Who is on the Bargaining Research Committee?
Melissa St. Germaine-Small
Gloria Leahy
If you’d like to reach out to the BRC, you can email the team: brc@cupe4207.org
Who is on the Bargaining Support Committee?
Karen Hofman
Suze Tkachuk
Rebecca LaRocca
Kaho Nishibu
Melissa St-Germaine-Small
Steph Kravcik
Nicole Lemieux
If you are interested in getting involved in the Bargaining Support Committee, please email Phil Wachel – president@cupe4207.org. Any 4207 member in good standing can be on this committee, regardless of your unit.
Who is on the Unit 1 Bargaining Committee?
Tracy Kennedy (Committee Chair) – Instructor Representative
Hello Sisters, Brothers, and Comrades! My name is Tracy Kennedy, and I have been an Instructor at Brock for 23 years and a TA for 26 years. I have taught in six departments at Brock and at four universities across Ontario. I currently serve as VP Unit 1 Instructors for a second time. I know firsthand the challenges we all face in Unit 1 – precarious contracts, unpredictable workloads, and limited job security. I have been a vocal advocate for Unit 1 members, and a proven leader in negotiations for Instructor’s rights. In the last round of bargaining, I fought to protect Instructor’s Intellectual Property rights over their course content and secure teaching opportunities for PhD students to help build their CVs. I appreciate the opportunity to be on the Bargaining Committee again, and will continue to fight for fair wages, reasonable workloads, and respect in our workplace.
Kendra-Lee Dupuis (Notetaker) – Graduate Student Representative
Hi everyone! My name is Kendra-Lee Dupuis. I wear many hats at Brock University, including being a second year Master of Arts with a nursing speciality student, research assistant, course coordinator, teaching assistant and clinical instructor. Therefore, I am both a unit 1 and unit 4 member, offering unique perspectives into the healthcare and education realm. I look forward to being a part of the bargaining committee to ensure the best working conditions for all at Brock University.
Brigitte Cecckin – Member at large
Hi All. My name is Brigitte Cecckin and am honoured once again to participate in the Bargaining Committee for a new collective agreement. I am also your Lead Steward Unit 1 representing Unit 1 members when violations of the collective agreement have occurred. I have over 40 years of experience in Union business and have bargained many collective agreements during this time. My goal in this collective agreement is equal pay for equal work a campaign that has been adopted by our committee. I am a teaching assistant in Labour Studies for the past 24 years, on occasion I will work in the department of Sociology. On a personal note, my passions are adopting as many rescue dogs as possible. There are many fur friends that need love, security and a stable home.
Darrin Sunstrum – Member at Large
Hello there, I’m Darrin Sunstrum. I am a Brock graduate, who has worked as a Course Coordinator and Teaching Assistant in the Faculty of the Humanities, Department of Classics since 2003. I have served the local in various capacities, as a Faculty Steward, 1812 Health & Safety Committee, Bargaining Research Committee member, and member of the Bargaining Committee.
Tracy Stewart – Member at Large
Hi, my name is Tracy Stewart. I’m a Teaching Assistant and Course Coordinator in the Humanities, mainly in the Department of History and the Centre for Canadian Studies. I’ve been employed at Brock University since 1998, and was fortunate to vote for certifying CUPE 4207 Unit One at Brock! I hold an Honours Degree in History and a Bachelor of Education from Brock, and am also a licensed hairstylist and aesthetician (Jill of all trades!).
Over the past 27 years, I’ve worked across multiple disciplines and in many different environments, and have only grown in my certainty that a strong union is essential for our workers. I look forward to standing up for Unit 1 workers in this collective bargaining year!
Stephanie Kravcik – Member at Large
Hello everyone! You may have seen me around at various union events, but for those who don’t know me, I’d like to introduce myself. I am the current Health and Safety Deputy Officer with CUPE 4207, and wear a number of additional hats within the social, political action, equity, and bargaining committees, just to name a few. I have been a Teaching Assistant in both the Child and Youth Studies and Psychology departments for the last couple of years, and have been an active part of making my community a better place to live in for much of my life. I am honoured to hold a position on this year’s bargaining team, and look forward to continuing to make a difference in the lives of those around me.
