Meet Your Candidates for Secretary Treasurer and First-Vice President!
Nominations for Officer positions for the 2026-27 term closed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 27, 2026 and the following positions were contested and thus will proceed to an election:
Secretary-Treasurer
David Cobo
Bhagatinder Singh Longia
Branden Rizzuto
First Vice-President (Units 1 & 7)
Luca DiPietro
Calvin Quick
Unit 1 Lead Steward
Luca DiPietro
Julian Nickel
PLEASE NOTE: The elections for both Secretary-Treasurer and First Vice-President will take place on April 10, 2026. Candidate statements and election information for the Unit 1 Lead Steward position will be announced soon.
Election info is listed after the statements below.
Secretary-Treasurer
David Cobo
I am running for Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE 3902 because I believe our union should be transparent, accountable, and ready to fight for every member. With a bargaining-heavy year ahead, strong financial stewardship and clear communication will be essential. We need leadership that is organized, responsive, and committed to ensuring that the union’s resources work directly for the people who make our community strong.
A central priority of my campaign is financial transparency. Our members deserve clear, accessible information about how union resources are managed and how their dues support the work we do together. Transparency builds trust, and trust strengthens solidarity. As Secretary-Treasurer, I will work to make financial information easier to understand and more consistently shared so that members feel confident in how our collective resources are being used.
My background prepares me well for this responsibility. I have extensive experience in mathematics and data science, fields that demand precision, organization, and analytical thinking. Working with numbers, managing complex data, and ensuring accuracy are part of my everyday work. These skills translate directly into responsible budgeting, careful financial planning, and clear reporting. As Secretary-Treasurer, I will bring a detail-oriented and disciplined approach to managing the union’s finances so that every dollar is used effectively to support our members.
At the same time, I believe we must continue pushing to strengthen and improve benefits. Many members contribute to benefit plans but are not always fully aware of what they are entitled to or how to access those resources. If elected, I will work to improve communication about existing benefits while supporting efforts to expand and strengthen them wherever possible. Fair compensation is about more than wages, it is also about healthcare, wellbeing, and long-term stability for our members.
The coming year will be an important one for bargaining. Our instructors, teaching assistants, and academic workers contribute enormously to the university community, and their labour deserves fair and equitable compensation. As Secretary-Treasurer, I will support these efforts by ensuring our financial resources are managed responsibly and strategically so that the union is well prepared to back our members when it matters most.
I am also committed to ensuring that the union’s work reflects the full diversity of its membership. Our union should serve all members, including those who have historically been underrepresented. A strong union listens carefully, acts fairly, and ensures that every member feels supported and respected.
Ultimately, my goal is simple: to help build a union that is transparent, organized, and ready to stand up for its members.
If you fight for me, I will fight for you. I will fight for fairness, accountability, stronger benefits, and a union that works tirelessly on behalf of the people it represents.
Conflict of interest statement: I confirm that I have no conflicts of interest that would interfere with my ability to serve fairly and responsibly as Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE 3902. If elected, I will carry out the responsibilities of the role with transparency, integrity, and in the best interests of all members of the union.
Bhagatinder Singh Longia
Hi everyone, I am Bhagatinder Singh Longia, though I usually go by Bhagat (pronounced like the French word for bread: ‘baguette’). I am a graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Statistics, Computer Science. I am seeking your support to serve as the next Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE 3902.
Having spent the last year as a Steward for the Mathematical and Computational Sciences (MCS) department at UTM, and two years prior as a Teaching Assistant, I have seen the immense power of our collective action. However, during my time as a Steward, several members have expressed their frustration to me regarding the time required for fund disbursements. While I recognize that external factors (which are out of the control of the Local) often delay these payments, the current lack of transparency regarding the status of an application is a hurdle we can fix internally. No member should be left in the dark about when their support will arrive; you deserve a system that provides clarity and accountability at every step of the process. I am running because I believe I can make fund disbursements smoother and more transparent by improving our Local’s websites, such as MemberLink. This would allow members to see exactly what stage the disbursement is at—similar to tracking an Amazon order.
Transparency, however, is about more than just tracking a payment; it is about making our financial health understandable to everyone. Sometimes, budget reports are presented in an abstract manner that feels disconnected from the everyday reality of our members. I want to demystify our finances by introducing clear data visualizations. I want to move away from confusing spreadsheets and toward a model where any member can look at a report and immediately understand how their dues are being utilized to build power for the Local.
I also intend to speed up disbursements by finalizing the Local’s transition toward online payments. While this initiative faced some technical hurdles last year, my technical background allows me to serve as an effective bridge between our administrative needs and our technical solutions. I will provide the informed oversight necessary to troubleshoot these roadblocks, ensuring we finally move away from the delays of physical cheques and get funds to our members faster.
