General Membership Meeting

On July 6th, we held our General Membership Meeting. During the meeting, nominations were held for three executive positions and one trustee. The nominees are:

President (Oct 2024 – Oct 2026)

• Luke Daccord
• Chris Tavares

Health and Safety Officer (Oct 2024 – Oct 2025)

• Kevin McDermott
• Nicole Ponte

Recording Secretary (Oct 2024 – Oct 2026)

• Hillary Phillips

Trustee (Oct 2024 – Oct 2027)

• Danny Tavares

Congratulations to both Hillary Phillips and Danny Tavares, who will be acclaimed to their respective roles in October of this year.

Elections for President and Health and Safety Officer will be held in October in accordance with our election bylaws approved last year. We are currently looking for members to join the elections committee! See below for more details or sign up here.

Stay tuned for further details about the voting process throughout the coming months.

 

Bylaw Amendments Approved by the Membership

We are also pleased to announce that all the proposed bylaw amendments were approved by the membership. These changes aim to streamline our amendment process, encourage member involvement, simplify the committee joining process, and update various housekeeping items. The bylaws will take effect upon approval by the CUPE National President. You can view the approved bylaws here.

 

Trustee’s Report

The trustees presented their annual report on the local’s 2023 finances with recommendations on how to enhance financial accountability, transparency, and record-keeping. After discussion their report was approved by the membership, and the local’s executive is committed to their implementation.

 

Call for Interest: Join the CUPE 3261 Elections Committee

We are looking for members to join the CUPE 3261 Elections Committee to support our upcoming October Election. The Elections Committee plays a crucial role in organizing and facilitating the election, and we are looking for members who are interested in contributing their time and skills.

Duties include:

• Administering and monitoring the electronic voting: Administer the electronic platform and assist members as needed
• Operating in-person election booths: Providing voting support and assistance to members during election week.
• Ensuring fairness and transparency: Establishing and monitoring election rules and and procedures
• Managing election communications: Preparing information about election dates, procedures, candidate statements, and approving the election newsletter (sent by the communications committee).
• Facilitating election-related events (e.g., townhall)
• Counting votes, verifying results, and announcing the winners.
• Addressing election disputes: Investigating and resolving any challenges or concerns raised during the election.

Requirements:

• Interest in the democratic process: A commitment to ensuring fair and transparent elections for our members.
• Basic digital literacy: General familiarity with navigating internet websites, emails, etc. is helpful.
• Strong organizational and communication skills: Ability to collaborate with others and communicate effectively.

No experience is required. All those interested will be trained and supported in this role by the Local’s CUPE National Servicing Representative.

Sign up here and fill out the form if you would like to be contacted to learn more about the position.

Per CUPE 3261 Bylaws 8-b-2:

“…the President will, subject to the approval of the Executive Board, appoint an Elections Committee consisting of a Returning Officer and assistant(s). The Committee will include members of the Local Union who are neither Officers nor candidates for office…”

Our next General Membership Meeting will be held in a hybrid format on July 6th. During the meeting, we will be holding nominations for President, Recording Secretary, Health and Safety Officer, and Trustee. We will also hear the trustee report and vote on proposed bylaw amendments introduced at our last membership meeting. All members joining online must register in advance to receive the Zoom link.

WHEN:
Saturday, July 6, 2024
10 AM - 12 PM

WHERE:
Sidney Smith Hall (100 St George St), Room 1072
OR
Online via Zoom (Hybrid Meeting)

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

Agenda

1. Roll call of officers
2. Reading of the Equality Statement
3. Reading and approval of minutes of previous meeting
4. Matters arising from last meeting’s minutes
5. Treasurer’s Report on 2023
6. Trustee’s Report on 2023
7. Nominations for executive board positions:
   1. President
   2. Recording Secretary
   3. Health and Safety Officer
8. Nomination for trustee
9. Discussion and Vote on Proposed Bylaw Amendments
10. Delegates Report: CUPE Ontario
11. Unfinished business
12. New business
13. 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. These can be found on our website here.

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

Proposed By-Law Amendments

During our May 4 Special Membership Meeting, several bylaw amendments were introduced by our newly convened bylaw committee and will be voted on at our July 6 General Membership Meeting. The proposed amendments aim to streamline our bylaw amendment process, reduce barriers to members’ involvement, improve the process for joining committees, and update various housekeeping items. New items are bolded and underlined.

Click here to see the bylaw amendments

Full-Time Part-Time, Casual, and 89 Chestnut Members,

Our retroactive pay has been processed, and all members should have received a lump-sum payment on May 31. This payment is retroactive to July 1, 2023, for FTPT and Casual members, and January 1, 2024, for 89 Chestnut. You can view the details on your most recent pay stub through ESS (Employee Self-Service). This retro applies to all members actively employed on March 17, 2024 (the ratification date).

Going forward, your pay stubs should reflect your new wage rates, shift premiums, and any other increases negotiated in our new collective agreement.