Phil Wachel – President
Phil Wachel has served on three Unit 1 Bargaining Committees (once as an elected member of the committee and twice in an ex-officio role as president of the Local). Phil has taken bargaining training on numerous occasions. Phil has worked across the university as a Unit 1 worker (Faculty of Education, the Goodman School of Business, the Department of Economics, the Centre for Digital Humanities and the former Centre for Intercultural Studies). Phil is excited to work with the Unit 1 Bargaining Committee as we negotiate for a fair deal. In Solidarity, Phil.
Members can reach the Unit 1 Bargaining Committee at: cupe4207bargaining@gmail.com
Unit 1 Bargaining Updates
June 2025: The Unit 1 Bargaining Committee took a break from meeting in person in the month of May. We had been going through the Collective Agreement in its entirety to ensure that all the language is clear and that our members are protected. We will be continuing our review of the CA the week of June 23rd.
We were having some difficulties getting rooms booked for bargaining because of the scheduling for two units (Unit 1 & Unit 5), and the need for three rooms (two for caucusing and one for meeting). The employer proposed some room locations on campus that were not accessible for our team, so we could not accept them. Unfortunately, they stopped responding to our communications about this. As such, we have gone ahead and completed our own room bookings.
This month we had two days of Goals & Strategic planning with CUPE National at the Hannover office and another full day going through the Collective with the bargaining committee. In July, there will be CAT (Contract Action Team) training sessions offered to the Bargaining support Committee, Executive Committee, and mobilizers. The Union served Notice to Bargain to the Employer on June 10, 2025. Our first meeting with the employer for negotiations also begins in July, with four dates scheduled.
What is Notice to Bargain?
https://www.ontario.ca/page/collective-bargaining#beginning
Generally, to begin the negotiation process, the union or the employer must notify the other party that they would like to begin negotiations for a first collective agreement or the renewal of a collective agreement. This is known as providing notice to bargain. After a union has been certified, or if the employer has voluntarily recognized the union, the union must notify the employer in writing of its desire to start negotiating a first collective agreement. If there’s already a collective agreement between the parties, either can provide notice to bargain to the other, in writing, within 90 days before the agreement expires or during any period specified within the agreement. The union and the employer must meet within 15 days from giving notice, unless they agree to a different timeframe.
April 2025: The Bargaining Committee last met at the end of March. Since that time, we have gone through the survey data, analyzed the quantitative and qualitative data, and discussed and prepared the Priority Proposals Presentation.
The Priority Proposals presentation was rescheduled from March 26th to April 2nd due the election. The Bargaining Committee presented the Priorities Proposals at 11am and 5pm, which included survey demographics, the key priorities, and comments from members about their concerns and issues. Members who attended voted YES to accept the Priority Proposals.
The Bargaining Committee is meeting next in mid-April, and we have mapped out committee meeting dates and potential negotiating dates with the employer from May to December. We will continue to work on revising problematic language in the Collective Agreement and creating new Articles and language to address the priority concerns of our Unit 1 members.
This month, the Bargaining Committee will meet with the Bargaining Support Committee and members of CUPE Ontario to discuss media strategies and mobilizing for the coming months. We will be more than ready to negotiate for your rights when we get to the bargaining table. If you are interested in being a part of the Bargaining Support Committee, please reach out to us. In solidarity!
February 2025 – The Unit 1 Bargaining Committee has met several times since December to discuss the issues and challenges for our members, and to create the Bargaining Survey. The Bargaining Survey was sent out to over 1300 Unit 1 contract holders on Mon, Feb 3rd, and we created a flyer with a QR code that has been posted to bulletin boards across campus. The survey closes on Feb 24th. Please be sure to complete it, as your voice matters!
The Bargaining Committee attended two full-day Bargaining Training sessions and a Strategic Planning Session with our CUPE National Representative to map out the bargaining process. We have three additional meeting days scheduled in March to analyze the survey results and to create the Priority Proposals, which we will present at the end of March. Stay tuned for date and location information.