CUPE 3261 Elections: Candidate Forum

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Elections for the CUPE 3261 Executive and Trustee are approaching this coming October. In this election, there are three contested positions for the executive team and one contested position for trustee, with a total of 10 candidates participating. The list of candidates can be found below.

We will be hosting a candidate forum on Saturday, September 30 from 10 AM to 12 PM. During this forum, each candidate will have an opportunity to make a statement and answer any questions from the membership. We encourage all members to attend to learn more about the candidates.

Have a question of the candidates? Submit your question to elections@cupe3261.ca for it to be considered. Please note that due to time constraints not all questions will be asked.

Each candidate has also been given the opportunity to submit a statement. See the statements here.

Please note that this meeting will be conducted online via Zoom. To access the event, please register here

Candidate Forum

Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023

Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Format: Virtual via Zoom

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrdeuhqDIsGNSt_U-jBiBDL9qqVSA5ZuUm

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Candidates

At-Large Voting (Everyone votes for these positions):

Vice President:

  • Andrew Chilton
  • Kevin McDermott
  • Edwin Viteri

Chief Steward:

  • Raffi Demerji
  • Wilson Franco
  • Joe Madden

Trustee:

  • Mike Moniz
  • Arnold Park

Only Members of the Unit Vote for these positions:

Full-Time & Part-Time Unit Rep:

  • Robin Baj
  • Anthony Pereira

Changes to Our Election Process

We are pleased to announce that CUPE National has approved our amendment to our elections bylaw. As a result, this election will be significantly different than previous ones. Elections will no longer be limited to in-person voting at the GMM.

Instead, the election will be conducted electronically, spanning one week from Friday, October 6th, to Friday, October 13th. In the event of a run-off, a second election will be held October 16th to 20th. Each member will receive an email containing a voting link to the email we have on file.

Additionally, to accommodate members who are unable to vote online, voting stations will be set up across our campuses. More details on the dates and locations will be provided soon.

The election results will be announced at our October General Membership Meeting, scheduled for October 21, 2023. This meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format, allowing members to participate either in person or online.

If you have any questions on the elections process, please contact the elections committee at elections@cupe3261.ca

Acclaimed Positions:

The following positions are not contested and the following members will be acclaimed at the October GMM.

Secretary-Treasurer:

  • Jenny Luc

Casual Unit:

  • Stanley Treivus

U of T Press Unit:

  • Chris Stanford

Recording Secretary:

  • Chris Tavares

89 Chestnut:

  • Soosainathar (Soosai) Rajendiram

Health and Safety Officer

  • Nancy Tomas

Update: CUPE Convention, Bylaw Amendments, and More

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2023 CUPE Convention Delegates

The 2023 CUPE National Convention will be held from October 23-27, 2023 in Quebec City. CUPE‘s National Convention is the union’s supreme decision-making body and is held every two years. Delegates participate in setting the union’s priorities, deciding its policies, and electing its leaders. During our last Special Membership Meeting, we elected five delegates to represent our local at the convention. The elected delegates are:

  • Chris Stanford
  • Chris Tavares
  • Joe Madden
  • Kevin McDermott
  • Nancy Tomas 

Bylaw Amendment

During the last Special Membership meeting, the membership approved the bylaw amendments to our election process. The amendment has been submitted to CUPE National who must approve it before it comes into effect. 

The amendment will change how we elect union officers. Instead of being elected at a membership meeting, all members will have a chance to vote for officers electronically over a five-day period. A run-off vote will be limited to the top two contenders, and members can only run for one position at a time. 

You can review the finalized amendment language here. 

Casual Unit 

On July 19th, we held a casual unit meeting to elect the casual unit bargaining committee. We are pleased to announce the following members have been elected to the committee: 

  • Shayan Malik
  • Roy Su
  • Tawfiq Nasim
  • Marie James (alternate)

Default members of the committee also include Stanley Treivus (Casual Unit Representative) and the President, Luke Daccord. 

89 Chestnut Tentative Agreement Ratified

We are pleased to announce our 89 Chestnut Unit reached a tentative agreement with the employer, which was approved by the membership on July 25th. The new agreement is primarily retroactive and in effect until the end of this year. The agreement can be viewed under Collective Agreements in the Resources tab.  

Notice of Special Membership Meeting – July 15

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Special Membership Meeting – Saturday, July 15

We will be holding a Special Membership Meeting this Saturday (July 15th) from 10 AM – 11 AM virtually via Zoom. During the meeting, we will be voting on the final bylaw amendment language for our elections process as well as electing five delegates for the National CUPE Convention. See below for the agenda and for more details.

