Committee Interest Form + GMM Survey

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Get Involved with a CUPE 3261 Committee!

Are you interested in getting more involved with your union? We encourage you to consider joining one of our committees, where you can contribute your skills and make a difference.

Our current committees include:

  • Bylaws: Review and recommend updates to union bylaws.
  • Communications: Create content for newsletters, emails, and social media.
  • Elections: Manage nominations, voting, and compliance for union elections.
  • Health & Safety: Promote workplace safety and eliminate hazards.
  • Social: (Currently inactive) Organized past social events to build community.

Have an idea for a new committee? We welcome suggestions for initiatives that unite and empower workers across CUPE 3261!

Deadline is Feb 7, 2025. New members will be confirmed at February’s GMM. Terms are 2-years.

If you are interested,  complete the Expression of Interest Form.

GMM Survey

Is Saturday at 10 AM Still the Best Time for Our General Membership Meetings?

Our bylaws currently require General Membership Meetings (GMMs) to be held on Saturdays from 10 AM to 12 PM, a rule in place for over a decade. The bylaws committee is reviewing if this time still works best for members.

GMMs are vital for union decisions, so we want them to be accessible to all. Share your input by completing a quick survey here

Shop Steward Nominations

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NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN IN THE FOLLOWING WORKPLACES/DEPARTMENTS:

Full-Time Part-Time Unit:

  • Six (6) Stewards for St. George Caretaking Evening Shift (Facilities & Services) – See here for areas/map
  • One (1) Steward for St. George Caretaking Day Shift (Facilities & Services) 
  • One (1) Steward for Campus One Food Services
  • One (1) Steward for Sidney Smith Food Services
  • One (1) Steward for UTM Afternoon Shift
  • One (1) Steward for UTSC Morning Shift
Casual Unit:
  • Two (2) Casual Stewards for Hart House 
  • Two (2) Casual Stewards for UTM

Nominations close Monday, Feb 3, 2025

Visit 3261.cupe.ca/steward to learn more about being a shop steward and how to submit a nomination!

January 2025 Newsletter + February GMM Notice

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We’re excited to share the latest edition of our newsletter! Inside you’ll find updates from the President on bargaining, grievances, shop stewards, new collective agreements, and upcoming initiatives. Plus, there’s a message from the Treasurer, unit updates, and other updates covering health premiums, committee opportunities, a GMM survey, and more!

In addition, see below our February GMM notice.

February General Membership Meeting Notice

Date: Saturday, February 22nd, 2025, 10 AM – 12 PM.
Location: Sidney Smith Hall, Room 1072 (100 St George St) and Virtually via Zoom

Register here if attending online. A Zoom link will be sent to your email once registered.

All members are encouraged to join! The agenda will be sent out closer to the meeting date.

Download (PDF, 498KB)

UTEAU statement on “User Guide”

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We, the undersigned members of the University of Toronto Employees’ Associations and Unions (UTEAU) coalition, which collectively represents over 100,000 students, staff, faculty, librarians, and workers across University of Toronto, are united in opposing the “User Guide to U of T Policies on Protests” issued in August 2024 and updated in late October. The User Guide directly undermines the University’s commitments to freedom of speech and academic freedom as articulated in the Statement of Institutional Purpose, the Statement on Freedom of Speech, and other related policies.

Despite its preface on the role of protest in effecting progressive change and of the rights of all UofT community members to freedom of expression, the User Guide in fact introduces a number of new limits on such expression that do not exist in current University policy. These include time restrictions, undefined limits on excessive noise, prohibitions of temporary forms of expression such as chalk and projections, and new requirements for authorization to be present on UofT premises. Of particular concern are the consequences named for being in violation of these new restrictions, including requests for campus security and municipal police service to be called on workers, students, faculty, librarians, and community members. 

In meetings between senior Administration and several of the undersigned organizations, Administrators have falsely claimed that the User Guide in fact introduces nothing new and is merely an assembly of rules from existing policies. If that is the case, the Administration can refer UofT community members directly to those existing policies if it feels such clarification is necessary. However, in creating this User Guide, the Administration has also introduced significant ambiguity in the meaning of the restrictions it names. This ambiguity only underscores our profound concerns over how the User Guide will be interpreted, especially the disciplinary measures it describes. The User Guide thus appears to be a new effort for the University to implement a system of surveillance, policing, and silencing so as to limit organizing efforts on campus. 

We therefore call on the Administration to fully rescind the User Guide, to refrain from introducing any additional policies that infringe on rights to expression and assembly, and to reaffirm its commitments to freedom of association, freedom of expression, and academic freedom for University of Toronto community members at large. 

In solidarity, 

Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students (APUS)
CUPE 1230
CUPE 2484
CUPE 3902
CUPE 3261
Scarborough Campus Students Union (SCSU)
USW Local 1998 Executive Committee
University of Toronto Faculty Association Executive Committee
University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union
University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) 
University of Toronto Students’ Union

U of T Press Part Time Retail and Warehouse Bargaining

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Part-Time Bookstore and Warehouse Workers! Your collective agreement has expired! This is YOUR chance to improve your working conditions at the Bookstore and Warehouse.

We need your voice! A strong contract needs strong participation from ALL part-time workers. Together, we can achieve a fair agreement that benefits everyone.

Stay informed and get involved!

Visit 3261.cupe.ca/press for more info, updates, meeting dates, and ways to participate.

Bargaining Committee Election Results (Dec 8, 2024)

Retail (Bookstore):

  • Vera Li
  • Eshika Sehgal

Warehouse:

  • Charity Acierto
  • Bheverly Banaag

Get Involved! Join the Contract Action Team

The Contract Action Team (CAT) plays a vital role in building member engagement and power. CAT members (or “CATs”) help:

  • Share the latest updates from bargaining with members.
  • Serve as the eyes and ears of the workplace, providing feedback to the bargaining committee.
  • Keep coworkers informed and involved in actions that support our bargaining goals.

We need members across all workplaces and shifts who are passionate about winning a fair contract.

Sign up and become a CAT at 3261.cupe.ca/CAT.

If you have any questions or would like to get more involved in negotiations, please do not hesitate to contact your Unit Representative, Chris Stanford at press@cupe3261.ca

Election Results

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Our election for CUPE 3261 president has concluded. As your election officers, we would like to recognize you for a record turnout! A total of 607 members (47.1%) voted in the election.

The election results are as follows:

President

  1. Luke Daccord = 459 (76.1%) WINNER
  2. Chris Tavares =  144 (23.9%)
  3. Abstain = 4 (0.7%)

Congratulations to Luke Daccord!

As a reminder, the following candidates were not contested and have been acclaimed:

Recording Secretary:

  • Hillary Phillips

Health and Safety Officer:

  • Kevin McDermott

Trustee

  • Danny Tavares

All the candidates who have been elected or acclaimed will be taking the oath of office at the October 26 General Membership Meeting (GMM).

The meeting will be from 10AM-12PM and will be hybrid. The in-person location is Sidney Smith Hall, Room 1072. For those attending online, please register here.

Sincerely,

Your CUPE 3261 Elections Committee