda is linked here.

This exec meeting is scheduled on January 27th from 2PM-4PM.
Please contact Zoë Newman, Chairperson, at cupe3903chairperson@gmail.com for any accessibility requests.

January TFAC Meeting
2025-01-28 11:00 - 13:00 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
Make sure to attend the first Trans Feminist Action Caucus (TFAC) meeting of the year, happening on January 28th from 11AM-1PM! It’s hybrid, so you can join on Zoom at this link or at the CUPE 3903 office in 143 Atkinson. The agenda is forthcoming.
TFAC includes all women, trans, genderqueer, and gender variant members of CUPE 3903! If you’re part of those groups, you’re a TFAC member, and you’re welcome at this meeting.
For TFAC questions or accessibility requests, contact Océane Nyela, TFAC Co-Chair, at tfac.cupe3903@gmail.com

Unit 2 Stewards’ Council Meeting
2025-01-30 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
January 30th, 1:00pm-2:00pm.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83110859711
This is one of a series of recurring biweekly meetings of the Unit 2 Stewards’ Council convened by the Unit 2 Lead Steward in accordance with our bylaws (12.II.C). We will plan projects and support one another in the effort to build unit 2 stewarding. We will also discuss how to support other units. All unit 2 members are welcome!
For any questions, contact: Neil Braganza, Lead Steward Unit 2, at cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com.

January General Membership Meeting
2025-01-31 12:30 - 15:30 | Accolade East 003, 83 York Blvd, North York, Ontario, Canada
We are hosting a hybrid General Membership Meeting on January 31st from 12:30pm – 3:30pm! All members are encouraged to attend.
To register for the meeting, click this link. Please register in advance! Make sure to register at the link even if you’re attending in-person so that we can better estimate numbers and you can receive voting ballots via email.
The in-person location will be Accolade East 003 (ACE 003). Please make sure to read the minutes sent along with your registration in advance. You can see the tentative agenda 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.
If you require any of the following: ASL interpretation, reimbursement for childcare/caregiver/attendant care, or other requests for accommodation, please contact our Staff Representative Equity, Nadia Kanani, at cupe3903equity@gmail.com

Alternative Restructuring Research Team
2025-02-06 15:00 - 16:30 | Zoom
At the next meeting of the ARRT, we will discuss the Senate package from January 23, 2025 and other governance documents that we have recently acquired. Please read what you can, as your capacity allows. This is part of our ongoing research into how York’s upper administration has reshaped the university to the detriment of the educational mission and the employees who make York work.
If you share this concern and would like to help with some of the research, please get in touch!
To join the research team, contact: Neil Braganza, Lead Steward Unit 2, at cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com.

TFAC Film Series: Planning Meeting
2025-02-07 12:00 - 13:30 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
The Trans Feminist Action Caucus (TFAC) is looking to host a series of film screenings which reflect the experiences of our members at the intersection of gender, race, and labour. Working with the Chimneystack Film Society, we’re hoping to have our inaugural screening in the Spring.
We will be meeting on Friday, February 7 from 12-1:30 PM. This meeting is hybrid so you can join in person at at the CUPE 3903 office (143 Atkinson) or by using this Zoom link.
If you’re interested in being part of this work in any capacity, please fill out this Google Form.

TFAC History Project
2025-02-10 12:00 - 13:30 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
As suggested in a recent TFAC meeting, a subgroup of us are interested in putting together a kind of “TFAC History” [official name TBD] for ourselves, future members, and for the public via the new CUPE 3903 website. There’s an increasing call among members to know and honour our history, so this project is one such response to that call. Working with the Archives Committee and current/past members, the goal is to understand how the Women’s Caucus and then TFAC came to be, to honour our struggles, and to celebrate our wins (like the Trans Fund).
We will be meeting on Monday February 10 from 12-1:30 PM. This meeting is hybrid so you can join in person at the CUPE 3903 office (143 Atkinson) or by using this Zoom link.
If you’re interested in being part of this work in any capacity, please fill out this Google Form.

Executive Committee Meeting
2025-02-11 10:30 - 13:30 | ON
The Executive Committee is holding a meeting. All members are welcome to attend. Only executive committee members can vote. This meeting will be hybrid, with the in-person space being the board room of the CUPE 3903 office (Atkinson 143).
Please click here for the Zoom link for this meeting!

The agenda is linked here.

Please contact Zoë Newman, Chairperson, at cupe3903chairperson@gmail.com for any accessibility requests.