If you were unable to attend the previous meeting, you can view the presentation slides providing a summary of the bylaw proposal here. The complete bylaw language to be voted on can be viewed here. 
 
In order to join the meeting you must register in advance: Register Here
 
Agenda
  1. CUPE National Convention: Election of Delegates
  2. Approval of Elections Bylaw Amendment

Agenda Details

Bylaw amendment proposal
During the last Special Membership Meeting held on July 8th, the membership unanimously approved a proposal to amend the election procedure in the bylaws, and gave notice to hold a second Special Membership Meeting on July 15th for final approval of completed language. As per CUPE 3261’s bylaws on amendments, this second meeting will require a 2/3 majority of those present and voting in order for the amendment to pass.

 The proposal recommended the following changes: 

  • Elections will be conducted electronically (using a secure third-party software) in the style of a referendum. Instead of electing officers at a meeting, a one-week voting period will be held where every member will receive an electronic ballot via email.
  • Electronic voting stations to assist members who prefer to vote in-person will also be set up at each campus — as well as 89 Chestnut and the Press warehouse in North York — for at least one day
  • Elections will start two weeks prior to the October General Membership Meeting. In the event of a run-off, an election with the top two candidates will be held in the following week. 
  • To prevent complications with voting, members will only be permitted to run for one position only
  • In case of any disputes, candidates can request recounts and review the results and receipts of the electronic voting with the Returning Officer

A 2/3 majority of those present and voting are required for the amendment to be approved. 

Nominations for 5 delegates to CUPE’s national convention in October
CUPE’s national convention is the union’s supreme decision-making body, and is held every two years. Delegates participate in setting the union’s priorities, deciding its policies, and electing its leaders. This year’s convention is being held in Quebec City this October. During our last special meeting, nine members were nominated to serve as delegates to the conference. An election will be held during the July 15th meeting to determine the five candidates.

The candidates are:

  • Joe Madden
  • Kevin McDermott
  • Mike Moniz
  • Atalla Savory
  • Chris Stanford
  • Chris Tavares
  • Nancy Tomas
  • Edwin Viteri

Each candidate will be invited to provide a brief two-minute statement in support of their nomination. 

Notice of Special Membership Meeting

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A Special Membership Meeting meeting will be held virtually via Zoom this Saturday, July 8th from 10AM – 12PM. The agenda will include 3 items which were carried over from our June 17th GMM, as well as 4 new items approved by the executive.

In order to join the meeting you must register in advance: 
 
 
Agenda
  1. Financial Report
  2. Event budget approval
  3. Proposal to amend Section 8 of the bylaws (Nomination, Election, and Installation of Officers) *
  4. Appointment of Chief Returning Officer and assistants *
  5. Nominations for one Trustee position
  6. Nominations for Recording Secretary *
  7. Nominations for 5 delegates to the CUPE National Conference in October *
* Denotes new agenda items
 
Agenda Details
Bylaw amendment proposal
A proposal to amend the election and nomination process for officers (Section 8) will be put to the membership at this meeting, with the aim of making our voting process more accessible. If the majority of the membership approves the proposal, the date for a subsequent Special Membership Meeting will be decided on where the proposal will need to receive a final approval of two-thirds majority of those present and voting.

Nominations for one Trustee position 
Trustee’s act as an auditing committee on behalf of the members and audit the books and accounts of the union at least once every calendar year. A full list of duties can be found on page 12 of our bylaws. No prior experience is required — you will be supported in this role and receive any necessary training from CUPE National. If more than one member is nominated for this position an election will be held this October. The term will last 3 years, from October 2023 to October 2026.

Nominations for Recording Secretary
The position of Recording Secretary has been made vacant following the election of Luke Daccord to President. The Recording Secretary’s principal task is to keep full, accurate, and impartial account of the proceedings of all membership or executive board meetings. A full list of duties can be found on page 8 of our bylaws. No prior experience is required — you will be supported in this role and receive any necessary training from CUPE National. If more than one member is nominated for this position an election will be held this October. The term will last 1 year, from October 2023 to October 2024, as this is a by-election.

Nominations for 5 delegates to CUPE’s national convention in October
CUPE’s national convention is the union’s supreme decision-making body, and is held every two years. Delegates participate in setting the union’s priorities, deciding its policies, and electing it’s leaders. Any member may serve as a delegate for our Local, provided they have attended at least 2 general membership meetings in the last 12 months. If there are more than 5 nominees, elections for the delegates will take place at a subsequent Special Membership Meeting in the following months. If you are considering seeking a nomination to serve as a delegate we encourage you to read Section 13 of our bylaws here for more information.

