With our Notice to Bargain delivered and most proposals already recommended to and/or passed by the membership, the work of the Bargaining Team (Units 1, 2, & 3) has shifted toward preparing for our first meeting with the Employer. Ontario’s Labour Relations Act compels the parties to meet within fifteen days of receiving Notice to Bargain or “within such period as the parties agree upon.”
The Employer has requested a meeting no earlier than July 20, citing a need for its new Assistant Vice-President Labour Relations, Alex Brat, to familiarize himself with our collective agreements. (Brat assumed the position on 13 May, following his predecessor’s departure after only four months in the job). Knowing that the first meeting will be mostly procedural, we have requested a meeting no later than July 6 and are awaiting a response.
The Bargaining Team is currently completing the few remaining proposals to present for membership approval at the General Membership Meeting (GMM) happening from 1 – 4PM on June 25. Pending any revisions recommended by the membership, proposals presented at the upcoming GMM — including our Unit 2 job security proposals — will complete the package the Bargaining Team will present to the Employer. As we receive responses to our information requests, we may further revise the package.
These requests, submitted with our Notice to Bargain, seek data on the present state of York University’s finances and the costs and operations of our collective agreements over the past few years. This is why it is very important to attend the upcoming GMM. While we understand people are busy in the summer, if we don’t have quorum at the June 25 GMM, we won’t have a full package ready for the first bargaining meeting.
The next Bargaining Team meeting will be held remotely (via Zoom), on June 24 from 10AM – 12PM. For the dates and times of upcoming meetings, see the CUPE 3903 calendar. We invite and encourage all members to attend and/or to contact the Bargaining Team at bargaining@cupe3903.org with your questions, concerns, or comments.
— CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team (Units 1, 2, & 3)