I recognize that this is a critical year for our Local as we enter bargaining—a period that is traditionally expensive and high-stakes. To ensure we have the strongest possible hand at the table, we must manage our funds with both precision and foresight. I plan to use my statistical background to conduct a rigorous audit of our administrative and technical overhead. Specifically, I see a significant opportunity to reduce the technical costs associated with maintaining our digital infrastructure and websites. By identifying more efficient, better-suited solutions, we can redirect those savings into our bargaining efforts and member-facing funds, ensuring our resources are focused where they matter most: on winning a strong contract.
Solidarity Forever!
Conflict of interest statement: I have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Branden Rizzuto
Branden is the current CUPE 3902 Secretary-Treasurer, seeking a third term in this position. He is a Unit 1 Teaching Assistant, Course Instructor, and PhD Candidate in the Department of Anthropology St. George, and a Unit 5 Postdoctoral Fellow in the UTSC Department of Anthropology. Branden has been a rank-and-file Member of 3902 since 2015, and the 3902 Secretary-Treasurer since November 1st, 2024. Branden entered this role when 3902’s liquid assets were their lowest in years, with the union fighting liquidity issues and struggling to meet its ongoing expenditures. Branden made it one of his primary goals to address these issues, working with the CUPE 3902 Membership, Executive, Staff, and other representatives to grow 3902’s finances. Since then, 3902’s liquid assets have increased by over $1,083,000 (64%). 3902 is now the most financially healthy it has been in years. Not only has this solved 3902’s liquidity issues, but it’s made it possible for 3902 to grow its reserve funds and has placed the union in a financially strategic position for upcoming rounds of collective bargaining.
Branden has also focused on improving the transparency, accessibility, and management of the union’s finances (Operating Account, Strike and Defense Fund, and Equity Funds and other Financial Assistance Funds). Branden worked directly with 3902’s Budget Subcommittee, Equity Funds Subcommittee, and Executive Officers to increase the transparency of the union’s budgets, financial reports presented at Membership meetings, and the funds available to equity seeking Members. This included removing lifetime funding limits for 3902’s Equity Funds. Branden also overhauled 3902’s financial record-keeping, introducing new practices to standardize financial records and increase the breadth of information accessible to CUPE 3902’s representative bodies, Trustees, and Membership. This included the reconstitution of a 3902 Finance Subcommittee and the drafting of new finance policies, since passed by the 3902 Membership. Together, these changes have made 3902’s financial practices more transparent while simultaneously increasing accountability and oversight, particularly around expense approval processes. Branden also worked with 3902’s Trustees to complete the union’s first trustee audit in nearly two years, reducing the union’s backlog of outstanding Trustee audits.
Branden has represented workers and students on 15 U of T bodies at the Department, Faculty, and University-wide level. Branden’s advocacy work contributed to the unionization of graduate student theatre workers in the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies; exposed systemic infringements of student rights in U of T academic units; and secured backpay for graduate students and workers who unfairly received reductions in their funding. A former CUPE 3902 Steward, Branden has also been active in 3902’s strike preparation and member mobilization campaigns, serving on 3902’s 2021 and 2024 Strike Benefits Committees, and routinely informing 3902 Members of their worker rights through targeted workshops and information campaigns.
Conflict of interest statement: Branden has no conflicts to declare in running for this position. He is grateful to the CUPE 3902 Membership for their support throughout his last two terms as Secretary-Treasurer, and humbly asks the Membership for the opportunity to continue serving them in this role.
First Vice-President (Units 1 & 7)
Luca DiPietro
Hello! It is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Luca DiPietro, and I am a JD/MBA candidate at the Faculty of Law and the Rotman School of Management. I am running to serve as Vice President for Unit 1 of the CUPE Local 3902 because I believe in the power of member‑driven unions to transform working and learning conditions at the University of Toronto. Too often, voices are sidelined and are unable to contribute meaningfully to the conversations shaping our day-to-day realities. As Vice-President, I hope to help create a CUPE 3902 where every member feels seen, supported, and heard as a catalyst for improving our working conditions.
My commitment to this role is grounded in years of experience advocating for student needs at the University of Toronto. As a Residence Don, I have supported students through academic, financial, and personal challenges—learning to listen deeply, respond with compassion, and navigate institutional resources to pursue meaningful outcomes for those within my care. As President of the Rotman Commerce Students’ Association, I spearheaded advocacy efforts for 3,000+ Rotman Commerce students, ensuring their academic and student‑life needs are heard and addressed. These roles have taught me how to build community, gain appreciation for a wide variety of student perspectives, communicate effectively with constituents and senior administration, and lead successful initiatives.
