Action
& Education
Donations
Political Action Resources
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General Donations: Donations of up to $1000 can be approved directly by the Executive Committee. Donations between $1001 and $5000 must must be approved by the membership, either at a General Membership Meeting or the Annual General Meeting. To request a General Donation, please complete the Donation Request form above. Please note that requests must have a CUPE 3902 member sponsor and that incomplete donation requests will not be considered.
Strike Support: Strike Support of up to $2500 can be approved directly by the Executive Committee. Strike Support Donation requests between $2501 and $5000 must be approved by the membership, either at a General Membership Meeting or the Annual General Meeting. To request a General Donation, please complete the Donation Request Form above.
DONATION REQUESTS
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FUNDING AVAILABLE TO CAUCUSES
Each caucus has a fund of $2500 per fiscal year for the purpose of fulfilling its mandate (CUPE 3902 Bylaws, Article XIII.I). Caucus funds can be used for meetings and other types of member-oriented events, such as workshops, lectures, teach-ins, socials, etc. Should a caucus want to make use of the funds, as per Article XIII.J of the Bylaws, said request should be approved by majority at a quorate caucus meeting (at least 6 political members of the Local). The approved amount can then be spent, and respective reimbursement can be requested. Ideally, the expenses should be made by the chair to make coordination easier.
For examples and guidance on what a caucus budget would look like and the appropriate use of funds, contact the General Vice-President (gvp@cupe3902.org). To claim reimbursement for an expense, the meeting minutes authorizing said expense(s) should be emailed along with the expense claim form and the receipts to the Secretary Treasurer (st@cupe3902.org), who will approve the reimbursement.
Local Caucuses
Caucuses are spaces for equity-seeking groups and members within the local to socialize and advocate for their unique interests as workers and members of the wider community.
ANTI-CASTE CAUCUS
The Anti-Caste Caucus stands as a collective voice dedicated to challenging caste-based discrimination within our university and beyond. We aim to raise awareness, foster inclusivity, and advocate for marginalized communities facing caste oppression. To get involved, email the Anti-Caste Caucus chair, Shibi Laxman, at shibi.Kumaraperumal@mail.utoronto.ca.
ENGINEERING CAUCUS
The newly-formed Engineering Caucus is here to amplify the voices of graduate workers and postdocs in engineering departments and address the issues that matter most, and focuses on key concerns including student-supervisor relationships, TA hours and DDAH reviews, invigilation policies, violations of the Collective Agreement and more.
To get involved, please email engineeringcaucus@gmail.com.
LABOUR CHOIR
The CUPE 3902 Labour Choir is a choir that shares the vocal history of the labour movement and offers space for singers and non-singers to socialize.
To get involved, email the labour choir’s chair, Will Roelofs, at william.roelofs@mail.utoronto.ca.
TRANS+ CAUCUS
The Trans+ Caucus is a political and social group for trans+ (in all its forms) 3902 members to foster community and materially support one other.
To get involved, email the Trans+ Caucus chair, Petra Totten, at petra.totten@mail.utoronto.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A local caucus is a group of CUPE 3902 workers who work together with a common issue, goal, concern, or passion in mind (as long as the caucus works towards the objectives of the Local, Article 3 of our Bylaws).They create tools and resources to address the issues or ideas that the caucus represents.
They also propose projects or actions that the caucus, or other groups within the Local (including the Local as a whole) may initiate.
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As of March 2023, we have three active Local Caucuses: the Flying Squad, the Labour Choir, and the Women’s Caucus. You can read more about them and how to get involved above.
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If you’d like to join one of the existing caucuses (see the list above) email the caucus chair and gvp@cupe3902.org and ask to be put on their email list or added to their group chats. If you see any caucus events in our newsletter or socials, just come!
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You can propose any Local Caucus that you think works towards the objective of the Local (Article 3 of the Bylaws). If you’re unsure, you can email your GVP (gvp@cupe3902.org) and they can help you.
