cupe3912webmaster

Between December 16 – 19, 2022, 72.4% of CUPE 3912 eligible members at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) voted; 95.2% voted in favour of a mandate to strike.

In the coming weeks, our CUPE 3912 MSVU Negotiating Team will prepare for our January 2023 bargaining meetings with the employer, where there will also be a conciliator appointed by the Nova Scotia Department of Labour to try and help to overcome our current impasse.

With your mandate, our upcoming negotiations will be influenced by the knowledge that we can call a strike at short notice in winter of 2023, and that we have the means, the will, the experience and the resolve to do so, if necessary.

In the coming weeks we will also be preparing for a potential strike, if it is necessary, to support our collective bargaining goals. This includes organizing a team for the planning, operation and execution of an MSVU strike.

This is our first call for CUPE 3912 MSVU volunteers. Please contact our Vice-President or President this week if you can. We will follow up with emailed updates that are also on our website.

There are roles and responsibilities related to strike activity administration, picketing, communications and finance. We will be organizing Strike Preparation planning and training sessions that will start in January 2023.  

We will also take steps to prepare for a Strike Pay bank account, similar to what was set up in 2022 for our CUPE 3912 strike at Dalhousie University.

CUPE 3912 members employed by MSVU in the winter of 2023, who are documented as performing strike duties, will be able to receive strike pay cheques.  

These activities are similar to what is being organized by CUPE 3912 members at Saint Mary’s University, who also voted YES to a Mandate to Strike on December 1 – 2.  

We are also building on the successful experiences and support of CUPE National and our CUPE 3912 Dal Strike veterans.

Take some time now with your family and friends this holiday season. Please also take some time with your colleagues and your organized labour family in 2023.

Between December 16-19, 2022, there is a “Mandate to Strike” vote by CUPE 3912 MSVU members with Fall 2022 contracts. This can strengthen our bargaining position for our scheduled January 2023 MSVU conciliation talks.

We’ll use the same safe, secure, secret online voting platform that our CUPE 3912 SMU members used in their December 2022 Mandate to Strike vote. Their 91.8% Yes vote supports their team for January 2023 conciliation talks.

Please vote. Under NS labour law a mandate in this case is a majority of members, not just a majority of those voting. Members who do not vote are counted as voting No. Our participation rate in this vote is important.

Mandate to Strike Vote – What does it mean?

A yes vote does not mean we are now on strike. A yes vote means our team can start a strike later on, if necessary.  A yes to a possible strike vote encourages the employer to reach a deal without a strike.

Some frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answers about a CUPE 3912 Mandate to Strike vote are presented here.

Our MSVU employer’s May 2022 offer was 1%, 1%, 1.25%, and 1.25%, and that was conditional on not accepting our proposals on performance reviews, Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), and committees.  We reached an impasse with the employer, and asked the NS Department of Labour to provide a Conciliator to help us overcome this impasse. Those conciliation talks start in January 2023.

Voting Yes is the best way to avoid a strike. A strong Yes vote demonstrates support for our efforts to improve our working conditions, and that we will take action, if necessary. In 2023, our resolve will not be underestimated by this employer. Voting Yes encourages more productive negotiations with the employer, and a new collective agreement, without actually going on strike.

A strike if necessary, but not necessarily a strike.

Your CUPE 3912 – MSVU Negotiating Team

https://cupe3912.ca/bargaining/msvu/negotiating-committee/

We are pleased to announce that we now have a tentative deal with Dalhousie’s Administration. This tentative agreement must still be ratified by the membership in order for it to be signed and for the strike to end. The link to vote has been sent by email from Simply Voting. If you have not received an email to vote please first check your spam folder and then email voting@cupe3912.ca.

Voting will be open until 11:55 PM (23:55) Friday, November 11th. 

Picketing (and strike pay) will continue until a tentative agreement is ratified.

In sum, the deal remains largely the same as the Dalhousie Administration’s previous offer with an additional raise for Marker/Demonstrators. We have also established a draft Return to Work plan that currently includes no loss of income for the period of the strike.

The 3 Documents of the Tentative Agreement:

The Changes to the Agreement includes changes that will be made to the previous Collective Agreement (2016-2020) to form the new Collective Agreement (2020-2024).

The Memorandum of the Agreement includes information regarding how the new Collective Agreement (2020-2024) will be formed (as described above) as well as how retroactive pay (additional pay for work performed from September 2020 – present) will be administered.

The Return to Work Agreement details the procedure for how the strike will end. This includes no loss of pay for TAs and PTAs for the duration of the strike. Markers/Demonstrators will continue to be paid for all hours worked.

