We are thrilled to announce that after months of negotiations, the Casual bargaining committee has reached a tentative agreement (Memorandum of Agreement) with U of T.
Three ratification meetings will be held on May 18th, and voting will be open from May 18-19. To see the full tentative agreement, please check your email. If you did not receive the email, let us know by emailing casuals@cupe3261.ca
Your participation is crucial. All casual workers are encouraged to attend one of the three meetings and participate in the vote. Please register for a meeting by clicking one of the links below:
Please be advised that a special membership meeting will be held virtually this Saturday May 6th, 2023, from 10AM – 10:30 AM. During this meeting, we will be voting on a motion put forward by the executive to donate $1000 to CUPE 233 — our counterpart service worker’s union at Toronto Metropolitan University who have been on strike since April 17th. Representing about 110 custodial and maintenance workers, CUPE 233 members are fighting for fair wages and against unjust pension reform. You can check out their website for more info, daily picket line updates, and to see other ways that we can support them.
WHEN
Saturday May 6th, 2023
10 AM – 10:30 AM
WHERE
Virtually via Zoom — check your email for a registration link. Contact info@cupe3261.ca if you did not receive an email.
May 1 marks International Workers’ Day, a time when workers worldwide reflect on the history of activism and collective power that secured the eight-hour workday. As a union, CUPE recognizes this day in solidarity with millions of workers globally who resist exploitation.
In Canada, workers are part of a broader movement fighting for decent work, safety, dignity, and respect. We demand fair wages, benefits, and pensions, as well as quality public services for all. Unfortunately, there are still serious gaps and inequities in our country, particularly when governments cut funding for public services and prioritize privatization.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has only further highlighted the importance of strong public services and the essential role of front-line workers. However, some governments have taken advantage of the crisis to crackdown on human rights and labour movements.
May Day reminds us of the power of international solidarity in the fight for economic justice, racial justice, migrant justice, and climate justice. Together, let us continue to build worker-to-worker connections and work towards a more just and equitable future.
April 28 is recognized as the National Day of Mourning in Canada. The Day of Mourning was created by CUPE members more than 40 years ago to remember those who lost their lives on the job and to inspire other workers to fight to prevent further tragedies.
This day is a time to remember and honour those who have lost their lives, been injured or suffered illness as a result of their work. It is also an opportunity to renew our commitment to improving workplace health and safety.
On this day, we ask all members to take a moment to reflect and remember those who have been affected by workplace injuries and illness.
As trade unionists, it is our responsibility to continue this fight. We must ensure that all workers know about the four workers’ rights enshrined in every health and safety law in the country:
The right to refuse work you believe is unsafe until an investigation can be carried out;
The right to participate in deciding what is safe in the workplace and to report hazards;
The right to information on any hazard in the workplace that may cause harm, and how to prevent that harm;
The right to be free from reprisal for carrying out any of the other rights or any other requirement of health and safety law.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of the importance of workplace safety and health, and the need for stronger protections for all workers. Let us take a moment to remember those who have been affected by workplace injuries and illness, and renew our commitment to advocating for better working conditions and safer workplaces for all workers.
Please be informed that Nancy Tomas has been appointed to fill the vacancy of Vice-President of CUPE 3261 until the next election in October. Nancy has previously served as the Health & Safety officer. The position is now vacant but she will continue to assist in the position’s duties.
This is a notice to advise you that there was an error in the counting of votes for the motion to amend bylaws at the last special membership meeting held Saturday, March 18, 2023.
CUPE 3261’s bylaws state that amendments require two-thirds approval of those “present and voting.” Abstentions do not count as votes, but they were incorrectly included in the count at the meeting. Therefore, the motion to amend the bylaws as follows passed with 72% of members voting in favour.
The amendment is:
Full-time and Part Time Unit Negotiating Committee: The Committee shall consist of the President, The Unit Representative and five (5)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 amendment will now be sent to the National President’s office for approval as per the CUPE constitution.
