September 16, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Local-Wide Announcements
Build your union skills at CUPE School – October 28-30, 2024
We’re starting our own Education Program here at CUPE 3902—it’s actually part of our Action Plan!
This program is open and free to all political members of the Local and includes 14 workshops, each lasting between 2 to 6 hours.
You can sign up for as many workshops as you like. However, space is limited for each workshop and registration is on a first come, first served basis.
It’s happening from October 28–30 (during Reading Week) on campus.
Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of each workshop.
Here’s the courses we’re offering (view timetable):
General/Political Education:
- CUPE 3902 Basics (2 hours)
- Introduction to Stewarding (3 hours)
- Bystander Training (2 hours)
- Anti-Oppression and Anti-Racism Training (3 hours)
- Conflict Resolution (3 hours)
- Parliamentary Procedure (4.5 hours)
- Health and Safety (3 hours)
- Tenant Rights (2 hours)
- History of Trade Unionism & How to Unionize your Workplace (2 hours)
Organizer Education:
- Organizer Training (6 hours)
- Bargaining Training & Simulation (6 hours)
Grievance Education:
- Grievance Handling & Legal Research (6 hours)
- Note-taking (2 hours)
- Investigation & Disciplinary Meetings (3 hours)
Back to Work BBQ – September 21, 2024
We invite you to the CUPE 3902 Back to Work Fair to celebrate recent victories, new alliances, and future campaigns.
Join us on Saturday, September 21, from 12-4 pm, at the University College Quad.
Earlier this year, CUPE locals at U of T embarked on a unified bargaining strategy that provided substantial leverage during the negotiations for Units 1 and 5, and united we won! Following this valuable experience, this year we are hosting the fair with our comrades from CUPE 3261, CUPE 1230, and CUPE 2484.
As Units 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 prepare for their upcoming bargaining, let’s come together to support these new negotiations!
This event is all ages. We will have free food, live music, carnival games, and many child-friendly activities. Join us in celebrating our return to campus for a new academic year!
Fund Application FAQ
Have a question about funds that you might be eligible for? See if it’s answered on our Fund Application FAQ. You can send inquiries regarding funds not covered in the FAQ to benefits@cupe3902.org.
Unit 1 News
Teaching Assistants: Know your DDAH Rights!
The Fall 2024 term is officially under way, and many Unit 1 members have just begun new Teaching Assistant contracts. Over several rounds of collective bargaining, you and your coworkers have won critical protections against TA overwork, such as the implementation of the Description of Duties and Allocation of Hours (DDAH) form. The DDAH breaks down the duties you’ll be expected to perform in a course (e.g. grading, meetings, training, etc.) and how many hours are allotted to each duty.
Despite tools like the DDAH form and your Collective Agreement, the employer doesn’t always follow the rules — and they rely on you not knowing your rights so they can continue to violate them. That’s why it’s essential to know your rights, and to know how to access the support of your Local when your rights are violated.
If you have not received or have concerns about your DDAH, contact your departmental steward(s). If you don’t know who they are, reach out to the Unit 1 Lead steward, your First Vice President (Unit 1), or the grievance inquiry line.
Here’s what you need to know about your DDAH:
- If your TA contract has already started and you haven’t yet received a DDAH form, the Department you’re teaching in is in violation of your Collective Agreement.
- Your hiring department must provide you with a DDAH form within 15 working days of receiving your letter of offer. Your supervisor also needs to meet with you to review your duties and allocation of hours before you begin carrying them out.
- You are not required to accept a position or perform work prior to receipt of your DDAH form.
- Your signature on the description signifies only that you have received and reviewed the duties.
- You are not expected to perform tasks not included in the DDAH form.
- The initial meeting to review your duties and allocation of hours must be included in the DDAH form and scheduled for at least 1 hour.
- The DDAH form must include turnaround times for marking/grading. If it doesn’t, then the minimum turnaround time a supervisor can require is two weeks.
- DDAHs can be amended upon mutual agreement by you and your supervisor.
- Your TA hours for one course or section cannot be transferred to another course or section.
For additional information, please see Articles 16:07-12 and Appendix A of the Unit 1 Collective Agreement.
Top-Up Health Benefits: Access and Blackout Period
- Your base plan blackout period has ended, which will be no later than October 31st
- You have worked 15 hours
You will have access to your benefits for the full year from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025, even if you are only working for one semester. You can make claims retroactively to September 1, 2024.
If you have not opted out of your base plan, you will be automatically enrolled in Plan A. If you opt out of the base plan, you will be automatically enrolled in Plan B when you become eligible.