Calculated Yearly Pay:

All years are academic years beginning Sept. 1st.

Teaching Assistants:

2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023	2023-2024
$24.72	$25.02	$28.61	$30.05

Markers/Demonstrators:

2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023	2023-2024
$16.82	$17.03	$23.52	$24.00

Part-Time Academics:

# of courses	2020-2021	2021-2022	# of courses	2022-2023	2023-2024
0-7 8-19 20+	$10,594.80 $12,133.80 $12,881.03	$10,727.24 $12,285.47 $13,042.04	0-13 14+	$12702.20 $14154.30	$12956.25 $14437.38

PTA salaries are for a 6-credit, 8-month “full course.” 

PTA salaries are categorized by the number of previously taught 3-credit, 4-month “half-courses.”

Clinical and Fountain School of Performing Arts Instructors:

Role	2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023	2023-2024
Nursing DH PT/OT Pharmacy FSPA	$34.32 $40.14 $45.22 N/A $66.00	$45 $40.64 $45.78 N/A $66.83	$47.90 $43.40 $48.70 $50.00 $70.38	$48.85 $44.27 $49.68 $51.00 $71.79

While the deal is not perfect, the Negotiating Committee is recommending it as the best deal we can acquire for this bargaining period. This recommendation is required to bring the ratification vote to the membership.

Reminder: Special Membership Meeting (SMM) on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. in DSU Council Chambers (second floor of the SUB) or via Zoom.

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Thanks to all our work on the picket line and the solidarity of our allies, we have made strides in negotiations. We have had over 6000 people sign our petitions, dozens of other unions have joined us online or in person in solidarity, and over 450 members continue to walk our picket lines. The community, both of Halifax and the students of Dalhousie, have offered us support and that has helped us move forward.

This week in bargaining, Dalhousie’s Administration presented an offer that we countered with a proposal that matched the concerns and needs of our membership. In response, Dalhousie’s Administration presented a second offer nearly identical to the first. Most of the gains in Dalhousie’s Administration’s current offer will not take effect until September, 2023. Below is a breakdown of the two offers.

Offer Comparison

Part-Time Academics:

	# of courses	2020	2021	# of courses	2022	2023
Our Offer	0-7 8-19 20+	$10,777.92 $12,343.52 $13,103.66	$11,209.04 $12,837.26 $13,627.81		$11,993.67 $13,735.87 $14,581.75	$12,713.29 $14,560.02 $15,456.66
Dal’s Offer (Nov. 3)	0-7 8-19 20+	$10,594.80 $12,133.80 $12,881.03	$10,727.24 $12,285.47 $13,042.04	0-13 14+	$12,654.05 $14,133.30	$12,907.14 $14,415.96

Though the removal of the first tier is a win for those who have taught 0-7 and 14-19 courses, it leaves behind all other PTAs. They have simply averaged the wages for three tiers into two to try and divide PTAs, pitting them against each other. 

In addition, there is almost no retro pay included for 2020 and 2021. This will result in less retro pay per class taught prior to this year for all PTAs. 

Year	2020	2021
Retro Pay Denied (per 6 credits)	$183-$222	$481-$585

Nursing, Dental Hygiene, Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy, and Fountain School of Performing Arts:

	Role	2020	2021	2022	2023
Our Offer	Nursing DH PT/OT FSPA	$34.32 $40.14 $45.22 $66.00	$45 $40.64 $45.78 $66.83	$47.90 $42.89 $48.18 $70.38	$48.85 $43.74 $49.15 $71.79
Dal’s Offer (Nov. 3)	Nursing DH PT/OT FSPA	$34.32 $40.14 $45.22 $66.00	$45 $40.64 $45.78 $66.83	$47.90 $43.40 $48.70 $70.38	$48.85 $44.27 $49.68 $71.79

During negotiations, Dalhousie’s Administration exceeded our offer for Nursing, DH, PT/OT, and FSPA. We will be happy to match their wages with our next offer.

Pharmacy:

	2022	2023
Our Offer	$51.00	$52.02
Dal’s Offer (Nov. 3)	$50.00	$51.00

Between Wednesday and Thursday, Dalhousie’s Administration lowered their offer for Pharmacy, seemingly moving the money into other sections rather than raising the wage unilaterally. We retained the higher wage in our offer.

Teaching Assistants:

	2020	2021	2022	2023
Our Offer	$25.63	$27.17	$30.97	$32.52
Dal’s Offer	$24.72	$25.02	$28.61	$30.05

Though Dalhousie’s Administration improved their offer this round, their maximum offer still does not reach the minimum our members requested in surveys, Q&As, and during bargaining meetings nor does it meet parity with the U15.