Review Your Paystub: We encourage you to carefully review your pay stub to ensure your payment is accurate. If you notice any discrepancies, first speak to your manager, who should help resolve the issue or direct you to the appropriate payroll contact. Please CC our Vice-President Andrew Chilton vicepresident@cupe3261.ca in any correspondence. You can also submit a Payroll Discrepancy Request through the HR Service Centre website: log in, click “Browse the Service Catalogue,” then “Payroll, Compensation & Job Evaluation” on the left, and select “Payroll Discrepancy Request.”

Make sure you are getting paid correctly! You can view the updated wage grids here:

• Full-Time Part-Time Wage Grid
• Casual Wage Grid
• 89 Chestnut Wage Grid

If you have any general questions about the retroactive payment, eligibility, deductions, calculations, or any other unresolved issues, please contact our Vice-President directly at vicepresident@cupe3261.ca

Common Questions:

• Taxes and Deductions: Please note that standard deductions such as income tax, CPP, EI, and union dues were applied to this payment. Since this is a significant lump sum, the amount deducted was higher than what you typically see on your regular paychecks. Additionally, the CRA’s tax calculation method may temporarily place you in a higher tax bracket for this pay period. Any overpayment in taxes or other deductions will be corrected during tax season when you file your taxes.
• EI Benefits: If you are currently receiving EI benefits, this retroactive payment should not be reported in your bi-weekly report. Retroactive pay increases are not considered earnings for EI purposes, as they are considered to have been earned over the time you worked. The University will be issuing an updated Record of Employment (ROE), which will re-calculate your benefit rate based on the new wages.
• Retroactive Amount:
  • FTPT Members received an across-the-board (ATB) 9% increase for all hours worked retroactive to July 1, 2023. Some classifications (e.g., caretakers, cafeteria workers) received an additional adjustment to $25/hour effective March 17, 2024 (the ratification date). This $25/hour adjustment is retroactive to March 17, 2024, not July 1, 2023. Decreases in dental and extended health benefits costs took effect April 1, 2024.
  • 89 Chestnut Members received a 5.7% increase retroactive to January 1, 2024, with some receiving an additional adjustment to $25/hour on March 17, 2024. This $25/hour adjustment is retroactive to March 17, 2024, not January 1, 2024. Decreases in dental and extended health benefit costs took effect April 1, 2024.
  • Casual Members: Received a 5.7% increase or minimum $18/hour, whichever is higher, retroactive to July 1, 2023.
  • Please note that the across-the-board (ATB) retroactive percentage increases apply to all regular hours worked (including paid leaves), overtime, and holidays. However, any changes not part of the ATB increase, such as adjustments to shift premiums, standby pay, boot allowance, etc., came into effect on March 17, 2024 (the ratification date).

We know this process has been frustratingly long. We’ve made it clear to the University that this delay was unacceptable, and your voices were heard – over 400 of you signed a petition demanding quicker implementation. While we couldn’t speed up this specific payout, we’ve put the University on notice that these delays must not happen again in the future.

We encourage you to review again the summary of changes to your collective agreement. While the University is legally obligated to follow our agreement, it’s ultimately up to us as workers to hold them accountable and ensure our hard-fought gains are fully implemented. We cannot rely on the employer to proactively enforce new terms. We’ve received numerous reports of managers being unaware or misinformed about many changes due to inadequate communication from the University.

Make sure your manager is aware of and implementing any changes that impact you and your co-workers. Your participation is key to ensuring we all benefit from the improvements we won!

If you have any questions or need support, don’t hesitate to contact us.

This is a reminder that our Special Membership meeting will be taking place this Saturday from 10AM-12PM on St. George Campus at the Sidney Smith Building (100 St. George St) Room 1071. It will be a hybrid meeting as well and you can join online via zoom.

If you are attending online, click here to register and receive your Zoom link.

Important items, including the final approval of the 2024 budget and nominations for the 89 Chestnut and Faculty Club Unit representatives, will be discussed and decided at this meeting.

All members are encouraged to join!

Meeting agenda:

1. Roll call of officers
2. Reading of the equality statement
3. Reading and approval of last meeting’s minutes
4. 2024 Budget Amendments
5. Introduction of Bylaw amendments
6. Appointment of Elections Committee
7. Nominations for 89 Chestnut Unit Rep and Faculty Club Unit Rep
8. Report from Delegates
   1. CUPE National Conference in October
9. Unfinished business
10. New Business
11. Adjournment

Download (PDF, 513KB)

CUPE 3261 FTPT, Casual, and 89 Chestnut Unit Members —

Your negotiating committees have just received extremely disappointing news from the University regarding the timeline for implementation of both the new wage rates and retroactive pay which our entire membership has fought hard for and won in our recent round of bargaining. We have been told by the University that the new wage rates and retro will not be implemented until May 31st – more than 2.5 months from the March 17th date that these agreements were ratified and came into effect. While the new wage rates did take effect on March 17th, the University is stating that our paycheques will continue to show the old rates until May 31st, at which point all retro will be paid out for all hours worked since the contract expiry.

