Representing Non-Academic Administrative, Professional and Technical Employees at McMaster University and Regional Medical Associates

February 2016 Volume 3, Issue 4

Unifor5555Unit 1 Bargaining, Stability, McMaster Employees Needed for

Research Study, Ontario Budget, EFAP, Voices of Women

The Workplace Committee has transformed into your Bargaining Committee and has been meeting regularly to start preparing for bargaining. We have been reviewing the current collective agreement, article by article, and working on improvements: whether they are simple clarifications on existing language, improvements to the language, closing of loopholes, wanted additions, new articles altogether. Dates have also been set for the two sides to meet, the first introductory meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 1 March and the first exchange of proposals meeting is set for Tuesday 5 April. The majority of the bargaining will happen off campus commencing Monday 11 April then every day for the next three weeks. Please mark your calendars with the date of Tuesday 29 March. as the Unit 1Bargaining Proposals Setting Meeting has been set from 12:00 noon ‐ 1:00 pm in the David Braley Athletics Centre’s Sport Hall. As always, please email comments and suggestions to us, the Bargaining Committee, at bargaining2016@unifor5555.ca.

In Solidarity,

Unit 1 Bargaining Committee

UNIT 1 BARGAINING HAS COMMENCED

Interesting Local Statistics:Did you know, as of February 2016 we

have 2356 members in our Local?

Did you know 79% of these members are women?

Did you know 7/10th of our members started before 2010?

Did you know 44% of our members are on soft research monies?

UNIT 1 BARGAINING COMMITTEE STABILITY

There have been a lot of changes in the Local’s leadership positions recently, and some members are asking questions about how these changes will impact Unit 1 bargaining. The short answer is: they will not. The Bargaining Committee will consist of essentially the same elected representatives as were voted in during December’s elections. Steve Goertz, who was elected in February’s By-Election, was on the Bargaining Committee during last round of negotiations. As President, I will also be on the Bargaining Committee, and this will be my fourth round of negotiations. Beth Couchman, who was just elected Vice-President, will still be taking point on negotiations as she, along with myself and the rest of the originally elected Bargaining Committee, have been preparing for this round of negotiations since the election results in December. As we are now in the midst

of a By-Election for Unit 1 Chairperson, whomever is successful will also be at the bargaining table, however, we decided it was unfair to expect that person to take on that level of work and responsibility with no preparation. Also, while the Unit 1 Chairperson is the face of the Bargaining Committee, it is really a team effort, and rest assured your Bargaining Committee will work together to bring you back the best possible contract. Everyone remains committed!

In Solidarity,

Emily HeikoopPresidentUnifor 5555

Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) Launches Enhanced Website

Human Resources Services is pleased to tell you that you now have access to a new and improved online Assistance Program website, Homeweb.

Homewood Health has developed an enhanced website to offer you a more personalized experience, featuring increased account security, and easier access to the tools and resources you may need – anywhere, anytime. Log-in details and information guides on using the new homeweb.ca website are located on the Employee and Family Assistance Program webpage at http://www.workingatmcmaster.ca/link.php?link=healthy-workplace:efap.

Please remember to update bookmarks to https://homeweb.ca/.

If you have any questions about Homeweb, please contact Stacie Cameron at x24083 or by email at venns@mcmaster.ca.

ONTARIO BUDGET FUNDING FALLS SHORT: UNIFOR

Unifor welcomes investment in education, health and infrastructure but says overall funding in the Ontario budget falls short.

“Increased funding in these key areas is overdue,” said Unifor Ontario Director Katha Fortier. “Today’s budget is a start, but we need greater investment to really make a difference in the lives of Ontarians.”

In its pre-budget recommendations, Unifor called on the Wynne government to restore hospital funding and increase core funding of long-term and home care. The union describes the announced budget increas-es for long term, hospice and palliative care as modest and says it found the hospital funding level disap-pointing.

“Following a five-year freeze the Ontario government has increased base funding for hospitals by a mere one per cent,” said Fortier. “This is a stop-gap measure that won’t significantly improve the day-to-day care of Ontario patients.”

The union is also disappointed the budget does not go further to protect public assets.”Rather than recog-nizing the sale of Ontario Hydro as a mistake the Wynne government seems to be doubling down on its plan to sell off valuable public assets to achieve short term financial gain” cautioned Fortier. “The budget refers to government-owned assets, but they belong to the people of Ontario and once sold the priority will be on the bottom line not fair service to the taxpayer.”

In addition, today’s budget provides very little response to the dire state of manufacturing in Ontario, with no significant investment in the advanced manufacturing sector.” Unifor is concerned that the budget fails to outline a strategy to keep and create manufacturing jobs,” Fortier said.

Fortier did welcome Ontario’s commitment to work with the other provinces and the federal government to negotiate Canada Pension Plan reform. “We continue to believe an enhanced CPP, as good as or better than the ORPP, is the best choice for Canadians,” said Fortier.

SOURCE http://unifor.org/en/whats-new/press-room/ontario-budget-funding-falls-short-unifor

WOMEN’S VOICES, WOMEN’S STRUGGLES

Dear Unifor Local 5555,

I am writing to you on behalf of a group of community organizations coordinated by SACHA (the Sexual Assault Center Hamilton and Area) to ask if you may be interested in partnering with us to commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD).