We’ve had a number of caucuses in the past. Here are some examples:
Boycott Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Caucus
Indigenous Solidarity Caucus
International Workers’ Caucus
Queer Caucus
Racialized Workers’ Caucus
Undergraduate Caucus
UTM Caucus
UTSC Caucus
Workers with Disabilities Caucus
Mental Health Caucus
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You’ll get support from officers and Local staff in setting up the caucus. When a caucus is operating, then your point person will be the General Vice-President (GVP).
You’ll also have to promote your caucus at Membership Meetings, Unit Councils, and in our Newsletter and on our Socials.
Financially, each local caucus is entitled to at least $2,500 per fiscal year (May–April) to use for the purpose of fulfilling its mandate.
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A caucus chair runs the caucus. They make sure that the caucus is fulfilling its mandate and doing the events or actions that they’re supposed to do. They’re also a member of Local Council (the group of executive officers, lead stewards, and caucus chairs that discuss the strategic plan of the Local).
The caucus chair is elected at the first meeting of the caucus every fiscal year or whenever there is a vacancy. Anyone in the local can run as a caucus chair except the Executive Committee, Lead Stewards, or chairs of other caucuses.
They have to notify the Local of any events that they are organizing, so that the Local can properly advertise it to all members.
They have to make sure that accurate minutes of official caucus meetings are made, and that the funds provided to the caucus are properly spent.
They also have to provide a short report at the Annual General Meeting about the previous year’s work.
They also receive an honorarium of 17.5 hours at the TA rate (as of March 2023 that was $833.50 for the year and prorated for service of less than one year).
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Email the President (president@cupe3902.org) and the GVP (gvp@cupe3902.org) letting them know that you’d like to create a caucus, this will give them the heads up and help you get ready for the motion at the membership meeting.
At the next available Membership Meeting (where all members of 3902 attend), you make a motion to strike (create) your caucus (“I move to strike the [insert name here] caucus”). There, you can explain why you’d like to create the caucus and its purpose. If members agree that your caucus is a good idea. They will vote yes. If the vote was successful, you as the mover of the motion have to:
Hold the caucus’ first meeting within two months (60 days). You are entitled to get help from the Executive Committee and Staff in sending out emails, securing space etc. The GVP can also attend the first meeting to make sure everything is in order. You should:
Pick a date for the first meeting, something about 3 to 4 weeks after the Membership Meeting, so there’s time to circulate it in newsletters, emails etc.
Notify the GVP and other officers and staff who are helping you about the date and place.
Personally reach out to colleagues who are 3902 members to get them to come to the first meeting.
Chair the first caucus meeting. Here is a link to a draft agenda.
After the first meeting. The newly elected caucus chair:
Emails the GVP (gvp@cupe3902.org), and President (president@cupe3902.org) the agenda and minutes and notifies the GVP and President that they are the newly elected caucus chair.
Email the CRS (crs@cupe3902.org) the minutes of the caucus meeting.
Congrats! The caucus is operating!
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In order to keep operating, at the Annual General Meeting of the Local (the AGM, usually in April), every caucus chair will need to make a motion to continue year-over-year operation of their caucus. If passed, then you have to hold your next meeting within 60 days of the AGM.This requirement is because the priorities of the Local change year-over-year and caucuses may not want to continue operating. So, this gives each caucus an opportunity to, first, think whether they’d like to continue their work, and second, think about the year ahead at a meeting after the AGM.
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Email the President (president@cupe3902.org) and your GVP (gvp@cupe3902.org) if you have any questions.
Statements
Part of the job of the Local’s Executive Committee is to advocate, in any way they can, for the members of CUPE 3902 for better working conditions and inclusive, healthy communities. This work takes many forms, including campaigns, events, rallies, and sometimes public statements. On this page, members can locate, and read, statements released by the Executive on behalf of the Local.