CUPEU Now!
Negotiations Update-Oct. 2011
October 07, 2011 by Dale Robinson
Adriana Volpato effectively resumed in the position as our CSN Advisor after Labour Day. She has been working closely with Noreen Gobeille (VP Grievance) and Geoff Selig (President) on a number of important outstanding grievances since her return and will continue to do so until mid-October.
The negotiation Steering Committee anticipates that we will be able to meet with Adriana shortly to formalize our negotiation plan and strategy. In the meantime, we continue to prepare to effectively negotiate a new collective agreement within an interest-focused or traditional negotiation framework. Our goal is to avoid a drawn-out negotiations process with no deadlines or built in consequences.
Respectfully,
Kim Archer, VP Negotiations
Is there a President in the House?
September 29, 2011 by Dale Robinson
As previously announced in CUPEUNews and in the last edition of CUPEUNow, CUPEU’s President, Geoff Selig, will be stepping down from his post as President this year. A new President will be elected at our Annual General Assembly to be held this fall - or will they? To date, we have not had any CUPEU members come forward to express interest in this very key union role.
We need your help. We are once again asking you, our CUPEU membership, to look around you for a suitable candidate. Consider approaching a colleague, a friend or a fellow CUPEU member who you think would make a good President. What exactly makes a good President? Some qualities might include having some knowledge about Negotiations; or having the ability to understand different perspectives at the bargaining table and in other scenarios. Other desired qualities could include perseverance in following up on issues of importance to CUPEU and caring deeply for CUPEU members and that they are treated fairly. It should be remembered that the incumbent won’t be working alone. In fact the new President will have the whole Executive and Union Council to support his/her role and work. In addition, the new President will have the benefit of having access to Geoff Selig’s years of knowledge and expertise as he remains on in an auxiliary “Past President position” within the Executive.
Don’t forget, becoming a President is a position that one grows into. It doesn’t happen overnight. You will learn as you go along and will have strong support to facilitate this process. This support also includes working with one of the best CSN advisors CUPEU could hope to have; Adriana Volpato. Adriana has worked with Geoff over the course of many years and possesses an unparalled expertise and knowledge surrounding CUPEU’s history.
In the meantime, to get more information about what the President’s position entails, you can go to CUPEU’s Constitution . Here you can find a description of the CUPEU President’s duties on page 16 (Chapter 7, article 38) which you can use as a guide. You can also find a general description of Executive members and their duties on page 13 (Chapter 6).
It’s an exciting time to become a part of CUPEU’s Executive as it’s Negotiations team gear up to negotiate a new Collective Agreement with the University. If you know someone who would be an asset as part of this process and able to lead CUPEU with the help of a strong Executive and Union Council and CSN rep, please consider nominating them. Or… maybe you are considering the position yourself? If so, consider attending one of CUPEU’s upcoming Executive or Union Council meetings. This experience can help give you clarity on the President’s role.
If you’d like to attend an Executive or Union Council meeting, please advise out office manager, Laurenza by calling her at 8603 or by emailing CUPEU.
Let’s get busy. CUPEU members have stepped up on numerous occasions to fill union roles as needed. We now need to do this once more so as to have a new President to step into the role by our Annual General Assembly this coming fall!
Professional Development Update and Review
September 29, 2011 by Dale Robinson
The deadline for the next round of professional development funding is November 1st, 2011 and covers the period from November 28th, 2011 until March 31st, 2012.
Over the past 5 years the committee has allocated over $600,000.00 to our members for professional development. Two hundred and ninety-one (291) requests for funding have been submitted of which two hundred and thirty-two (232) have been granted. Fifty-nine (59) requests were rejected most of which were because of lack of available funds.
Before filling out the application it is important to read articles 10.09 - 10.16 of the CUPEU Collective Agreement and the VPF-3 POLICY FOR TRAVEL AND OTHER ALLOWABLE EXPENSES on the University’s policy webpage. If you have any questions you can find more information on the CUPEU website under the Professional Development heading or contact the chair of the PD committee at the email address below.
One important fact to remember is that you will need to pay for the activity before being reimbursed by the university. Although we try to process the expense claims as quickly as possible it can take up to six weeks before being reimbursed. The university does not normally issue advances for travel expenses.
When filling out the application forms make sure to include all of the available documentation to support your request. The conference package, travel itinerary or workshop schedule help the committee make its decision.
Do not forget to verify if meals are provided for your activity or if you are requesting the per diem rate.
Do not forget to add the applicable taxes. On a few thousand dollars it adds up quickly and we cannot grant more money, after your event, than was initially requested.
If you plan on multiple activities remember that you can only receive funding once a year so plan accordingly.
If your activity is canceled please let the Committee know as soon as possible. We will try to ensure that you get to your activity if it is rescheduled. If we are not informed that the activity was canceled it may jeopardize your next request for funding.
If you have any questions regarding the CPDF, do not hesitate to contact the chair of the CPDF committee at the following address.
Frank Carriere ext: 7819
CUPEU Holiday Party Wednesday, December 14, 2011
September 27, 2011 by Gillian Roper
Hello CUPEU,
On behalf of the Executive I am happy to announce CUPEU’s Holiday Party at Karina’s Club and Lounge. The celebrations will include Dancing and Door Prizes for sure. Menu and Entertainment to be announced in the next CUPEU Now :)
Date: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 Time: 5:30 pm to late! Location: 1455-1459 Crescent Street Montreal, Quebec H3G 2B2
Want to get involved preparing the celebrations? Contact me at groper@alcor.concordia.ca
Regards, Gillian Roper CUPEU VP Membership
Geoff Selig -A decade as President in review
July 12, 2011 by Dale Robinson
Fairness, honesty, cooperation, respecting people and doing the right thing – these are just some of the values that can inspire and motivate a President of a Union. These are also some of the strongest values held by our current, but soon to be retired, President Geoff Selig.
Leaves: Under what circumstances can I take a leave? Article 28 tells it all!
July 12, 2011 by Shoshana Kalfon
Although we spend much of our waking hours at work, we all have personal lives that may cause us to be absent from our positions for short or long periods of time.
CUPEU's fresh new News look: CUPEUNow
May 31, 2011 by Dale Robinson
Welcome to CUPEU Now-CUPEU's new News Blog which is formally launched today, June 1st 2011.
So what is Union Council and what does it do?
May 31, 2011 by Danielle Duguay
On CUPEU's website it says that the Union Council (UC) assumes authority of Union operations between general meetings. What does that mean?
Brainstorming Sustainability at CUPEU
May 03, 2011 by Gillian Roper
Today the CUPEU Sustainability Committee met for the first time to brainstorm what role the committee should play within CUPEU and at Concordia. Some of what we discussed is captured in this image
CUPEU Communications Questionaire
April 20, 2011 by Gillian Roper
The Communications Team has created a questionnaire to poll you, the CUPEU membership, on what information about CUPEU you would like to know about as well as how you would like to receive this information. Please fill out the Questionnaire below ...