Childcare Financial Assistance Fund (Open Sept. 1–30, 2024)
The Childcare Financial Assistance Fund (CFAF) supports members who are parents and either incur:
- Childcare expenses (expenses related to paying a childcare provider for care of their child(ren) while a parent is at work or school), or
- Primary care expenses (defined as expenses associated with having the member, or a household or family member, provide primary care for one or more of their (step-)children in the eligible age range).
Eligibility:
- You secured at least 30 hours of Unit 1 work between September 1st, 2023, and August 31st, 2024.
- You have (step-)children in the eligible age range: from birth until the day they turn 16.
- You have eligible childcare expenses supported by receipts, and/or you have documentation showing that you, or one of your household or family members, provide primary care for one or more of your (step-)children in the eligible age range.
- Your childcare expenses are for childcare that took place between September 1st, 2023, and August 31st, 2024. Eligible expenses include anything that would qualify as a childcare expense for tax purposes.
Please refer to the Unit 1 CFAF webpage for more details on eligibility and expenses covered, and apply on the Member Portal when the fund opens on September 1st. The application deadline is September 30th.
Unit 1 Equity Funds open year-round
Equity Funds Overview
A reminder that the following Unit 1 Equity Funds have rolling deadlines year-round:
- Black and Indigenous Workers Fund
- International Workers Legal Fund
- Domestic and Sexual Violence Survivors Fund
- Trans Fund
Read more information about each Equity Fund and examples of eligible expenses on the fund pages linked from the Unit 1 Benefits webpage.
You can apply for Equity Funds via the Member Portal.
Seeking Unit 1 Equity Funds Representatives
We’re seeking Unit 1 members to represent each of the Equity Funds for the Equity Funds Subcommittee, a joint committee between Unit 1 and Unit 7 reps. To qualify, applicants must identify as members of the constituencies represented by the Equity Funds.
To apply to serve on the Equity Funds Subcommittee, submit a brief statement of interest to your Secretary-Treasurer at st@cupe3902.org, indicating which fund(s) you are applying to represent.
The honorarium for each position is 13.13 hours/year at the SGS-II rate (currently $51.93/hour +4% vacation pay). We’ll keep running calls for each position until they’ve been filled.
Unit 3 News
Unit 3 Social Meet and Greet (Hybrid) – September 25, 2024
Don’t miss out on our upcoming Meet & Greet event—an excellent opportunity to network, share ideas, and strengthen our community. Whether you’re new or a long-time member, this is the perfect chance to connect with fellow union members.
When: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 @ 6pm
Where: Location TBD (In-person and virtual)
Unit 3 Advancement Workshop (Virtual) – September 26, 2024
Join us in learning the formalities of the advancement process, tips on teaching dossiers and teaching observation, and of course, answer any questions you may have.
When: Thursday, September 26, 2024, from 6-7pm
Where: Zoom (link to follow upon registration)
Unit 3 Fund for Conference and Teaching Expenses (Open Sept. 1–30, 2024)
Reminder: The deadline to apply for the Unit 3 Fund is fast approaching—September 30 is the last day to submit your application.
The Unit 3 Fund is a pool of $180,000 to be disbursed to eligible members to offset expenses incurred for (a) attendance at an academic or pedagogical conference, or (b) to offset expenses related to your teaching. Individual disbursements will depend on the number of applicants and the overall need.
Expenses from September 1, 2023 to 31 August 31, 2024 are eligible. To submit claims, log in to the Member Portal and find the application under the Forms tab.
For support with registering or the application form, write to website@cupe3902.org.
Unit 3 Employee and Dependent Hardship Fund
EDHF Overview
The Employee and Dependent Hardship Fund (EDHF) is intended to address urgent special circumstances resulting in financial hardship for Unit 3 bargaining unit employees and their dependents.
Administered wholly by CUPE 3902, the local has developed criteria and an application process for approval of claims and disbursement of funds. Furthermore, the Union will adjudicate and administer non-medical applications for assistance under the EDHF.
Read more information about the Unit 3 EDHF.
The EDHF application form is accessible via the Member Portal.
Seeking Unit 3 EDHF Representatives
We’re seeking Unit 3 members to join the Employee and Dependent Hardship Fund (EDHF) Subcommittee. As a committee, you will be tasked with adjudicating applications to the fund.
To apply to serve on the EDHF Subcommittee, submit a brief statement of interest (5-8 sentences) to your Secretary-Treasurer at st@cupe3902.org, indicating which why you’d be a good person to adjudicate applications of financial need from Unit 3 members.
