July 3rd bargaining updates
On July 3rd, we discussed the following items:
Healthcare and Monetary Package
Last time, the University held their position that adding CUPE 2278 members to the staff healthcare plan would be impossible. We disagree with that position, and to that effect, we presented a detailed and fully costed proposal that accounted for how the University can pay for our extended healthcare & dental plan proposal within the framework of the Public Sector Employers Council. We know that an employer provided healthcare plan is not only possible, but necessary. We are committed to getting us the care we need.
We hope that the University will return with a response that we can work with.
Ending Minimum Funding Clawbacks
At our last bargaining day, the University presented a letter of commitment regarding funding packages and their relationship to bargaining unit work. Today, we clarified with the employer the intent of their letter, confirming that they failed to address our concerns around funding clawbacks. Our proposal addresses two factors:
The practice of reducing members’ GRA or other funding in the event of a wage increase for CUPE 2278 jobs
The practice of reducing members’ GRA or other funding in the event that they take on an additional CUPE 2278 job.
The University’s most recent letter did not address either of these concerns, instead only stating that, on a one-time basis, CUPE 2278 wage increases shouldn’t be used to reduce the overall amount in someone’s funding package. This is already how funding guarantees work and does not provide any additional protection. We made it clear to the University that this is an important issue for CUPE 2278 members, and maintained our previous proposal.
Class Sizes and Workload
We re-tabled our proposal on class size to TA hour ratios, maintaining the importance of having such a minimum, while also proposing language that allows departments to each set a standard on this ratio that is unique to their needs. We await the University’s response.
We signed off on the following:
No-discrimination: We have now signed off on Equity 1: Article A7: No-Discrimination. We originally proposed adding ‘citizenship’ and ‘caste’ to our existing no-discrimination language. UBC has been adamant that they are not interested in expanding the language of the Collective Agreement beyond what is currently in the BC Human Rights Code. While we are disappointed that UBC isn’t interested in this expansion, we have now agreed to update the no-discrimination language so that it includes reference to “any additional grounds” that may be set out in the Human Rights Code in the future. Your negotiating team has also pushed them to make commitments at the bargaining table that address concerns about citizenship and caste discrimination specifically.
Regarding citizenship, our proposal was designed to address standard language on Workday that states hiring preference is given to people with permanent residency or Canadian Citizenship. UBC has confirmed at the table that this language has been removed.
Regarding caste, during previous discussions, we had brought up the fact that caste discrimination was explicitly recognized by the BC Human Rights Tribunal in a 2023 decision. While UBC still doesn’t want to add ‘caste’ to our no-discrimination language, they have acknowledged that any decisions made by the BC Human Rights Tribunal would be considered when complaints are raised regarding discrimination.