Unit 1 needs a Vice-President who grasps the complexity of our working conditions and the areas where they must improve, particularly as we enter a bargaining year. I have served as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Toronto for four years. I have a true understanding of the pressures and issues that education workers face, while recognizing that each department presents its own unique set of needs.
Additionally, I bring a background in legal analysis. My experience parsing legal texts equips me with the ability to interpret our Collective Agreement, advocate effectively in labour‑management settings, and support members navigating grievances or workplace issues.
If elected, I plan to focus on two core priorities:
Engaging ALL Departments Within Unit 1: Many departments are unfamiliar with the supports available to them when workplace issues arise. I plan to work with Lead Stewards and Grievance Officers to conduct greater outreach to departments that have traditionally had limited engagement with CUPE 3902, ensuring they have accessible support.
Committed Bargaining: Unit 1 members deserve wages, workplace conditions, and protections that reflect the significant contributions they make to the University of Toronto’s mission. I will advocate for bargaining goals that represent the needs of our departments and work collaboratively with our Executive Committee to advance them.
I would be honoured to earn your trust and your vote. Thank you for your consideration.
In solidarity,
Luca DiPietro
Conflict of interest statement: I have no conflicts to disclose that may impair my ability to serve in this role.
Calvin Quick
Dear coworkers and comrades, my name is Calvin Quick, and I am a TA and PhD student in the Department of Linguistics and the Department of Language Studies (UTSC). I humbly ask for your vote to become your next First Vice-President, representing Units 1 and 7.
I first got involved in labor activism during the 6-week long academic worker strike at the University of California in 2022, while working as a grader. Since arriving at the University of Toronto in 2023, I have served as a department steward, and as a Unit 1 health and safety representative. I was also active in picket prep leading up to the strike deadline in the last round of Unit 1 bargaining in 2024. Since then, I have been a representative for Local 3902 at several union conferences, including the Ontario University Workers Coordinating Caucus (OUWCC), CUPE Ontario, and CUPE National. Last month I was elected to the Unit 1 bargaining committee, and I am looking ahead to winning real progress for all CUPE workers at the University of Toronto over the next year of coordinated bargaining.
I am running to be your next First Vice-President to help mobilize a strong bargaining campaign alongside our coworkers and comrades in units 2, 4, and 5, as well as library and service workers in our sister locals CUPE 1230 and 3261, all of whom are or will shortly be in bargaining. Beyond fighting to make sure our wages at least keep up with inflation, and winning benefits that better work for our members, the upcoming bargaining round is THE moment to enshrine concrete, worker-oriented protections around generative AI in our workplaces. This will require us to build power with our sister units and locals, and with workers and students across the University—all of whom are feeling the effects of the University’s opaque and profit-oriented approach to AI. With our Collective Agreements expiring soon, we have an opportunity to push back against the lack of transparency in the University’s implementation of AI, and I believe we must take it.
Beyond the headline issues, I am also excited about the work we have ahead of us to bargain improvements in the nitty-gritty of our Collective Agreements: expanding our healthcare coverage, a proper settlement on transit benefits, improvements to hiring processes, and more overwork protections for course instructors and invigilators. If elected VP1, I will work to make sure our Collective Agreement, and our local, work for all members.
The Employer is doing everything they can to divide us, the workers who run the University: from outright union busting in Unit 7, unequitable implementation of the $40k funding package in Unit 1 and beyond. We can win more together than we can apart, and I am committed to doing what I can to strengthen our organizing efforts, our solidarity, and our power as workers at the University of Toronto. If elected, I will always put members first, and I hope to earn your vote, and your trust.
Conflict of interest statement: I affirm that, to the best of my knowledge, I do not have any conflicts of interest.
Election Information:
Election Date: The election for Secretary-Treasurer and First-Vice President will take place on Friday, April 10, 2026 and polls will be open between 9:00am and 7:00pm.
How to Vote: Voting will take place by electronic ballot using SimplyVoting. A ballot will be sent automatically by email to all eligible voters at 9:00am on Friday, April 11, 2025. It is possible that this email arrives in your “other”, “spam” or “junk” folder so please check these folders if you do not receive your ballot in your main inbox.
Voter Eligibility: Members registered as political members by April 9, 2026 at 6:00pm will automatically receive a ballot. If you do not receive a ballot and believe that you should have received one then please email office@cupe3902.org by 1:00pm on April 10, 2026.
NOTE: To be considered an eligible voter, you need to have (1) worked in one of the seven bargaining units represented by CUPE 3902 within the past 12 months and (2) submitted a signed digital or physical application for Union membership.
If you’re not sure about this, log into the Member Portal and check that the field labeled “CUPE No.” has a value. If it does not, then sign your Union card using your Member ID and the form linked at the bottom of this email. For support, email website@cupe3902.org.
