Election Results + Runoff

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Great News! Our very first online/in-person election has concluded. As your election officers, we would like to recognize you for the amazing turnout. A total of 434 (33.3%) members voted! This is the highest turnout for this type of election in our local’s recorded history.

The election results are as follows:

Vice President

  1. Edwin Viteri 166 (39.7%) (Moves to runoff)
  2. Andrew Chilton 131 (31.3%) (Moves to runoff)
  3. Kevin McDermott 121 (28.9%)

Abstain 16 (3.7%)

Chief Steward

  1. Wilson Franco 188 (45.4%) (Moves to runoff)
  2. Joe Madden 166 (40.1%) (Moves to runoff)
  3. Raffi Demerji 60 (14.5%)

Abstain 20 (4.6%)

Full-Time & Part-Time Unit Representative

  1. Anthony Jude Pereira 162 (54.2%) WINNER
  2. Robin Baj 137 (45.8%)

Abstain 30 (9.1%)

Trustee

  1. Arnold Park 194 (50.5%) WINNER
  2. Mike Moniz 190 (49.5%)

Abstain 50 (11.5%)

Congratulations to Anthony Jude Pereira and Arnold Park who have been elected to serve as Full-Time & Part-Time Unit Representative and Trustee, respectively.

Runoff Election October 16-20

Per our bylaws if no one candidate receives majority of the vote, a runoff election will be held where the top two candidates face off. This means that we will be having a runoff election for the Vice-President position between Edwin Viteri and Andrew Chilton, and for Chief Steward position between Wilson Franco and Joe Madden. The voting will be held exactly in the same manner beginning on Monday October 16th at 7am and end Friday, October 20th at 7pm.

Voting links will be emailed out on Monday October 16th at 7am.

In-Person Voting Location and Dates Oct 16-20

For members who are unable to vote online, in person voting stations will be made available throughout the week across each campus. The locations and dates are listed below:

Monday, October 16

  • Location: U of T Press Warehouse
  • Room: York Board Room
  • Time: 3PM – 5PM

Tuesday, October 17

  • Location: UTM
  • Room: Davis Building – Room DV 3214
  • Time: 7AM – 9AM and 4PM – 6PM

Wednesday, October 18

  • Location: UTSC
  • Room: Kina Wiiya Enadong – Room MW 130
  • Time: 2PM – 4PM and 9PM to 11PM

Thursday, October 19

  • Location: St. George Campus
  • Room: Union Office (703 Spadina Ave., Second Floor)
  • Time: 10AM – 7PM

Friday, October 20

  • Location: 89 Chestnut
  • Room: Lombard Suite
  • Time: 2PM – 4PM

If you have any questions or concerns about voting, please contact the elections committee at elections@cupe3261.ca 

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.