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Dear Unit 1 Members,

We are writing to update you on the status of bargaining and to ask for your participation in a Strike Mandate Vote.

After months at the table, the employer has not moved meaningfully on the issues that matter most to Unit 1 members. We entered bargaining with clear, reasonable, and urgently needed priorities: fair wages, adequate benefit funding, and manageable workloads. These priorities came directly from you through surveys and consultations.

Unfortunately, the employer continues to fall short in all three areas:

1. Wages that reflect our work: Our wages have not kept pace with inflation, rising living costs, or the escalating demands placed on instructors, teaching assistants, course coordinators, marker-graders, and lab demonstrators. The employer’s offer so far does not address the real erosion in our pay.

We deserve compensation that recognizes the professional, academic, and emotional labour we provide every single week.

2. Benefits that actually meet members’ needs: The Unit 1 benefit fund is stretched to the breaking point. Members run out of benefit dollars long before the end of the academic year, forcing many to pay out of pocket for basic health, dental, and vision needs.

We are pushing for increased benefit funding so you are not left competing for limited resources or choosing between your health and your wallet.

3. Workload protections that keep teaching sustainable: Class sizes, course demands, and administrative tasks continue to grow without the support, compensation, or protections required to do this work effectively and fairly.

We are fighting for clearer workload language, reasonable class and seminar sizes, and protections against unpaid work.

These are not extravagant asks. These are the essentials required to maintain high-quality working and learning conditions at Brock University.

Why a Strike Mandate Now? A strong strike mandate does not mean going on strike. It means giving your bargaining team the power to demand better, and ensuring the employer finally takes our issues seriously. Historically, at CUPE 4207 and across the postsecondary sector, strong strike mandates are the single most effective tool to secure a fair deal without job action.

We have scheduled three Strike Mandate Presentations and we encourage you to attend one of the three Hybrid sessions:

Wed, Dec 3 at 10:00 AM in WH 204 & Zoom;

Thu, Dec 4 at 12:00 PM in GLN A 164 & Zoom;

Thu, Dec 4 at  6:00 PM in GLN A 164 & Zoom.

Your Vote Matters! Voting opens on Thursday, Dec 4th at 8:00 PM and closes on Thursday, Dec 11th at 8:00 PM. All current Unit 1 contract holders will be emailed a link to the electronic ballot.

This vote is your opportunity to show the employer that Unit 1 members deserve wages that keep you afloat, benefits that protect your health, and workloads that respect your time and expertise.

We can achieve this together, with a strong, united YES vote.

In solidarity,

Your Unit 1 Bargaining Committee,

Tracy Kennedy (Chair), Kendra-Lee Dupuis, Brigitte Cecckin, Tracy Stewart, Darrin Sunstrum, Phil Wachel

Click HERE for a Strike Mandate Vote FAQ

A message from OPIRG Brock….

We are hosting a Free Winter and Household Item Pick Up with Brock International and Brock Faith and Life Centre. Link to event: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/303042

Wednesday, November 12 2025, 1:30pm EST

Alphie’s Trough – Faith and Life Centre, Brock University

We are also in need of donations of winter gear, shoes, bedding/linens, towels, and kitchen/household items. You can drop off donations at the following locations during their open hours:

• Fine Grind Cafe – 37 James St., St. Catharines
• Lock Street Brewing Co. (Bedding and towels only) – 15 Lock St., St. Catharines
• At the event

For more info & upcoming Free Store dates, visit our website at www.opirgbrock.com/niagarafreestore 

Hope to see you there!

Niagara Free Store Team

Once again we invite all members out to board game night. Come to the Sanky Chambers at 6:30 Wed Oct 29th for great board games and some chips, pop and other snacks. Wet wipes will be provided. Please send any game or snack request to Dan the M.O.O.

We need to show our presence on the Thursday BBQ and we need some good signs to help out. Come on out to lend a hand and make some amazing signs. Come to the Union office in Glenridge A121, Wednesday October 22nd 12:30-4:00pm.

Delegates at this year’s National Convention in Toronto received a copy of Judy Darcy’s Leading from the Heart. Judy Darcy is a former CUPE National President and served as the Elections Officer at the 2025 Convention.

Quality education can’t happen when learning spaces – whether in person or virtual – are packed beyond capacity.

Unit 5, Our Faculty of Education Instructors, are standing up against the normalization of overcrowded classes that undermine student success and exploit academic workers.

Unit 1 is facing the same challenges, as seminar sizes are beyond room capacity. Our online members are being exploited with dozens of extra students without extra pay.

It’s time for real investment in education, not austerity disguised as efficiency.

Dear CUPE 4207 Members,
Today, on September 30, 2025, we observe National Day for Truth and
Reconciliation, a day to honour the Survivors of Canada’s residential school system, the
children who never returned home, and the families and communities who continue to
carry this legacy. This day also coincides with Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots initiative
that began with Phyllis Webstad’s story of having her orange shirt taken from her on
her first day at a residential school. It has since become a symbol of the profound loss
of culture, identity, and dignity experienced by generations of Indigenous Peoples.
This day exists because of Call to Action #80 from the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC), which urged the creation of a statutory holiday dedicated to
commemoration. But commemoration alone is not enough.
For CUPE 4207 members, this day is both a time of reflection and a call to
responsibility.
As your Equity Officer, I encourage us all to journey together in consideration of what
truth and reconciliation means, in the context of our work, our classrooms, and our
communities and other spaces of influence.
Reconciliation is not an abstract concept—it is about listening deeply to Indigenous
voices, acknowledging ongoing inequities, and taking concrete steps to ensure that
Indigenous perspectives and knowledges are respected and included and prioritized.
It is also about holding institutions, including our own, accountable for meaningful
change.

What We Can Do as Members

• Read the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action and
  reflect on those connected to education, equity, and justice, or whatever is your
  own nuanced domain.
• Attend local events in Niagara marking Truth and Reconciliation Day. These
  gatherings are opportunities to learn directly from Indigenous community
  members and knowledge keepers.
• Engage in ongoing learning by exploring resources such as the National Centre
  for Truth and Reconciliation, CUPE’s reconciliation guides, and Brock University’s
  Indigenous initiatives.
• Support Indigenous-led work in our communities, including through
  partnerships with local Indigenous organizations in the Niagara region.
• Bring reconciliation into your role—whether by incorporating Indigenous
  authors in syllabi, ensuring equity in student services, or advocating for policies
  that reflect Indigenous rights and perspectives.

Resources for Our Region: For those wishing to go further, I recommend the following starting points:

• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action: available on the
  National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation website and also this link
• CUPE’s Reconciliation Guide and resources on bargaining for recognition of this day.
• The Niagara Region’s Indigenous Engagement initiatives and Creating Our Way Forward report, which highlight local pathways for reconciliation.
• Indigenous programming and support services offered through Brock
  University.

I invite all members to use this day not only to remember, but to recommit ourselves to
the work of reconciliation. As a local, we must continue to ask:
How can CUPE 4207 contribute to justice, healing, and equity?
Let us take this opportunity to stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities—on
September 30, 2025 and every day thereafter.
In solidarity,

Kay Waboso
Equity Officer
CUPE 4207