While this delay is not a violation of the memorandum of agreement we signed and ratified, we have already told the University that such a delayed timeline is unacceptable, and completely out of line with past practice. We also stressed the concerns our members who are laid off seasonally in our FTPT and 89 Chestnut Units have about the way this could complicate or impact EI benefits (see the FAQ below). The University so far has not responded to or addressed any of these concerns.

As such, we have decided to launch a petition to the University administration for Respect and Dignity NOW, demanding the timely payment of the wages that we are owed from the University.

Sign the Petition

Click the button above to sign the petition and be sure to share with all of your coworkers – it can easily be filled out on a phone in just 2 minutes. We will provide updates on the plan to deliver the petition and any responses we receive from the University. The fight for respect and dignity continues. Please read on below for some more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the retro pay and implementation of the new collective agreement.

In solidarity,

Your CUPE 3261 FTPT, Casual, and 89 Chestnut Negotiating Committees

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FAQs

RETRO PAY

If I’m on seasonal layoff and collecting EI when retro is paid, how could this affect me?

According to the Employment Insurance policy on retroactive increases in wages or salary, “retroactive increases in wages or salary are specifically excluded from consideration as earnings during the benefit period and for interruption of earnings purposes, as they are considered to have been earned over the period worked.” In other words – while everyone’s situation will be different depending on your individual and family income – we don’t expect this to have a negative impact on your EI benefit. This may however complicate the EI process, with more paperwork added and the University potentially having to issue a second Record of Employment (ROE) or other material after the retro is paid.

If my casual, temporary, or term contract expires, or if I otherwise stop working at the University before the retro is paid, how could this affect me?

Regardless of your employment status at the time when the retro is paid out, you will be entitled to the new rates and retro pay for all of your hours worked as long as you were actively employed in your bargaining unit on the date of ratification (March 17th).

OTHER CBA IMPLEMENTATION QUESTIONS

When can I use the new $200 boot allowance?

• As soon as you are eligible for your next boot allowance according to your collective agreement.

When can FTPT or 89 Chestnut members use the new 5th paid personal day?

• For FTPT members: Immediately. For 89 Chestnut members: Starting May 1, 2024.

When can Casual members use the four paid sick days?

• Immediately. You have up to four paid sick days you can use per year. To avoid pay issues, make sure to tell your supervisor in writing that you are taking a paid sick day.

As a reminder, the Tentative Agreement Summaries and complete language can be found on our website here.

The Tentative Agreement Summaries and complete language can be found on our website here

We will follow up in the coming weeks as to when we can expect retro payments to be paid out, and other aspects of the implementation of the new collective agreement.

The historic gains found in these collective agreements were only made possible by the historic organizing in all of our workplaces. This work must continue! We aim to hold elections for stewards in all departments over the next two months to work to enforce this agreement and continue pushing to improve our working conditions.

In solidarity,

Your CUPE 3261 FTPT, Casual, and 89 Chestnut Negotiating Committees

United we WON!

CUPE 3261 FTPT, Casual, and 89 Chestnut Unit Members —

See below the dates and times for the ratification meetings being held at each campus as well as online this week. At these meetings, the bargaining committee will overview the tentative agreement and members will have the opportunity to ask questions. The meeting will last approximately 1 hour, after which a vote to approve (ratify) the tentative agreement will be held. The result of these votes will be announced by the end of day Saturday, March 16th.

You may attend these meetings on paid work time – be sure to get approval from your supervisor.

If you haven’t yet read the summary of the tentative agreements, it can be found on our website here.

Note: You may only attend and vote in one of these meetings.

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Tuesday March 12 @ STG — for FTPT + Casual members

• 1PM @ Mechanical Engineering Building Rm. 102
• 4PM @ Wallberg Building Rm. 116
• 7PM @ Medical Science Building Rm. 2158

Wednesday March 13 @ UTM — for FTPT + Casual members

• 1PM @ Davis Building Rm. 3140 (UTM Room)
• 10PM @ Davis Building Rm. 3130 (Council Chamber)

Thursday March 14

@ 89 Chestnut — for 89 Chestnut members

• 1PM @ Giovanni Room
• 4PM @ Giovanni Room

@UTSC for FTPT + Casual members

• 10PM @ Social Sciences Building MW130

Friday March 15 @ UTSC — for FTPT + Casual members

• 1PM @ Social Sciences Building MW130
• 10PM @ Social Sciences Building MW130 MOVED TO THURSDAY

Saturday March 16 @ Online — for FTPT, Casual and 89 Chestnut members

• 12 noon
• Zoom links will be emailed out Saturday morning to all members who have not attended one of the meetings during the week. Electronic ballots will be sent by email to all virtual attendees after the meeting

Download (PDF, 1.88MB)

See the full tentative agreements below:

• Full-Time Part-Time Unit
• 89 Chestnut Unit
• Casual Unit