February TFAC Meeting
2025-02-11 14:00 - 16:00 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
🖤🐈‍⬛ All Trans Feminist Action Caucus members* are invited to join us for the February TFAC meeting on February 11th from 2pm – 4pm. This meeting will be hybrid, in the CUPE 3903 office at 143 Atkinson and on Zoom at this link.
The agenda is available here.
📝 Did you know? As a rank-and-file member of TFAC, you will receive a $50 honorarium if you volunteer to be a minute-taker for the meeting!
🌟Accessibility Requests: Please contact Océane Nyela, TFAC Co-chair, at tfac.cupe3903@gmail.com
*The Trans Feminist Action Caucus or TFAC is an autonomous body of CUPE 3903 that consists of all women, trans, gender queer and gender variant members of the Local. Part of one of these groups? You’re a member of the Caucus and are welcome to attend all TFAC meetings!

CUPE Cookies!
2025-02-13 12:00 - 16:00 | Vari Hall, 198 York Blvd, North York, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Find us in Vari Hall on February 13th from 12-4PM to spread a bit of sweet solidarity! We’ll have free cookies to give out, plus informative materials about current and upcoming campaigns. We’re planning to have vegan and gluten-free options available! More info will be released closer to the event.

Are you a CUPE 3903 member and interested in helping out with CUPE Cookies? Email Mackenzie Edwards, Communications Officer, at cupe3903comms@gmail.com or Matt Lomas, Recording Secretary, at recsec.cupe3903@gmail.com!

Unit 2 Stewards’ Council Meeting
2025-02-13 13:00 - 14:00 | ON
February 13th, 1:00pm-2:00pm.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83110859711
This is one of a series of recurring biweekly meetings of the Unit 2 Stewards’ Council convened by the Unit 2 Lead Steward in accordance with our bylaws (12.II.C). We will plan projects and support one another in the effort to build unit 2 stewarding. We will also discuss how to support other units. All unit 2 members are welcome!
For any questions, contact: Neil Braganza, Lead Steward Unit 2, at cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com.

Stewards' Council Discussion: Sexual Violence Policy
2025-02-18 15:00 - 17:00 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
You’re invited to a special Stewards’ Council discussion of the Sexual Violence Policy (linked). This will be a hybrid meeting, involving participation options both in person at the CUPE 3903 office (143 Atkinson) and via registration on Zoom. Please register in advance even if you are coming in person so that we can better estimate numbers and address any needs.
All members (especially stewards) are encouraged to attend. Nadia Kanani, our Staff Representative Equity, will be participating.
RSVP: Please register in advance at this link.
What to Expect
As this is the fifth year since CUPE 3903 adopted its Sexual Violence Policy, our hope is that our discussion on February 18 will result in questions that we can that we can give to independent reviewers that we are scheduled to engage, consistent with article XII:
XII. Review of the Policy
This policy shall be reviewed by an independent reviewer every five (5) years. The reviewer will evaluate the policy for both currency and function, and will make recommendations to the executive committee of any updates required. These recommendations will be publicly available to the membership
In the first half of the meeting, 3-4 presenters will each give an overview of a section of the policy. In the second half of the meeting, we will open a discussion guided by the following goals:

To learn the policy together and ask questions so that we understand it.
Develop questions that we can ask the external reviewers to consider.
Strategize about how we might go about informing and educating members about the policy.

In sum, the discussion we have planned will be guided by a commitment to learn about and support the Sexual Violence Policy and its ongoing development.
Contact
Please email Neil Braganza, Lead Steward Unit 2, at cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com with any questions or suggestions.

Alternative Restructuring Research Team
2025-02-20 15:00 - 16:30 | Zoom
At the next meeting of the ARRT, we will discuss the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and restructuring at York University.
Links to investigate for February 20th ARRT:

Generative AI in Teaching and Learning – York University
York U embraces challenges, opportunities presented by AI – Chloë Brushwood Rose
Artificial Intelligence Initiative – Office of the Chief Information Officer, York University

Please read what you can, as your capacity allows. This is part of our ongoing research into how York’s upper administration has reshaped the university to the detriment of the educational mission and the employees who make York work.
If you share this concern and would like to help with some of the research, please get in touch!
To join the research team, contact: Neil Braganza, Lead Steward Unit 2, at cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com.

Unit 5 Bargaining
2025-02-21 09:00 - 11:00 | Zoom
This will be a session of Unit 5 bargaining with the Employer. Unit 5 is our newest unit in CUPE 3903, representing workers at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness!

Do you have questions, supportive words, or want to know more about Unit 5 bargaining? Send an email to Promise Busulwa, Lead Steward Unit 5, at cupe3903lsu5@gmail.com and Mackenzie Edwards, Communications Officer, at cupe3903comms@gmail.com.