This year’s theme is “Women’s Voices, Women’s Struggles”. We aim to stand in solidarity with women’s struggles worldwide, and remember that IWD was first called in 1910 at the Second International Conference of Working Women. It was inspired by the struggles facing women garment workers in New York City, who organized a massive march in March 1908.

On Saturday, March 5th, 2016 at Hamilton City Hall, we are inviting participants to gather for a community event.

We will begin with a march and end with food and a resource fair showcasing women’s struggles and community services.

The schedule of the event is as follows: •10:30am–Gather •11:00am–SpeakersandRally •11:30am–March •12:30-2:00pm–Resourcefair

Changes in student aid unveiled in the Ontario budget are the most radical shift in decades in how the province delivers loans and grants to college and university students, and show the government wants to get more low-income people into postsecondary education.

The government said in the budget on Thursday that most college students whose family income is less than $50,000 a year will receive grants large enough to cover their whole tuition. Grants for university students, who pay higher tuition, may not offset the entire amount.

“I think this is a game changer for students – it really changes the economics of going to post-secondary education,” said David Agnew, the president of Seneca College and chair of Colleges Ontario. Because of the difference in tuition costs, low-income college students will benefit most, Mr. Agnew pointed out. “There is a clear commitment to college education,” he added in a statement. Every postsecondary group hailed the changes, from university administration and faculty associations to student groups.

“This is something that students were directly calling for,” said Rajean Hoilett, chair of the Canadian Federation of Students’ Ontario executive committee. “It shows that government has been listening to students who are sounding the alarm on affordability and access to education.”

The Liberals have already said they will move away from tax credits, including cancelling the education and textbook tax credit, and putting the funds toward an improved Canada Student Loan program. The changes roll multiple loan and grant programs into one, the new Ontario Student Grant. Finance Minister Charles Sousa said the cost of the grant will be “roughly the same” as the current level of $1.3-billion in aid.

The government will release details of the program in months to come. It is not clear exactly how much some students’ situations will change. A student attending Ryerson University for a four-year BA in English and living at home with parents earning $50,000 a year under the current system would receive a mix of grants, loans and tax credits, leaving them with a debt of about $2,400 for that year. That number may not be much lower in the new system, because the tuition would be higher than that of a college.

Starting in 2017, students will be able to borrow up to $2,500 more a year. Low-income college students living at home would have only about $500 in loans a year, largely due to the much-lower tuition. The province has said it wants to increase the percentage of Ontarians from lower-income and disadvantaged groups who attend college and university. Ontario lags most provinces in the percentage of people who are the first in their family to go to post-secondary school.

“Statistics show that for students coming from low-income families, participation is almost half of high-income families,” Dr. Moridi said. Modernizing and simplifying the system will make it easier for these students to see that post-secondary education can be accessible, he added. “Now, the perception of affordability of post-secondary education should im-prove,” said Spencer Nestico-Semianiw, the president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA). Many of the new measures were proposed in OUSA’s budget submission and in fact ap-pear to go further in some areas – such as eliminating tuition for some students.

The jubilation could be short-lived if tuition costs rise quickly, however. The current 3-per-cent cap on increases to undergraduate tuition expires in 2017, the year the new financial-aid system begins.

Financially, no student will be worse off under the new system than they are now, the government has promised. Half of families in Ontario earn less than $84,000 a year, and while grants will increase marginally for those close to that line, they will be able to access more loans.

This budget for the first time opens financial aid to mature students regardless of how long they have been out of school and decreases the spousal contribution.

Summarized from Simona Chiose’s article in The Globe & Mail http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/low-income-ontario-students-to-get-free-postsecondary-education/article28916789/

BUDGET GOOD NEWS:ONTARIO TO OFFER GRANTS TO COVER POST-SECONDARY

TUITION FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

Thursday 3 March 2016(re-scheduled from Mon 29 Feb 2016)12:00 noon – 1:00 pmBargaining Update MeetingFor members working at McMaster Innovation Park (MIP) and McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC)MIP-Meeting Room 2

Wednesday 2 March 201612:30 pm – 1:30 pmUnion Update MeetingFor members working at, or near, St. Joseph’s HospitalSt. Joseph’s Hospital, Fontbonne Building, Conference Room #3 – F134

Tuesday 8 March 201612:00 noon – 1:00 pmInternational Women’s Day LuncheonCIBC Hall, 3rd Floor, MUSCEVENT IS SOLD OUT!!

Wednesday 16 March 201612:30 pm – 1:30 pmUnion Update MeetingFor members working in MUMC (the McMaster University Medical Centre)MUMC, Room 1A5

Tuesday 29 March 201612:00 – 1:00 pmUnit 1 Bargaining Proposals Setting MeetingDBAC - Sport Hall

Friday 1 April 201612:00 noon – 1:00 pmAll Units General Membership MeetingCIBC Hall, 3rd Floor, MUSC

Thursday 28 April 201612:30 pm – 1:30 pmDay of Mourning CeremonyGH-111 (Council Chambers)

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Note: Dates, times and/or locations of events are subject to change without notice. Watch your emails or this e-newsflyer for notices of events or changes. Contact info@unifor5555.ca to check on status of events and/or to rsvp your attendance.