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We are pleased to announce that the members of CUPE Locals 1230 and 3261 have voted overwhelmingly in favour of conversion of the existing University of Toronto pension plan to the University Pension Plan, a newly created multi-employer jointly sponsored defined benefit pension plan.   At a time when defined benefit pensions are under attack, we expect that the increased security of the UPP and its joint governance framework will insulate the plan from political pressures and protect the retirement security of our members for decades to come.  

In January 2019, the Executives of both CUPE Locals 1230 and 3261 decided to put the question of conversion to the new University Pension Plan (UPP) to their respective members by holding pension consent votes. It was not a decision lightly undertaken, but one that considered the importance of labour solidarity at the University of Toronto (UofT). Also, it was the duty of both Locals to represent their members’ interests to the best of their abilities.

After a month-long campaign in support of the amended UPP, CUPE Locals 1230 and 3261 voted this week for the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Employer and the conversion of our existing pension plan to the new UPP. The MoA will provide our current pension plan members with a salary increase starting July 1, 2019. The increase will offset the hike in our contributions as UofT shifts to a 50/50 contribution schedule in its current pension plan. Meanwhile, our consent to participate in the new UPP will allow both Unions to have a say in the governance of the plan going forward – something that was lacking under the existing plan.

In detail, a majority of CUPE Local 1230 members voted on Tuesday, February 26, 2019. The result was unanimous—100% of the Local’s members supported the MoA and the conversion to the new UPP. A large turnout of CUPE Local 3261 members voted throughout the week, with the last vote taking place late yesterday afternoon. The result was equally impressive—with 91% of the Local’s members supporting the MoA and the conversion to the new UPP.

As we move forward, we expect to work closely with our labour partners at UofT, the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1998 and the UofT Faculty Association (UTFA). At this time we would like to thank USW and their president, Colleen Burke, and UTFA and their president, Cynthia Messenger, for their support without which we would not have been able to organize our votes on such short notice. Also, thanks to UofT’s Labour Relations for providing us with the time to organize and conduct the votes. Last, but not least, both Locals wish to express our appreciation to our interim CUPE National Representative, Rebecca Strung, for devoting the entire month of February to assist us in this process.

We look forward to meetings with representatives of the employer from all three universities (UofT, the University of Guelph, and Queen’s University), as well as all the labour groups involved, as we move ahead with the UPP.

In solidarity,

Wasyl Sydorenko, President CUPE Local 1230

Allan James, President CUPE Local 3261

Everyone enrolled in UofT’s current pension plan gets to have a say in the new plan, which is why the union is holding special meetings at each campus next week. At these meetings you will have the opportunity to learn more about the plan, discuss the changes, and then vote. We encourage everyone to attend. The University has agreed to allow all of our members to attend these meetings on paid work time — just be sure to alert your supervisors well in advance, and contact the union if any issues arise.

 St. George — Monday, February 25th
– Morning: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM @ Sidney Smith Hall rm. 2117
– Afternoon: 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM @ Medical Sciences Building rm. 3153
– Evening: 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM @ Sidney Smith Hall rm.  2117

 UTM — Tuesday, February 26th
– Morning: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM @ Spigel Hall (Davis Building)
– Afternoon: 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM @ Spigel Hall
– Evening: 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM @ Spigel Hall

UTSC — Wednesday, February 27th
– Morning:  11:00 AM – 1:00 PM @ H-Wing rm. 408
– Afternoon: 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM @ H-Wing rm. 214
– Night shift: 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM @ H-Wing rm. 214

89 Chestnut — Thursday, February 28th
– 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM @ St. Lawrence Room

Hello members! There are extremely important pension changes coming. Over the past few years, the University of Toronto has been working with the University of Guelph and Queens to create the “University Pension Plan” or UPP — a multi-employer pension plan to replace our current pension plan. This has many implications on all members in the pension plan, and we ask that you read the materials below to get informed, and be ready to vote on the changes!

All the important information you need to know can be found in the links below.

• Please begin by reading our introductory Pension Brochure here
• See the side-by-side UofT and UPP Comparison handout here.
• See the Memorandum of Agreement signed between the union and University here.
  • 89 Chestnut has their own agreement which can be found here. The two documents are essentially the same except for a difference in dates which correspond to 89 Chestnut’s collective agreement.
• See our point-form summary of the Memorandum of Agreement here

Information and voting sessions will be taking place — on work time — at all three campuses. See this post for all the details.

Read moreImportant Pension Information

CUPE 3261’s very own Ian Hutson is running for the University of Toronto’s Governing Council and needs your support!

Being a longtime CUPE member and highly engaged shop steward are just a couple of reasons why we are proud to endorse Ian, and we encourage all our members to visit Ian’s website to learn more about his bid. With your support we can have CUPE 3261 represented in UofT’s highest governing body!

Voting will be open from Monday, February 4 to Friday, February 15 (and can be done online!). Specific information on how to vote is also kindly laid out on Ian’s website here.

Stay tuned for an email coming soon with more details. And vote Ian!

Our next General Membership Meeting will be on Saturday, February 16th from 10AM-12PM on the St. George Campus. It will be held at our usual location, the Sanford Fleming Building (10 Kings College Road), room 1101. 

The agenda for this meeting can be found here.

We hope to see you there! Feel free to bring any questions or concerns you have, and don’t forget that you can always contact the Union directly from the Contact page. 

Hopefully you’ve already seen some of these forms for our holiday party around your workplace recently. If not, you can download the form here to complete and return. And don’t forget about the cheque system this year – your deposit reserves your seat, and you receive it back at the front door upon your arrival. We hope to see you there!

Download (PDF, 629KB)

Read moreSt. George Holiday Party RSVP Form

Our annual Christmas parties are coming up! Come out for a fun time with your union for the holiday season. There will be lots of food, drinks and amazing prizes — and it’s all free! See the details below for more information. All members are welcome to bring one guest.

There will be a party for each campus, and a separate party for the Faculty Club. You may attend one party, whichever is most convenient for you. Make sure to RSVP as soon as you can with your full name and the name of your guest. 

St. George Campus 
Location: Chestnut Residence (89 Chestnut St., Toronto)
Date: Saturday, December 15th @ 7:00pm-1:00am
RSVP Info: Sign up forms will be distributed throughout workplaces by next week. There is a mandatory $50 deposit per person (provided by cheque) that will be returned at the party.

Forms must be given to shop stewards or delivered to the union office (703 Spadina Ave. Floor 2) by December 7th

Scarborough Campus 
Location: Mandarin (2206 Eglinton Ave E., Scarborough)
Date: Saturday, December 8th @ 7:00pm
RSVP Info: Email Allan ASAP at service.workers@utoronto.ca / 416-946-7620  

Mississauga Campus
Location: Wok of Fame (7700 Hurontario St. #602, Mississauga)
Date: Saturday, December 1st @ 8:00pm-10:00pm
RSVP Info: Email Allan ASAP at service.workers@utoronto.ca / 416-946-7620  

Faculty Club 
Location: Dragon Pearl Restaurant (865 York Mills Rd, Unit 2, North York)
Date: Saturday, December 22nd @ 7:30pm
RSVP Info: Email Tuan Vuong by December 7th at tuanvuong@hotmail.com