Markers/Demonstrators:

	2020	2021	2022	2023
Our Offer	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Dal’s Offer	$16.82	$17.03	$22.43	$23.55

Our offer was to remove the Marker/Demonstrator roles entirely to prevent the exploitation in these roles, which currently allows for responsibilities traditionally performed by TAs to be completed for 32% less an hour. The wages for Marker/Demonstrators need to be tied to TA wages so that the opportunity for exploitation is removed.

What Happens Next?

Special Membership Meeting – November 8th at 6:30 p.m.:

Leading up to the strike, we based our negotiation strategy and proposals on the responses of our membership to our surveys, discussions on the picket line, and online Q&As. 

Now that we are three weeks into the strike and have completed the most recent rounds of bargaining, we will be holding a Special Membership Meeting (SMM) on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. in DSU Council Chambers (second floor of the SUB) or via Zoom to gauge current membership opinions and concerns on picketing and the bargaining process.

Survey: 

We are currently developing a survey to gather electronic responses from our membership regarding how bargaining is currently going and how they want to proceed. This survey will be made available following the SMM on Tuesday.

Dalhousie has spent considerable resources trying to divide us and undercut our efforts. This shows that our actions are effective. Every meeting we have with the Dalhousie Negotiating Committee earns us more. While some members of our union may have reached what they wanted, we continue to push for those who have not. The meeting and the survey next week are your opportunity to have your voice heard again. 

Dalhousie works because we do.

All work done by CUPE 3912 members should stop for the length of the strike. If you continue to work, you will not be paid.

Picketing Plan

October 24th-28th, 2022

• Picketing Locations: 

  • Oct. 24th: Rowe Building (Studley Campus)

  • Oct. 25th: Barrington St. Greenspace (Sexton Campus)

  • Oct. 26th: Tupper Courtyard (Carleton Campus)

  • Oct. 27th: LSC – between LSC and Henry Hicks (Studley Campus)

  • Oct. 28th: Killam Library (Studley Campus)

Any member can join us, no prior signup required. Just show up, go to the tent to receive information, sign-in on the timesheets, pick up buttons and a sign, join the picket line, and sign-out when you leave to ensure you get strike pay.

Following Weeks

 

Sign Up for Strike Duties

Anyone can show up, the more the better, however we encourage people to sign up for the times you selected on the form.

Other Strike-Related Information

Frequently Asked Questions

• Most answers to strike-related questions can be found in  the Strike FAQ. Please check the material in the posts and FAQs before emailing us to improve response times.
• If you cannot find the answer to your questions here, please email one of the VPs or drop in at Strike HQ in the SUB (Boardroom B, second floor).
• Our picketing schedule is Monday-Friday, but because our strike started on a Wednesday, the pay period for strike pay is Wednesday-Tuesday. This pay period is set by the CUPE National Strike Fund Regulations. 
  • In practical terms, this means that: 
    • The pay for the last week (Oct. 19-22) is not yet ready, because technically the pay period ends on Tuesday, Oct. 25. There is not yet pay for those who have taken on strike duties. 
    • The tentative pay date is every Friday, but we are not yet sure. The pay date will be clarified ASAP. Everyone’s efforts are appreciated, and we want everyone to be compensated for their time. We are trying to adapt to the situation as necessary.

Negotiations Update 

• On the 24th October, 2022, Dal Admin sent us a notice of arbitration, which means they want a third party to decide on the wages we deserve. We believe arbitration is premature since it is only the first week of strike. However, we are always open to meet them at the bargaining table, if they decide to return.
• The last set of negotiations took place on October 17 and 18, 2022, and the Dalhousie Administration walked away from the table. Their final offer was much lower than what our surveys showed that our membership would accept. They also refused to offer a four year agreement as is standard for academic collective agreements.
• These are the increases the Dalhousie Administration has offered over three years:
  • PTAs 12.28%, 11.43%, and 11.09% depending on the tier
  • Teaching Assistants 17.69%
  • Markers/Demonstrators 30.40%
• Our offer, covering four years (2020-2023), asked for:
  • PTAs 17.54%
  • Teaching Assistants 27.33%
  • Markers/Demonstrators designation to be eliminated to prevent duty creep.

Hardship 

• Organization of the hardship fund is in process; more information to come shortly.

Accessibility

• For those who need accommodations due to a disability or alternate strike duties due to distance, please contact DalRemoteDuties@cupe3912.ca.

