Bargaining Bulletin #1

Executive Summary

• CUPE 3902 Unit 3 had record participation in the survey of your bargaining priorities, equivalent to double the participation of prior rounds of negotiation.
• When those priorities were put to members, the vote was 100% in favour of adoption. This is incredibly encouraging, and there is every reason to believe the engagement and solidarity will continue throughout this round.
• Your Bargaining Team (BT) and the Employer have met 5 times thus far.
• Bargaining has stalled during the summer for a number of reasons.
• The next three bargaining dates are set for early next month – September 2, 6, and 7.

If you have time to read more details about your BT’s progress, please see below.  

In solidarity,

The Unit 3 Bargaining Team

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Bargaining Bulletin #1 – Expanded

Dear Unit 3 members,

Your elected Bargaining Team (BT) is pleased to let you know that there was record participation in the survey of bargaining priorities, equivalent to double the participation of prior rounds of negotiation, which indicates your strong, early engagement in the process. The bargaining priorities received 100% support by members who voted in the Unit 3 priorities meeting on November 23, 2021.

Since bargaining began in February 2022, your BT has met with the Employer five times. In these sessions, the team presented a significant package of non-financial proposals, seeking to improve the conditions of your employment at the University of Toronto, emphasizing especially your desire to improve job security and make the advancement process more accessible. Currently, your BT awaits the Employer’s full response to these initial proposals.

As you can imagine, scheduling is difficult during the summer months, and this has led to a temporary lull in bargaining. Personnel changes on the BT have also contributed to this. The precarious nature of your employment at the University of Toronto also makes membership in the Union precarious, and some BT members have moved on to other employment. This is yet another indication that precarious labour undermines the overall quality of education and detracts from the community at the University of Toronto. It is high time for the University of Toronto to show leadership in this area by improving your access to more stable and predictable work. For this reason, the BT will continue to press the Employer to address the priorities you highlighted in the pre-bargaining survey.

The next three bargaining dates are set for September 2, 6, and 7. When the University kicks into full gear in September, your BT will be eagerly seeking as many dates as possible with the Employer to present the final proposals. Meanwhile, in the coming weeks, your co-workers will be calling you to discuss what you can do to support bargaining, giving you an important opportunity to show the Employer you are engaged and ready to act!

In solidarity,

The Unit 3 Bargaining Team

Erich Vogt

Frédérique Vézina 

Thomas Robles

Kenneth McNeilly

Thomas Laughlin

Keshav Krishnamurty 

Amy Conwell

David Simao

Leila Meskine