Thanks for your patience while we consulted CUPE National to receive clarification that abstentions should not be counted.
We are pleased to announce that Joe Madden, Robin Baj, and Kevin McDermott have been elected to the FTPT bargaining committee. Habon (Bonnie) Hassan, the runner-up, will serve as an alternate.
The final members of the bargaining committee are as follows:
Edwin Viteri (Acting President)
Anthony Jude Pereira (FTPT Representative)
Joe Madden
Kevin McDermott
Robin Baj
Chris Tavares (UTSC)
Danny Tavares (UTM)
Habon (Bonnie) Hassan (alternate)
Thank you to all the candidates for your participation! Your initiative and commitment are greatly appreciated.
Trustee Election
Congratulations to Renos Manolis who has been acclaimed to the position of Trustee. Trustees are responsible for monitoring the financial activities of our union and serve a three-year term.
Bylaw Amendment Results
The bylaw amendment to add an additional seat to the Full-Time & Part-Time Bargaining Committee that is exclusively reserved for Part-Time members did not pass. The vote failed to meet the required two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present at the meeting.
Bylaw Committee
During the meeting, we established a new bylaw committee and welcomed volunteers to join. The committee’s purpose is to receive, review, and recommend proposed amendments to our existing bylaws with the goal of improving our rules and regulations. The new members of the bylaw committee are Andrew Chilton, Janny Tram, Nancy Tomas, Robin Baj, Stanley Treivus, and Tuan Vuong.
Please be advised that a Special Membership Meeting will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2023, from 10 AM – 11 AM. During this meeting, we will be electing our Full-Time & Part-Time (FTPT) bargaining committee, nominating and electing a trustee for a three (3) year term, and nominating and electing members for the bylaw committee. To see the list of candidates for the bargaining committee, please see below under “Bargaining Committee Nominations”.
Meeting Details:
Date: Saturday, March 18th, 2023
Time: 10 AM – 11 AM
Location: Sidney Smith Hall (100 St. George St), Room 1088 and virtually via Zoom
Establishment and appointment of a By-Law Committee
Approval of bylaw amendment*
Adjournment
*The proposal is to amend 14(b) of the bylaws to state:
February 25th General Membership Meeting Summary
We had a productive general membership meeting on February 25th and appreciate everyone who made the time to come out. Below is a summary of the meeting:
Bargaining Committee Nominations
During the meeting, we held nominations for the Full-time & Part-time (FTPT) bargaining committee. The next round of bargaining for the FTPT collective agreement will begin later this year as the current agreement expires on June 30th, 2023.
The bargaining committee has seven members total (the President and FTPT Representative are default members), with five positions open to the general membership. Of these five positions, one position each is reserved for UTM and UTSC. A total of eight members were nominated for the five available positions. Of the eight members running, there was one nominee from UTSC and one nominee from UTM. As a result, those two nominees are acclaimed. The remaining three positions will be contested by the remaining six nominees in an election.
The nominees for the three (3) remaining spots in the Full-Time & Part-Time Bargaining Committee are:
Habon (Bonnie) Hassan (FT)
Joe Madden (FT)
Kevin McDermott (FT)
Michael Moniz (FT)
Nancy Tomas (FT)
Robin Baj (PT)
The following members were acclaimed and will not participate in the election:
Chris Tavares (UTSC Representative)
Danny Tavares (UTM Representative)
The election will be held at our next Special Membership Meeting on March 18, 2023. Each candidate will be given an opportunity to speak at the meeting prior to voting.
Member Motion to Add Designated Part-Time Spot in FTPT Bargaining Committee
During the meeting, a proposal was put forward to amend the bylaws to add an additional seat to the Full-Time & Part-Time Bargaining Committee that is exclusively reserved for Part-Time members. The membership agreed to the proposal. The next step involves drafting the new bylaw language and bringing it to the membership for a final vote, which requires two-thirds approval. This will be done at the March 18 Special Meeting. If approved, the amendment must then be approved by the CUPE National President before it comes into effect. In addition, we will have to request approval from the employer as the current collective agreement limits the committee to seven seats.
