Union of Graduate Student Workers
at the University of New Brunswick
Upcoming eventsUser login |
Home of the UGSW–PSAC Local 60550for You, the Travelling Public Under the law, striking workers at the Fredericton International Airport are deemed essential to keep the airport safe. This airport is SAFE because of the work the striking workers are doing to remove snow, maintaining equipment plus much more, even while on strike. In order to put an end to this strike, we are asking for your help. Please contact the following Fredericton Airport Board members and ask them to stand up to the Fredericton Airport CEO, David Innes and put an end to this strike. You can contact them either by phone or by emailing them at: Brent Melanson, Chair - 453-1960, email: brentlaw@nb.sympatico.ca PSAC's UCTE LOCAL 60601 THANKS YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! 2012 PSAC Atlantic School Applicant Package.pdf WHAT IS THE ATLANTIC SCHOOL? Some have said: Indeed, it is a learning event for active stewards and others who represent members in the workplace, the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills. You will network with other Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members from across the Atlantic region and return to your workplaces and locals energized. SCHEDULE LOCATION Location: GSA Boardroom, Grad House/Alden Nowlan House, 676 Windsor St, Fredericton, NB. Time: 12 noon Agenda: President's report Local 60550 Bylaws_proposed_amendments_pp1-19_for 29 Feb 2012_.pdf. AGM 18 Oct 2011 DRAFT minutes. 29 Feb 2012 GM Minutes (Draft) Letter to Canadian Labour Congress regarding the strike at Fredericton Airport.pdf CBC News www.cbc.ca 16 Nov 2011 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2011/11/16/nb-unb-union-drive.html UGSW–PSAC 60550 represents Graduate Teaching Assistants & Research Assistants @ UNB. Only members in good standing, with PSAC cards/numbers, can register to vote or stand for election. Card signing will be available onsite. 12 noon, Tuesday, 18 October 2011 + free pizza + Simultaneous with video conferencing between AGM Agenda Approval of Agenda President's report CAUT Joint Health and Safety Committee workshop An AUNBT-sponsored CAUT Health and Safety workshop on 4-5 November, 2011 on the Fredericton Campus. Open to UGSW Executive Committe or any members who feel would benefit from this training. Contect: Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers: aunbt@unb.ca Workshop leader: Laura Lozanski from CAUT November 4, 2011. 6-9 PM. November 5, 2011. 9 AM-4 PM. Our "employer" wrote several letters, including the following one addressed to "Ms. Delby" (Teresa Debly, UGSW 1st Vice-President) and "Mr. Blades" (Joe Blades, UGSW President): "Dear Ms. Delby and Mr. Blades; "Please be advised that it is unlawful for a Union to attempt to organize on the University’s property. Therefore I am advising you that the University has had to cancel your Pizza Lunch in the Whitebone Lounge on Thursday September 15th. All parties have been notified of the cancellation and Aramark will be refunding the payment. "Please send out a cancellation notice to your distribution list to avoid any confusion on that day. "Best regards" +++++ From our Collective Agreement (ratified by the Union and the Employer (UNB) on 7 December 2010): SO come and meet us, talk with us. We are not organizing. We are a NB Labour Board certified union local on the UNB Fredericton & Saint John campuses representing over 700 graduate students employed as Graduate Teaching Assistants and Graduate Research Assistants. WE ARE YOUR UNION!!! +++++ We met. Union of Graduate Student Workers (Graduate Teaching Assistants & Research Assistants @ UNB) UNB Saint John 12 noon, Thursday, 15 Sept. 2011 Whitebone Lounge PSAC Atlantic EDUCATION PROGRAM October 13-16, 2011. Stewards' Retreat. WHO Stewards, PSAC Locals NB DATES October 13-16, 2011 (two sessions will be offered: one in English; one in French) LOCATION Holiday Inn Express, 2515 Mountain Road, Moncton, NB TIME 12.00 noon October 13 to 12.00 noon October 16 This workshop will raise awareness about social issues which impact the workplace. Stewards will learn to intertwine human rights and membership representation. They will look at creating healthy habits in order to be focused in their role as stewards. EXPENSES. All expenses will be covered including loss of salary, travel, meals, accommodations and family care (receipts required). TO REGISTER. Please complete the application and forward by fax (506) 857-9792 to the Moncton R.O. prior to September 6, 2011. Application form here. 26-27 Nov, 9am to 4pm daily. PSAC Education: TALKING UNION BASICS. Objectives What is covered: Who can apply: All PSAC members. Workshop location: Wu Centre (Room 204) University of New Brunswick, 6 Duffie Drive, Fredericton, NB. What is a Steward? For many members, the Steward is the face of the union. The Steward is the visible presence of the union in the workplace as the union officer who works with and interacts with the members at the workplace. What are the responsibilities of a Steward? The primary role of the Shop Steward is to communicate information from the union executive, to union members and vice versa. Steward responsibilities may not be difficult tasks, but