Nomination Procedure
If you are considering seeking a nomination for the Recording Secretary or Trustee position, we strongly recommend reviewing Section 8 of the CUPE 3261 by-laws titled “Nomination, Election, and Installation of Officers” for detailed information on the nomination procedure and eligibility.

If you wish to seek a nomination for any position and are unable to attend Saturday’s meeting, write-in nominations should be sent via email to both the President (president@cupe3261.ca) and the Chief Returning Officer (elections@cupe3261.ca). If you have any questions about the nomination procedure please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Union office.

Other News
Tuan Vuong Retires, Janny Tram Appointed Interim Treasurer
Tuan Vuong, Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE 3261, has retired after 16 years in the role at our local, and 42 years working at the Faculty Club. We thank Tuan for his long and committed service to our union, and wish him all the best! At an executive meeting on Monday, July 26 Tuan officially stepped down from his position as Secretary-Treasurer and the executive appointed Janny Tram to serve in this role until it is elected in October of this year.

March Bylaw Amendment Approved by CUPE National President
On March 18 the membership approved a bylaw amendment which added a requirement for a part-time member to the Full-Time Part-Time bargaining committee. On June 26th, the union received word from the CUPE National President that he has also approved these changes. As of June 26th the following language is now in effect in Section 14 (b):

“Full-time and Part Time Unit Negotiating Committee: The Committee shall consist of the President, The Unit Representative and six (6) other members of the Unit with at least one (1) from Scarborough Campus and one (1) from Mississauga Campus, and a minimum of one (1) part-time bargaining unit member.”

The bylaws on the union’s website will be updated to reflect this change as soon as possible.

Election Results And GMM Summary

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After two rounds of voting at our General Membership Meeting this past Saturday, we are excited to announce that Luke Daccord has been elected as the new President of CUPE 3261. Effective immediately Luke Daccord will begin his new role, while former Acting President Edwin Viteri will provide transitional support for the next two weeks. The current term of office for the position of President runs until October of 2024.

Luke Daccord can be reached by email at president@cupe3261.ca or by personal cell phone at 647-627-5853 while we complete the transition.

We would like to thank Edwin Viteri for his work as Acting President during the past four months. Edwin will be returning to his previous role as Vice President, as well as Nancy Tomas – who was temporarily appointed as Vice-President – to her previous role as Health & Safety Officer.

General Membership Meeting Summary
 
Following the election, nominations were held for nine executive officer positions. The nominees for each position are as follows:
 

Vice President
Andrew Chilton
Edwin Viteri
Kevin McDermott

Secretary-Treasurer
Andrew Chilton
Janny Tram
Jenny Luc

Chief Steward
Andrew Chilton
Joe Madden
Raffi Demerji
Wilson Franco

Health and Safety Officer
Joe Madden
Nancy Tomas

Full-Time & Part-Time Unit Representative
Andrew Chilton
Anthony Jude Pereira
Bonnie Hassan
Robin Baj
Ronny Cruz

Casual Unit Representative
Stanley Treivus (acclaimed)

U of T Press Unit Representative
Chris Stanford (acclaimed)

Faculty Club Unit Representative
Janny Tram (acclaimed)

89 Chestnut Unit Representative
Atalla Savory
Soosainathar Rajendiram

Elections for all contested positions will be held in October.

Finally, we also held nominations for the vacant UTM position on the Full-Time Part-Time Unit Bargaining Committee. Andrew Lobo was acclaimed to the position. Congratulations Andrew!

Due to time constraints, the membership approved a motion to defer the remaining agenda: Nominations for trustee, financial report, and the approval of the event budget. These items will be moved to a Special Membership Meeting to be held in the coming weeks. More details will be provided soon.

Reminder: General Membership Meeting and President Election This Saturday

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This is a friendly reminder that our General Membership Meeting is happening this Saturday, June 17th, from 10 AM to 12 PM at Wilson Hall, Room 1016 (40 Willcocks St). Members must register at the door. Please bring your TCard or any piece of photo ID to help expedite the process.*

During the meeting, we will be holding the by-election for president, nominations for nine executive positions, nominations for trustee, a financial presentation and approval of the holiday party budget. 

Additionally, there is a vacancy in the Full-Time & Part-Time (FTPT) Bargaining Committee due to the recent resignation of the UTM Representative. We will hold nominations and elections to fill this position, open to any FTPT member from UTM.

Please note this meeting and the election for president is in person only.  

Please take a look at the agenda and details for the presidential by-election below. All CUPE 3261 members are encouraged to attend!