Executive Committee Meeting
2025-02-24 13:00 - 16:00 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
The Executive Committee is holding a meeting. All members are welcome to attend. Only executive committee members can vote. This meeting will be hybrid, with the in-person space being the board room of the CUPE 3903 office (Atkinson 143).
Please click here for the Zoom link for this meeting!

The agenda is available at this link.

Please contact Zoë Newman, Chairperson, at cupe3903chairperson@gmail.com for any accessibility requests.

Unit 2 Stewards’ Council Meeting
2025-02-27 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
February 27th, 1:00pm-2:00pm.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83110859711
This is one of a series of recurring biweekly meetings of the Unit 2 Stewards’ Council convened by the Unit 2 Lead Steward in accordance with our bylaws (12.II.C). We will plan projects and support one another in the effort to build unit 2 stewarding. We will also discuss how to support other units. All unit 2 members are welcome!
For any questions, contact: Neil Braganza, Lead Steward Unit 2, at cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com.

February Stewards' Council
2025-02-27 14:30 - 16:30 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
Join us for the next hybrid Stewards’ Council meeting, happening on February 27th from 2:30-4:30PM on Zoom and in the CUPE 3903 office (143 Atkinson)! All members are welcome, not just stewards, so we hope to see you there.
You can find the meeting Zoom link here. The tenative agenda is linked here.
This meeting has a lot to look forward to! We’ll have a chance to meet the new Lead Steward U5 and pro-tem Lead Steward U1, as well as an opportunity to learn more about what Unit 5 and the COH are.
We’ll be having a brief workshop on the “rules of order” for meetings, so that stewards can feel more empowered to speak up, express concerns, and forward motions. We will also hear a report from the Sexual Violence Policy discussion. And, as always, this meeting will be an opportunity for stewards to voice individual departmental concerns and for all of us to build solidarity in facing our common challenges.

Any questions? Ask a Lead Steward!

Stephen Carr, Lead Steward Unit 1, cupe3903csu1@gmail.com

Neil Braganza, Lead Steward Unit 2, cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com

Shyam Patel, Lead Steward Unit 3, cupe3903csu3@gmail.com

Susan Bryant, Lead Steward Unit 4, cupe3903csu4@gmail.com

Promise Busulwa, Lead Steward Unit 5, cupe3903lsu5@gmail.com

February General Membership Meeting
2025-02-28 12:30 - 15:30 | Accolade East 007, 83 York Blvd, North York, Ontario, Canada
We are hosting a hybrid General Membership Meeting on February 28th from 12:30pm – 3:30pm! All members are encouraged to attend.
To register for the meeting, click this link. Please register in advance! Make sure to register at the link even if you’re attending in-person so that we can better estimate numbers and you can receive voting ballots via email.
The in-person location will be Accolade East 007 (ACE 007). Please make sure to read the minutes sent along with your registration in advance. The meeting agenda is available 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.
If you require any of the following: ASL interpretation, reimbursement for childcare/caregiver/attendant care, or other requests for accommodation, please contact our Staff Representative Equity, Nadia Kanani, at cupe3903equity@gmail.com

TFAC History Project: Training Session
2025-03-04 13:00 - 15:00 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
The Trans Feminist Action Caucus History Project and the Archive Committee are organizing a training session on March 4th 1:00-3:00 PM where members will be able to learn more about the CUPE 3903 Archives and the TFAC History Project. Attendees will also be able to learn how to conduct archival research, understand and use archival materials. You do not need to be part of the TFAC History Project to attend this training session.

The training session will be hybrid, in-person in the boardroom of the CUPE 3903 offices (Atkinson 143) and on Zoom. The first hour will be dedicated to training by the Archive Committee, we will then make our way to the Atkinson basement to consult the Archives.

If you’re interested in being part of this work, in any capacity, please fill out this Google Form or email Océane Nyela, TFAC Co-Chair, at tfac.cupe3903@gmail.com.

York United for Equity and Against Austerity: Open Forum
2025-03-05 15:00 - 17:00 | HNES 140, 104 Scholars Walk, North York, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
If you’re afraid York’s programs and campus are being dismantled, you’re not alone. The York administration appears to have abandoned its vision to provide “a broad sociodemographic of students with access to a high quality education” , its mission to “explore global concerns”, “encourage bilingual study”, and its commitment to “social justice” and “collegial self-governance”.

The administration permits unsafe living and working conditions, overpaying senior administrators rather than funding basic services for its students. There are also plans for increased securitization on campus, such as through a special constables program. The York upper administration is all about restructuring. The York University Board of Governors is the most corporate dominated and least representative in the country. We say RESTRUCTURE THIS!