Contact

• For emergencies which cannot be handled by picket captains, or to discuss accommodations in person, check in with the team at Strike HQ located in Boardroom B, on the second floor in the Student Union Building.
• For media, please reach out to our Communications Officer, Gábor Lukács, at communications@cupe3912.ca, or our Outreach Coordinator, David Banoub, at outreach@cupe3912.ca.
• For other matters, contact us at office@cupe3912.ca.

Given how popular last week’s Q&A sessions were, we are adding more dates this week. We encourage all CUPE 3912 members. PTAs, TAs, Markers/Demonstrators, to come and ask questions.

Tuesday, October 11

• In person:
  • 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Student Union Building main entrance
  • 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 6th Floor Grad Lounge
• Online:
  • 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., contact us for the zoom link

Wednesday, October 12

• In person:
  • 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Student Union Building main entrance
  • 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., 319 Chase Building
  • 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m., Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building main lobby
• Online:
  • 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., contact us for the zoom link

Thursday, October 13

• In person:
  • 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Student Union Building main entrance
  • 2 p.m. – 5 p.m., Romero Room 1004, IDEA Building
• Online:
  • 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., contact us for the zoom link

Friday, October 14

• In person:
  • 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Student Union Building main entrance
  • 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., 114 Sir James Dunn Building
  • 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Rebecca Cohn front entrance gallery
• Online:
  • 6:30 p.m. – flexible end time., contact us for the zoom link

Strike forms need to be signed on actual paper and submitted to us so that you can be paid for strike related activities. If a strike is called, Dalhousie will stop paying your Part-Time Academic, Teaching Assistant, and Marker/Demonstrator pay.

These forms can be:

• Signed at scheduled Q&As or at the SUB Info Desk.
• Printed, then signed, and handed in at the SUB Info Desk.
• If you’re off-campus, print, sign, and send to Aiden Farrant.

Want to know more about striking? 

We will be holding Strike Q&A Sessions this week in person and online. If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to meet a few fellow CUPE 3912 members, please stop by.

• Tuesday (Oct. 4)
  • In Person:  10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Biology, 5th floor lounge
  • Online: 7 p.m.  – 9 p.m., contact us for the zoom link.
• Wednesday (Oct. 5)
  • In Person: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Computer Science, in front of the building
  • In Person: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m., Grawood
• Thursday (Oct. 6)
  • In Person: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.,  Economics, Conference room
  • Online: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., contact us for the zoom link.
• Friday (Oct. 7)
  • In Person: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.,  Truro Meal Hall
  • Online: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., contact us for the zoom link.

What happens to your salary when go on strike?

On September 29, 2022, negotiations with the Employer at Dalhousie broke down because the Employer is unwilling to pay Dalhousie TAs, Markers, Demonstrators, and PTAs wages that are comparable to their peers, or account for inflation and the rising costs of living in HRM.

A detailed update on the financial cost on us of Employer’s last offer and the estimated income loss this means for each of us will follow later this week; for now, the current deal will result in approximately 15-20% loss of our wages’ buying power by August 2023.

The Employer’s representatives told us this was their last offer unless we go on strike.

During a strike, the Employer will stop paying your wages. Instead, you will receive strike pay for performing strike duties. If you are a graduate TA/Marker/Demonstrator, you will still receive your stipend but your TA Pay is frozen. PTA will have their entire wage from PTA work frozen. 

All CUPE 3912 members at Dalhousie must sign a Strike Pay Application Form without delay to be eligible to strike pay. More information for strike pay can be found here. You will have to do Strike related activities in order to receive strike pay, and you can make up to $1,200 tax free every month.

Strike Pay Application forms will be available for signature at the in-person sessions. For those who are unable to sign a form in person, we will be making arrangements for dropping off signed forms.

There is a Special General Meeting, Monday August 15 at 7 pm. The meeting will either be online or hybrid (TBD).

This general meeting will be to hold by-elections for several CUPE 3912 executive positions: 

• President
• VP, Dalhousie, Part-Time Faculty 
• VP, Dalhousie, Truro Campus
• VP TAs and Markers, Sexton Campus

To RSVP, contact our Membership Officer, Kim Robinson. A link will be sent to those who have RSVP’d prior to the meeting. 

There will be a Special General Meeting, Friday August 5, at 3 pm. 

It will be a hybrid meeting. The in-person option is at Dalhousie’s Rowe Building, room 1016. 

To receive the agenda in advance of the meeting, or the zoom link for the remote option, please RSVP with our Membership Officer, Kim Robinson.

Items on the agenda will include:

• A by-election for VP for TAs and Markers, Studley Campus
• Dalhousie strike preparations
• Election of members to committees
• Approval of audits