AGENDA

  1. Roll call of officers
  2. Reading of the Equality Statement
  3. Reading and approval of minutes of previous meeting
  4. Election for President
  5. Nominations for executive board positions:
    • Vice President
    • Secretary-Treasurer
    • Chief Steward
    • Health and Safety Officer
    • Full-Time & Part-Time Unit Rep.
    • Casual Unit Rep.
    • U of T Press Unit Rep.
    • Faculty Club Unit Rep.
    • 89 Chestnut Unit Rep.
  6. Nominations and Appointment of UTM Rep for FTPT Bargaining Committee 
  7. Nomination for trustee
  8. Oaths of office
  9. Treasurer’s Report
  10. Vote on 2023 event budget
  11. Adjournment

Meeting Details

WHEN: Saturday, June 17, 2023, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

WHERE: Wilson Hall Residence, Room 1016 (40 Willcocks St)

Wilson Hall Residence is part of New College and is located across from the Faculty Club. Street parking is available in the surrounding area and is located steps away from the Spadina streetcar line.

*Please note, if you are a new hire you may not yet be reflected in our membership list. Please bring proof of employment, such as an electronic copy of your contract or a pay stub, for smooth registration.

Statement from The Elections Committee

By-Election for President 2023

The vote for the By-election for President of our local will take place in person at the regular membership meeting held on June 17th from 10am – Noon at Room 1016 in Wilson Hall Residence at 40 Willcocks Street, Toronto, in accordance with Section 8 of CUPE 3261 Bylaws. You can access the CUPE 3261 Bylaws on our website or arrange to review a physical copy at the union office. You must be present in person at the meeting in order to receive a ballot.

The vote will be by secret ballot. Each candidate will have 5 minutes to make a speech to the members present prior to voting taking place. Speeches and voting will be in alphabetical order based on candidates’ surnames. The following members have been nominated and will appear on the ballot in alphabetical order based on the candidates’ surnames:

  • Luke Daccord
  • Kevin McDermott
  • Edwin Viteri

Tuan Vuong has withdrawn as a candidate for president and will not appear on the ballot.

IMPORTANT: for faster membership check in at the doors, please bring your TCard or any photo ID. 

If you have questions about this election please email elections@cupe3261.ca however please be advised we get significant volume of email and we may not be able to get back to you on the same day.

NOMINATION PROCEDURE

If you are considering seeking a nomination, please review Section 8 of the CUPE 3261 

June General Membership Meeting + President By-Election Details

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Dear members,

Our next General Membership Meeting will be held on Saturday, June 17th. Please note this meeting will be held in-person only. Please see the agenda and details for the presidential by-election below. All CUPE 3261 members are encouraged to attend! 

WHEN: Saturday, June 17, 2023, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

WHERE: Wilson Hall Residence, Room 1016 (40 Willcocks St)

Wilson Hall Residence is part of New College and is located across the Faculty Club. Street parking is available in the surrounding area, and it is also located steps away from the Spadina streetcar line.

AGENDA

  1. Roll call of officers
  2. Reading of the Equality Statement
  3. Reading and approval of minutes of previous meeting
  4. Election for President
  5. Nominations for executive board positions:
    1. Vice President
    2. Secretary-Treasurer
    3. Chief Steward
    4. Health and Safety Officer
    5. Full-Time & Part-Time Unit Rep.
    6. Casual Unit Rep.
    7. U of T Press Unit Rep.
    8. Faculty Club Unit Rep.
    9. 89 Chestnut Unit Rep.
  6. Nomination for trustee
  7. Oaths of office
  8. Treasurer’s Report
  9. Vote on 2023 event budget
  10. Adjournment

NOMINATION PROCEDURE

If you are considering seeking a nomination, please review Section 8 of the CUPE 3261 By-laws titled “Nomination, Election, and Installation of Officers” for detailed information on the nomination procedure and eligibility. 

If you have any questions about this procedure please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Union office.

By-Election for President 2023

The vote for the By-election for President of our local will take place in person at the regular membership meeting held on June 17th from 10am – Noon at Room 1016 in Wilson Hall Residence at 40 Willcocks Street, Toronto, in accordance with Section 8 of CUPE 3261 Bylaws. You can access the CUPE 3261 Bylaws on our website or arrange to review a physical copy at the union office. You must be present in person at the meeting in order to receive a ballot.

The vote will be by secret ballot. Each candidate will have 5 minutes to make a speech to the members present prior to voting taking place. Speeches and voting will be in alphabetical order based on candidates’ surnames. The following members have been nominated and will appear on the ballot in alphabetical order based on the candidates’ surnames:

✔  Luke Daccord

✔  Kevin McDermott

✔  Edwin Viteri

✔  Tuan Vuong

The CUPE 3261 Elections Committee