Bargaining is about to begin!
On Monday, June 8, the Units 1, 2, & 3 Bargaining Team met for a pivotal meeting at which we approved most of the remaining proposals we plan to present to the Employer at the start of bargaining. Many of these were later approved by the membership at the June 10 Special General Membership Meeting. Virtually all remaining proposals will be voted on at the June 25 General Membership Meeting, which will focus on bargaining.
Appropriately, we kicked off our “Kicking Off Bargaining: Special General Membership Meeting” by serving the Employer our Notice to Bargain. This obliges the Employer to meet with us by June 25. Members subsequently approved the Bargaining Team’s External Parameters, which set out our rules of engagement and core values, such as coordinated and open bargaining: all three units bargain collectively to seek the best agreements for all, and bargaining sessions with the Employer are open to all members.
The Special General Membership Meeting passed our core monetary proposals, including demands for increases to our salaries and benefits, as well as collective agreement funds. To ensure that our salaries and Sun Life benefits won’t be eroded by inflation, we’re demanding salary increases above projected inflation and increased coverage for paramedical services, dental care, and vision care, including the addition of osteopathy and acupuncture and separate coverage for eye exams.
Our funds proposals prioritize those funds most in need of substantial increases, such as our UHIP Fund, Professional Development Fund, PhD Completion Fund, and Graduate Assistants Training Fund. The UHIP Fund, especially, needs a huge infusion of money, otherwise members who are international students will have to start paying most of their UHIP costs out of pocket. Other significant proposals passed include an Artificial Intelligence (AI) proposal to safeguard our intellectual property, data, and right to choose; new tutor definitions; and a revival of the Transitional Continuing Appointment (TCA) program, which eased senior Unit 2 members into retirement during the 2020–2023 collective agreement years but wasn’t renewed last round.
Still to come at our June 25 GMM are our major Unit 2 job security proposals, including LSTAs and conversions.
Please join us for the General Membership Meeting on June 25 from 1 – 4PM, the final membership meeting before we present our complete proposals package to the Employer! A copy of our proposals package will be sent out a few days in advance with confirmation of your GMM registration. As always, all members are welcome!
To see copies of any of our current proposals or to send your questions and/or comments to the Bargaining Team, please email bargaining@cupe3903.org.
— CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team (Units 1, 2, & 3)