Join us to hear more about problems on campus–and have your say about what’s not working for you, and what we need to make a better York! Together we can push the administration to stop budget bullying through cutbacks, while it spends millions on consultants and high priced lawyers. Let’s put into practice the University’s core value of Social Justice and Equity through critical insight, creative problem solving, and socially responsible action.

March 5, 3-5pm

HNES 140, next to the Second Student Centre and Ross South.

Accessibility: the location is on the ground floor in an accessible building. There are two all-gender, wheelchair accessible bathrooms. Refreshments will be served.

A hybrid option is available at this link for those who cannot attend in person.

For more information, please contact Zoë Newman, 3903 Chairperson, at cupe3903chairperson@gmail.com

Whether you can attend or not, you can still fill out the survey to help document concerns at York U!

Alternative Restructuring Research Team
2025-03-06 15:00 - 16:30 | ON
At the next meeting of the ARRT, we will discuss the Board of Governors package from February 25, 2025 and the Senate package from February 27, 2025. Please read what you can, as your capacity allows. This is part of our ongoing research into how York’s upper administration has reshaped the university to the detriment of the educational mission and the employees who make York work.
If you share this concern and would like to help with some of the research, please get in touch!
To join the research team, contact: Neil Braganza, Lead Steward Unit 2, at cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com.

Unit 5 Bargaining
2025-03-07 10:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
This will be a session of Unit 5 bargaining with the Employer. Unit 5 is our newest unit in CUPE 3903, representing workers at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness!

Do you have questions, supportive words, or want to know more about Unit 5 bargaining? Send an email to Promise Busulwa, Lead Steward Unit 5, at cupe3903lsu5@gmail.com and Mackenzie Edwards, Communications Officer, at cupe3903comms@gmail.com.

Are you a Unit 5 member who wants to know more about bargaining and get involved? Reach out to Promise Busulwa, Lead Steward Unit 5, at cupe3903lsu5@gmail.com for the link!

Executive Committee Meeting
2025-03-11 10:30 - 13:30 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
The Executive Committee is holding a meeting. All members are welcome to attend. Only executive committee members can vote. This meeting will be hybrid, with the in-person space being the board room of the CUPE 3903 office (Atkinson 143).
Please click here for the Zoom link for this meeting!

The agenda is available by clicking here.

Please contact Zoë Newman, Chairperson, at cupe3903chairperson@gmail.com for any accessibility requests.

BIPOC Caucus Town Hall
2025-03-11 14:00 - 16:00 | Accolade East 005, 83 York Blvd, North York, Ontario, M7A 2C5, Canada
Join the BIPOC Caucus for their last event of the year! CUPE 3903 members who are Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Colour: come out to this Town Hall and share what you want to see from this caucus. Let’s brainstorm together how we can build power and make our union work for everyone.

The BIPOC Caucus Town Hall will be taking place on Tuesday, March 11th from 2-4PM in Accolade East 005. The Zoom link to join online is here!

Questions? Contact Keisha Bell at keishabellkovacs@gmail.com.

TFAC x Chimneystack Film Society Film Series
2025-03-11 18:00 - 20:00 | ON
Join the Trans Feminist Action Caucus (TFAC) and the Chimneystack Film Society for our inaugural film screening on March 11, 2025 at the Centre for Film & Theatre (CFT) 135.
We will be screening Long Time Comin’ (1993) directed by Dionne Brand and Like the Trees (1974) directed by Kathleen Shannon. All films projected on 16mm, and because of this, captions will unfortunately not be available. Pizza will be served at the event!
If you’re interested in being part of this work in any capacity, please fill out this Google Form or email Océane Nyela, TFAC Co-Chair, at tfac.cupe3903@gmail.com.

TFAC Annual General Meeting (AGM)
2025-03-17 13:00 - 15:00 | CUPE 3903 Office (143 Atkinson), 96 The Pond Road, North York, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada
The Trans Feminist Action Caucus Annual General Meeting (AGM) is happening on March 17, from 1:00-3:00 PM! It’s hybrid, so you can join on Zoom (linked here) or at the CUPE 3903 office in Atkinson 143.
Make sure to attend the AGM as we will be presenting and approving the 2025-2026 budget, as well as electing TFAC co-chairs and Trans Fund committee members.
TFAC includes all women, trans, genderqueer, and gender variant members of CUPE 3903! If you’re part of those groups, we want you there.
For TFAC questions, contact the TFAC Co-Chairs: Océane Nyela at tfac.cupe3903@gmail.com or Orçun Turan at tfac2.cupe3903@gmail.com.

Unit 5 Bargaining
2025-03-18 13:00 - 17:00 | ON
