2024 Semi-Annual General Meeting Minutes download PDF of the minutes: 2024 SAGM Minutes
October 30, 2024 2:30 PM MAC D 288
- Welcome, Equality Statement, Territorial Acknowledgment, and
Meeting called to order at 2:38 P.M.
- Roll Call of Officers and Staff
President: Greg Melnechuk Treasurer: Paul Emme Recording Officer: Sarah Obee
Equity Vice President: Angie Reamer Communications Rep: Şansal Gümüşpala
Vice-Presidents (C1): Sharan Gopalan (C2) Hailey Vanderhaeghe (C3) Brock MacLeod
Members at Large (C1): Stephanie Erickson (C2) Vacant (C3) Matthew Koch
Staff: Melissa Pritchard, Member Advocate
- Approval of Agenda
Moved/Seconded/Carried 2:44 P.M.
- Adoption of Minutes of AGM April 2, 2024
Moved/Seconded/Carried 2:44 P.M.
- Matters Arising from the Minutes
N/A
- President & Vice-Presidents’ Reports
President – Greg Melnechuk
- 4163 in transition period; lot of changes since 1998, notably streamlining of executive
- New positions: Communications Officer, Equity VP
- July: LOA with university – pay for members to attend university committee meetings
- Current issue with union certification – if sessional lecturer is PEA member, no longer covered by us even if they are doing sessional work; working to fix this
- CUPE convention summary; trying to convince people that climate change is a workers’ issue
- Bargaining in six months; NDP government helps, but president not optimistic about wage increases
- New year prep: surveys, grievances from past few years, working with stewards
- This year increasing the responsibilities of departmental stewards
- Labour organizing drive is ongoing; waiting for news out of UBC
- BC Universities Committee last met in September; focus on workload and overwork; need to bring in people who are working for universities via private companies, anti-privatization committee; discussion of corporatization and bureaucratization of universities, management and executive bloat; training on how to read and understand university budgets, potential of making that into online, Canada-wide seminars
- CUPE Post-Secondary Task Force met last week; campaign around post-secondary maintenance deficit
- Plans for online CUPE National Post-Secondary Town Hall
- Lobbying CUPE National to get translations of basics of belonging to a university union
Component 1 VP – Sharan Gopalan
- Started a Slack channel to boost steward communication; hoping to extend this to TAs in the future as well
- Comp 1 Hardship Fund: all funds allocated, 100 TAs received $150 on their ONECard; program has ended
- TA Steward training beginning in November
- Academic Income Supplement will be more equitably distributed starting in January
- Hours reduction in the English department – union is in discussion with the Faculty of Humanities
- A lot of new TAs have signed up & 120 RAs signed up as a result of orientations
- Happy Hour at Grad House every week or every other week to provide direct line of communication with grad students
- Doubled number of stewards this year compared to last year
Component 2 VP – Hailey Vanderhaeghe
- STUDENT STAFF:
- Issues re: workplace safety (crowds, parties), pay issues, student staff positions have unique challenge of living in res buildings
- A lot of supervisory staff above the student staff; need to make sure they are using the same understanding of the collective agreement that the union uses
- Regular labour management committee meetings with the employer
- Network of stewards who meet approx. every 6-8 weeks
- SECOND LANGUAGE INSTRUCTORS:
- ELC not fully recovered from pandemic, further hit by federal government’s attack on/scapegoating of international students BUT doing relatively okay compared to rest of Canadian ESL departments
- Past two years, regular instructors on pilot project to be truly full-time but administration has cancelled it; 13-14 people about 6% wage cut as of January 1st
Component 3 VP – Brock MacLeod
- Work being done to move money related to LOA; money related to student accommodations; boosting the sick leave fund for continuing sessionals; increases to Pro-D funds
- Ongoing conversation with HR re: article 2406 – extra pay when students defer exams; university has agreed to pay but members are nervous about asking for it
- Negotiated voluntary severance system for people who were threatened with redundancy
Equity VP – Angie Reamer
- Past 6 months building campus/community networks, direct involvement from CUPE National Equity VP
- Currently providing English Conversation Classes for immigrants
- Two sub-committees: one has developed Mentee Resource Guide; report on accessibility of union web site; members working on inclusive language in Collective Agreement
- Coffee Social next term to connect with members
Motion to approve president’s and vice presidents’ reports: Moved/Seconded/Carried 4:04 P.M.
- New Business
N/A
- Treasurer’s Report
- 2023-24 Budget Report Motion to approve Treasurer’s report: M/S/C 3:13 P.M.
- Hospitality budget sizeable because haven’t been holding component social events recently, but going into bargaining it’s good to have the money
- 2024-25 Proposed Budget Motion to approve proposed 2024-25 budget: M/S/C 3:19 P.M.
- On paper we are running a deficit this year, but is not an actual deficit
- Budgeting income for a 3% wage increase but there have been job losses in Comp 3 and wage losses in Comp 2; bump coming from AIS dues
- Trying to send more people to conventions and conferences, partly for education, partly because that’s where decisions are made about how the union is run
- Budgeting more for the Defense Fund because we are heading into bargaining this year
- Trustees’ Report
- As read
- Motion to approve Trustees’ report: M/S/C 4:06 P.M.
- Bylaw Amendments
Amendments as attached
- Bylaw 6 (1) Duties of the Officers Change the President’s term of office from one to two years. M/S/C 3:26 P.M.
- 2. Bylaw 11 (5) Executive honoraria Change Executive honoraria amount and update bylaw. M/S/C 3:30 P.M.
- Bylaw 1(2) (Interpretation and Definitions) Change the definition of “Department.” M/S/C 3:31 P.M.
- Bylaw 8 (Departmental Stewards) Revise and update the Stewards bylaw. M/S/C 3:36 P.M.
- Bylaw 10 (Nomination Election and Installation of Officers) Expand upon and clarify by-election rules. M/S/C 3:38 P.M.
- Bylaw 11 (6) (Finances – Per Diems and Travel Expenses) Update the Per Diems and Travel Expenses bylaw to
provide direction around flights. M/S/C 3:41 P.M.
- Bylaw 11 (4) (d) (Finances-Strike Support Donations) Provide detail and direction around strike support donations. M/S/C 3:43 P.M.
- Bylaw 11 (Finances) Add Bargaining Team Compensation to the bylaws. M/S/C 3:51 P.M.
Amendment to the Amendment: use wording “will receive pro-rated bargaining pay” M/S/C 3:49 P.M.
- Bylaw 10(Nomination Election and Installation of Officers Revise Bylaw 10’s heading. M/S/C 3:51 P.M.
- Social Justice Fund
Nominees:
- The Other Guise Theatre Society nominated by Matthew Payne, Sessional Lecturer, Theatre
- UVic Society for Students with a Disability (SSD) nominated by Marissa Donaldson, Teaching Assistant,
Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies
- One minute speeches
- As per Bylaw 11 (4) b.v, there is no need for a vote. Social Justice Fund goes to both.
- Staff Report
- As circulated
- Motion to accept Staff Report as circulated
- Good of the Union
N/A
- Adjournment of Meeting
Moved/Seconded/Carried at 4:12 P.M.