they are VERY important for the union as a whole! In our case, we need Shop Stewards (by faculty or department) who can: • Provide members with union publications (such as the Collective Agreement, union updates, collective bargaining updates, Public Service Alliance of Canada workshops, training, conferences and convention opportunities) and information. The UGSW’s goal is to build a Stewards’ Network to parallel the Employer’s administration infrastructure of Associate Deans of Graduate Studies (ADoGS) and by-faculty Directors of Graduate Studies (DoGS) across the Fredericton and Saint John campuses. If you are interested in becoming a Steward for your USGW, or have more questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at ugsw.unb@gmail.com! Stewards become eligible for free PSAC education/workshops and steward swag. In Solidarity, Meghann Bruce 25 July 2011 Sisters and Brothers: It is with pleasure and relief that we welcome the PSAC-led unionizing drive of eligible UNB administrative, professional and technical staff in our common employer’s workplace. PSAC’s motto, “Through membership, we are all stronger”, has become a truism for our local’s over-600 members across the Fredericton and Saint John campuses. Graduate student workers experience a high turnover rate as their degree programs control their on-campus employment opportunities. By unionizing, we have added clarity, fairness and respect to graduate student–academic supervisor relationships while also working to breach the academic silos of faculties and departments. We have established minimum employment standards, including wages, across the two campuses and have negotiated improved worker rights within the longer cycle offered by a Collective Agreement, thereby providing improved stability for our members’ employment. PSAC training workshops, conferences, and conventions enrich members’ union knowledge and skills while also empowering us within the larger brotherhood of workers, locally, regionally and nationally. Unionizing by eligible administrative, professional and technical staff will empower them, thereby improving campus-wide worker solidarity. It will also make UNB a better employer for everyone and a better learning environment for all students. PSAC Local 60550–Union of Graduate Student Workers at UNB heartily supports the unionizing drive of Administrative, Professional and Technical Staff at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton and Saint John campuses! In Solidarity, Joe Blades, President Professional and Technical Staff Union 7 Dec 2010 FREDERICTON & SAINT JOHN, NB—The Union of Graduate Student Workers has voted to ratify the first collective agreement for graduate assistants at the Fredericton and Saint John campuses of the University of New Brunswick. “We are very proud of the agreement that UGSW has achieved,” says Jeannie Baldwin, Regional Executive Vice-President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, “This is a well-deserved and long-fought victory for graduate student workers in New Brunswick.” UGSW represents roughly four hundred graduate assistants working at the University of New Brunswick. These workers are Masters and PhD students employed by the university as Teaching or Research Assistants on a part-time, semester to semester basis. They carry out work that ranges from supervising and marking exams, to assisting in labs, to doing research and giving tutorials. UGSW is a directly chartered local of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. PSAC represents 180,000 workers across the country including over 18,000 in the academic sector. “This is an important moment for graduate assistants,” says Tiffany Thornhill, President of the UGSW and a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, “The agreement provides significant improvements to the terms and conditions of our members’ employment.” The first agreement outlines wage increases of 2.5% per cent retroactive to May 1, 2010, and 2.5% per cent on May 1, 2011 and May 1, 2012 respectively. This will bring the hourly rate for Teaching Assistants in PhD programs to $23.69 per hour and for Teaching Assistants in Masters programs to $22.69 by the spring of 2012. These rates of pay represent minimum rates of pay for Research Assistants. The agreement contains clear appointments language for both Teaching and Research Assistants and includes a commitment to continued funding. Graduate workers are also protected from being required to undertake duties that are not in their letters of offer. The contract includes wide-ranging prohibitions against discrimination and harassment, and strong protective health and safety language. The union also achieved language around intellectual property rights and academic freedom. Graduate Assistants at UNB certified in April 2008 and have been in negotiations since December 2008. The bargaining team unanimously recommended the tentative agreement to its membership at ratification meetings that took place at both campuses of the university on October 13 and 14, 2010. UGSW President, or PSAC Regional Representative), Moncton RO: (506) 857-4220 or 1-800-788-8555 View the Collective Agreement HERE. Current Campaigns and Member Initiatives
By admin at 22 Apr 2012 - 10:39am
|
