February GMM on Wednesday 28th @ 4pm

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Our February General Members Meeting is on the last day of the month.

AGENDA:

  • CUPE Ontario Convention

We will be electing 10 delegates* to CUPE Ontario Convention that runs from May 30 to July 2, 2018 and is held in Toronto.

Our local is affiliated with CUPE Ontario. This provincial body of CUPE holds annual conventions for delegates from CUPE locals all around Ontario. This year is an election year; this means that the delegates will be electing members of the executive board of CUPE Ontario, one trustee and eight caucus representatives. You can see the positions and other so far released logistics by clicking on the convention link above. The whole experience, engagement and learning is free to our members (transportation, accommodation and per diems). It is an opportunity to get involved in your union and see the incredible work the locals and the provincial division do to improve our working conditions, advance equality and social justice that benefits all workers.

*The convention cannot run without the work of convention committees. Any delegate can apply to sit on any one of the five convention committees.  Once elected as a delegate at this GMM,  let the local know if you would like to put your name forward for one or any of the committees. Deadline for submitting the application for the convention committee service is March 1.

  • Resolutions

One of the ways that CUPE members engage in shaping their union is by submitting resolutions to the convention’s Resolutions Committee that selects which resolutions are then submitted for discussion by the delegates and subjected to a vote. If adopted by delegates, the executive board and caucus representatives are  bound by the resolutions and work on their implementation.

A resolution to be sent to the CUPE Ontario for the convention will presented to members for consideration and recommendation.

  • Bylaw and Policy changes notifications

Notice to changes to our bylaws and policies will be given on the topics of  Bargaining Support Committee, and introducing new Bargaining Research Committee as a standing committee. Subscription policy and Child Care policy changes notification will be given as well. All these bylaws and policy changes will be voted on at the subsequent GMM.

  • Vote  on a by law amendment( small and technical) change to bylaw 16.3** that was announced at GMM in November (adding conferences to capture the range of events to which our local normally elects delegates ).
**16.3 Election of Delegates to conventions/conferences shall be held at a regular General
Membership Meeting. A plurality of votes shall determine the election results. If a
member in good standing of the Local holds an elected position on the executive or on
committees of CUPE National, the Ontario Division of CUPE, the Ontario Federation of
Labour, or the Canadian Labour Congress, he or she shall act as delegate to the
convention or conference without having to run for election.

And any other agenda members deem fit to ad.

And as usual, food and drinks to tie you over while you engage in the work of your union! Yes, attending general meetings is exactly it – engaging. Let your voice be heard!

Ninth Floor film screening

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For Black History Month, our local is showing 2015 film by Mina Shum, Ninth Floor. There are quite a few film events scheduled this month on campus. Our Communications Committee picked Ninth Floor for its topicality — it describes racial injustice on a university campus.

In the course of several months in 1968-69, tension had built up at Sir George Williams University in Montreal (now Concordia) over accusations of racist discrimination from six Black Caribbean students. The university, in defense of its white lecturer, profoundly affected lives of the six Black students. Many of the 200 students involved in organized acts of civil disobedience to address this injustice were arrested.

In Sankey Chamber, this Thursday at 5 pm. Light food and drinks.

“The film is a meticulously detailed mesh of archival material, some of it very rare, and present-day testimony from participants who talk intimately about the event, clearly still haunted by it.”

Mental Health Workshops

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The two mental health educational modules that we have asked CUPE National to facilitate are taking place at the end of this week!

Friday, January 26 from 6 pm to 9 pm.

Saturday, January 27 from 9 am to 4 pm.

UNDERSTANDING MENTAL HEALTH

and

CREATING PSYCHOLOGICALLY SAFE & HEALTHY WORKPLACES

Click below for details and registration. It is free for our members and comes with food!

https://cupe.ca/workshops/steward-learning-series-307

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

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WEDNESDAY JANUARY 17 at 4 pm in POND INLET

ON AGENDA:
ESL Services – Integrated Program
Challenged Motion to donate
Written Reports from Racial Justice / Human Rights Conference
Donation to Salem Chapel BME Church  (Harriet Tubman Church) – http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2017/10/26/harriet-tubmans-church-needs-help

And anything you want to add directly at the meeting (or email cupe4207@brocku.ca).

Info on pharmaceuticals covered by OHIP for Ontarians under 25

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For members who have enrolled and seeking to enroll in our Health Benefits Plan.

Starting January 1, 2018, more than 4,400 drug products will be free for anyone age 24 years or younger. You don’t need to enroll – all you need is a health card number and an eligible prescription. For more info on how it fits our health benefits program, and members who are not Ontario residents, see Canadian Benefits newsletter here.

To enroll for Winter term go to our page on howto, or email, call the local for help.The deadline for enrolling is February 15, 2018.

You ask, we answer! Pay day schedule.

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Do you recall that the employer switched to one-week lag pay schedule at the beginning of this term? Thanks to this new payroll regime we are now paid one week later than the two week work period for which the pay is issued. Please note, that in 2017 the last pay day is on December 29 for the period December 10-23. As you can see in the pay day schedule for 2018 (linked below), we will get paid for Dec 24 – 31 period on January 12, 2018 .

Here is the schedule for 2018. 

How to find both 2017 and 2017 tables?   Log in  https://brocku.sharepoint.com/
Click on Services Directory on the top drop-down menu; then on Human Resources; once there, go to the vertical list on the left and click on Payroll. Under the subheading Pay Schedules and Submission Dates find the bi-weekly one week-lag links.

Sick? Know your rights.

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It’s the end of the Fall term and also the beginning of flu season. All the crunch associated with wrapping up courses and marking/grading at the end of the semester makes us vulnerable to bugs and viruses.

Fortunately, our collective agreement allows for a paid sick leave.

For Unit 1 it is five paid sick days a term. The odd particularity about our sick leave is that each day of the week is covered only once (e.g., one Monday, one Tuesday, etc.). See article 19 of our collective agreement.

In the event you become sick, make sure you let the Chair of your department know as soon as you can, so the department can make arrangements associated with your absence and even find a replacement for you. This means that you do not lose pay while nursing your illness at home, and the replacement fellow worker gets paid – a win-win solution!

If you not have scheduled contact hours with students (at the end of the semester or as Marker/Grader), the department shall allow reasonable and sufficient time to complete your marking/grading duties.

Questions?

Contact your union!

Health Benefits Survey

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In September, we have introduced Health and Dental Benefits plan, negotiated at the last round of Unit 1 bargaining. This plan addresses the health needs of our members who are not graduate students and historically had no access to health benefits at Brock.

To understand our members needs better, the underwriter of our plan, Canadian Benefits Consulting Group, prepared a survey, linked below. It would take only about 5 minutes of your time to fill in (10 questions and a comment box). Please complete the survey before the Fall term is over. The survey answers are anonymous; if you chose not to answer a question, simply leave it blank.

HEALTH AND DENTAL PLAN SURVEY

Your contributions to the survey help us to address the health needs of our members better. Thank you!

Interested in a dinner and dance?

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Our comrades in CUPE 1295 are having a banquet at Club Capri on December 16th starting at 5 :30 pm. Our local purchased 16 tickets for 1295-ers banquet.

The tickets are free for members who want to attend – just give us a shout at cupe4207@brocku.ca.

Prizes, raffle good food and dance, and of course, solidarity!