Nominations for President
The following members have been nominated for the position of President of CUPE 3261:
Edwin Viteri
Kevin McDermot
Luke Daccord
Tuan Vuong
The election for President will be held at our June membership meeting.
Christmas Party + BBQ Budget (June)
During the meeting, a discussion was held regarding the budget for the annual Christmas Party and summer BBQ. Due to cost concerns, a motion was put forward to defer the approval of the Christmas and BBQ budget to our June general membership meeting. This motion was accepted and the rest of the annual budget was approved.
Nomination and Election of a Trustee
We still have a vacancy for the position of trustee (3-year term). Nominations and elections will be held at our Special Membership Meeting on March 18th. In accordance with our bylaws, all potential nominees for executive and trustee must have attended at least two membership meetings in the last 12 months.
Nominations and Elections for Bylaw Committee
The executive is establishing a new Bylaw Committee. The purpose of this committee is to receive, review and recommend proposed amendments to our existing bylaws. Any changes proposed to the bylaws will be brought to the membership for approval. During our last meeting, we were unable to hold nominations for the committee due to a lack of time. As a result, the item has been deferred to the upcoming Special Membership Meeting on March 18th.
All members are eligible and we encourage anyone interested in improving the rules and regulations of our union to get involved!
UPDATE: The March 4th training session has been rescheduled to Saturday, March 18 from 11 AM – 2:30 PM.
Steward training sessions will be held at the beginning of March on each campus. Any members who are interested in learning more about enforcing the collective agreement and building worker power in the workplace are encouraged to attend!
Please be aware that the number of stewards each bargaining unit is allowed is determined by that unit’s collective agreement. As such, not all members that attend can officially be appointed stewards. As per our by-laws, in areas where more members are interested than we have allotted stewards, elections may be held. Don’t let this stop you from attending however – the more informed we all are on our rights in the workplace, the stronger we become.
General Membership Meeting Saturday, Feb 25, 2023
10 AM – 12 PM
William Doo Auditorium (45 Willcocks St.) or join virtually via Zoom
Please be advised that our next General Membership Meeting will be held in a hybrid format on February 25th. During this meeting, we will be holding nominations for President, nominations for the Full-Time & Part-Time bargaining committee, nominations for one trustee position, a financial presentation, approval of the annual budget, and more.
If you plan on attending virtually, you must register in advance. Click here to register.
The full agenda for the meeting is as follows:
1. Roll call of officers
2. Reading of the equality statement
3. Reading and approval of minutes of previous meeting
4. Matters arising from the minutes
5. President’s Report
6. Treasurer’s Report: 2022 Financial Statement
7. Trustee’s Report
8. 2023 Budget Proposal (including establishing of a strike fund)
9. Motion to donate $1500 to the Workers Action Centre
10. Nominations for President
11. Nominations for Trustee
12. Nominations for FTPT Unit Bargaining Committee
13. Establishment and appointment of a By-Law Committee
14. Unfinished business
15. New business
16. Adjournment
We encourage all CUPE 3261 members to attend. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Nomination Procedure
If you are considering seeking annomination for the President or Trustee positions, 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. 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.
Why Should I attend?
General Membership Meetings set the priorities of our Union. Decisions are often made that directly affect
you, and they are made based on the attendance to each meeting. If attendance is low, this could mean that decisions involving how your dues are used, or who will represent you at the negotiating table, for example, are decided by a select few. General Membership Meetings are only about 2 hours long and are held only 3 times a year. Whether you’ve never missed a GMM, or have yet to attend your first one, we encourage every member to try to make the time to attend this upcoming GMM and join your co-workers in shaping your union.
