CUPE 3902 is founded upon democratic principles which ensure that the membership of the Union has the final say in any decision. The Local is governed by the following bodies.
General and Unit Membership Meetings
The ultimate authority in CUPE 3902 is the General Membership Meeting (GMM). Our Bylaws require one meeting open to members of all five units to be held in the Fall and one in the Spring. However, more meetings are normally held because of special needs or issues. During bargaining, separate unit meetings are held for members of each unit to make decisions concerning their own bargaining priorities for their own Collective Agreement.
Members are entitled to at least one week’s notice of the time and place of a meeting; however, the Union tries to give more notice than is required. Normally, you will receive notices via the Union listserv. Please make sure you are subscribed to our listserv by sending a subscription request to office@cupe3902.org.
If members want a meeting, there is a process to petition for a membership meeting. Contact the Union for details. In order to have a valid meeting for Unit 1 alone, the presence of at least 30 members is required. For a GMM, 40 members are required.
Meetings are run according to Bourinot’s Rules of Order, but the Chair tries to make the meetings comfortable and easy to understand.
At meetings, members hear reports of the various officers and committees and about
the activities of the Union since the last meeting. In addition, proposals for future changes are made and the membership may approve them, reject them, or make changes to them. Only a GMM may elect or recall members of the Executive Committee or
trustees; set the budget and receive financial reports; change the Bylaws; change the strike or strike-fund policies; and make donations of more than $200. Only Unit Meetings may elect or recall members of the Bargaining Committee; approve bargaining
proposals; and approve the taking of strike or ratification votes.
Stewards’ Council
Stewards’ Council meets monthly and provides representation for members between GMMs. Its members elect from themselves a Chief Steward who is responsible for preparing agendas and presiding over all meetings. Stewards’ Council is composed of members who represent their departments (as stewards). Every department in units 1-5 require a steward, and in addition to this, there are also stewards who have responsibility for grievances and mobilising.
The Council serves as a space to promote continuous organising, facilitate the sharing of experiences relative to grievances in departments and provide open communication between the Executive and members. Stewards’ Council is also responsible for formulating Local policies. The members of Stewards’ Council are assisted in these responsibilities by three standing committees (Grievance, Mobilisation and Policy).
This requires a lot of stewards and there are always positions to be filled! Stewards’ Council meets monthly to discuss Union matters. If you’re interested in finding out more about joining the Stewards’ Council, please contact chiefsteward@cupe3902.org.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee takes its direction from decisions of the membership and is guided by policies drafted by the Stewards’ Council. The Executive Committee also brings proposals to the membership and Stewards for changes in direction or policy.
The members meet bi-weekly and together are responsible for the administration of the Local’s Collective Agreements. They are also responsible for providing direction to the Executive Director with respect to the management of the office’s day-to-day
business and the supervision of the other Local staff.
You can find out more about the Executive Committee and meet its current members on the Executive Committee page.
Other Committees and Caucuses
The Local has a number of standing committees that work on different aspects of the life of the Local, and advise both the membership and the Executive Committee.
Caucuses bring together members from various equity-seeking groups. They serve both as a space for socialising and as a venue for discussing and advocating their unique interests as workers and members of the wider community.
Action Committees carry the voice of the Local in matters of social justice and the wider Labour movement. From time to time, the membership and/or the Executive Committee strike ad-hoc committees and task them with specific mandates.