The honorarium for each position is 13.13 hours/year at the SGS-II rate (currently $51.93/hour +4% vacation pay). We’ll keep running calls for each position until they’ve been filled.
Unit 5 News
Retroactive Pay
At a recent meeting, the employer confirmed that the retroactive payments for 2023 for postdoctoral fellows have been processed. All postdoctoral fellows who were employed by the University of Toronto in 2023 and on March 3rd – the day the new Collective Agreement was signed – are eligible for retroactive pay.
If you are eligible for the payment but have not yet received it, please contact your Third Vice-President (Unit 5) or Unit 5 Lead Steward, who will assist you in resolving the issue.
Unit 7 News
Childcare Financial Assistance Fund (Open Sept. 1–30, 2024)
The Childcare Financial Assistance Fund (CFAF) supports members who are parents and either incur:
- Childcare expenses (expenses related to paying a childcare provider for care of their child(ren) while a parent is at work or school), or
- Primary care expenses (defined as expenses associated with having the member, or a household or family member, provide primary care for one or more of their (step-)children in the eligible age range).
Eligibility:
- You secured at least 30 hours of Unit 7 work between September 1st, 2023, and August 31st, 2024.
- You have (step-)children in the eligible age range: from birth until the day they turn 16.
- You have eligible childcare expenses supported by receipts, and/or you have documentation showing that you, or one of your household or family members, provide primary care for one or more of your (step-)children in the eligible age range.
- Your childcare expenses are for childcare that took place between September 1st, 2023, and August 31st, 2024. Eligible expenses include anything that would qualify as a childcare expense for tax purposes.
Please refer to the Unit 7 CFAF webpage for more details on eligibility and expenses covered, and apply on the Member Portal when the fund opens on September 1st. The application deadline is September 30th.
Unit 7 Equity Funds open year-round
Equity Funds Overview
A reminder that the following Unit 7 Equity Funds have rolling deadlines year-round:
- Black and Indigenous Workers Fund
- International Workers Legal Fund
- Domestic and Sexual Violence Survivors Fund
- Trans Fund
Read more information about each Equity Fund and examples of eligible expenses on the fund pages linked from the Unit 7 Benefits webpage.
You can apply for Equity Funds via the Member Portal.
Seeking Unit 7 Equity Funds Representatives
We’re seeking Unit 7 members to represent each of the Equity Funds for the Equity Funds Subcommittee, a joint committee between Unit 1 and Unit 7 representatives. To qualify, applicants must identify as members of the constituencies represented by the funds.
To apply to serve on the Equity Funds Subcommittee, submit a brief statement of interest to your Secretary-Treasurer at st@cupe3902.org, indicating which fund or funds you are applying to represent. The honorarium for each position is 13.13 hours/year at the SGS-II rate (currently $51.93/hour +4% vacation pay). We’ll keep running calls for each position until they’ve been filled.
Get Involved!
Volunteer with your Local!
Get involved with the many ongoing campaigns at your Local!
If you want to build power with your coworkers, please complete the volunteer sign-up form below and someone will follow up with you about upcoming opportunities.
Plus, check out some specific call outs for participation in specific committees and union service positions:
Become a Joint Health and Safety Committee Representative
Interested in becoming a CUPE 3902 Joint Health & Safety Committee rep? Fill out the JHSC rep application form now!
Duties include:
- Active advocacy for CUPE 3902 workers’ health and safety concerns
- Ensuring that the employer meets their legal obligations under the Occupational Health & Safety Act
- Attending regular JHSC meetings
- Conducting workplace health and safety inspections
This is a paid position! Visit cupe3902.org/joinJHSC for more info.
Join the Union Service/Member Mobilizer Pool
Do you want to advance the working conditions of your workplace, support your co-workers in organizing efforts, and learn skills related to project management, social movements and union organizing? Are you logical, analytical, and skilled at problem-solving? Committed to fairness and social justice?
CUPE 3902 is building its organizational capacity by creating a pool of qualified candidates to support its bargaining and organizing campaigns. Your Local is currently looking for candidates for the following positions: member mobilizers and phone bankers.
Visit our union service info page for more about these roles as well as qualifications, pay, and application procedures.
Solidarity Actions + Events
Grassy Narrows River Run – September 18, 2024
On September 18th, 2024 at 12pm, starting in Grange Park, walk in solidarity with Grassy Narrows First Nation youth and community members, on their path to achieve mercury justice and freedom!
Grassy Narrows people are powerful leaders in the movement for Indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice. They have shown that together we can fight for justice against all odds and make real gains. But so much is still needed to right the wrong of mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows.