Since the COVID-19 pandemic, communities across Ontario have come together in solidarity to support one another through resource sharing. If you know any additional groups to add to our list please contact us at communications@cupe1281.ca.
Brampton
Durham Region
Guelph
Hamilton
Kingston
Kitchener-Waterloo
Mississauga
Niagara Region
Oakville
Orillia
Ottawa
Peel
Peterborough
Sudbury
Toronto
CareMongering-TO
The People’s Pantry
Windsor
York Region
*Updated as of May 14, 2020*
The CUPE 1281 Convention will take place on Monday, July 20, 2020 from 10 am to 4 pm. The CUPE 1281 Executive have made the tough decision to hold Convention online this year to ensure the safety of members and so that online preparations for the meeting can begin.
Who can attend the CUPE 1281 Convention?
Each sub-unit delegation consists of the sub-unit delegates elected from among the membership of the sub-unit. One delegate position is held by the Steward, and the others are determined according to the PBUs (number of positions in the bargaining unit ). Please see below for how many delegates your sub-unit is permitted to bring.
1-5 PBUs = 1 delegate
6-10 PBUs = 2 delegates
11-20 PBUs = 3 delegates
21-40 PBUs = 4 delegates
41-80 PBUs = 5 delegates
Sub-locals with 80 PBUs or more are entitled to 6 delegates
Example: if your sub-unit has 15 members total (including the Steward), you are entitled to your Steward’s attendance plus 3 additional delegates, i.e. your total voting delegation will consist of 4 people.
What elections and appointments will take place at the CUPE 1281 Convention?
CUPE 1281 Executive positions
We are living in challenging and fluctuating times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses by the government and our employers mean major impacts will be felt by all workers in Canada.
Here are some resources that will help you navigate some of the issues. If you have any specific concerns regarding your CUPE 1281 Collective Agreement and a situation with your employer, please follow up with the Local or your Staff Representative.
CUPE Coronavirus fact sheet: https://cupe.ca/coronavirus
Government links
Union COVID-19 resource links
Related resources
Self-isolation
This is a check list for people in work that is necessary for operations to continue, where there is the expectation from the employer to continue to go to the workplace, or for work to continue remotely but you cannot maintain full levels of productivity. Even though we disagree with the direction such as this, workers should be following directives from their employer to file sick leave, vacation, sick bank, overtime bank, personal days, and the like to stay home and not work if they are needing to.
Direction to employees in this position:
The goal is to get those days back from the employer.
Employment Insurance
Official Employment Insurance links
The federal EI program has waived the one week waiting period and have set-up call lines to deal with the influx:
Questions to ask Employers
Additional resources
February 11, 2020
CUPE Local 1281 strongly condemns the actions that Ryerson University has taken to sever all ties with the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU). This drastic measure starves the RSU of the fees that full time undergraduate students and all graduate students pay to their students’ union.This action also prevents these students from accessing advocacy services, important equity service centres like the Centre for Women and Trans People, Rye Pride, the Racialised Students Collective, Rye Access, Centre for Safer Sex and Sexual Violence Support, and the Good Food Room are all jeopardy.
Ryerson University, because of their extreme decision to terminate the operation agreement with the RSU, is attempting to force the dissolution of a decades old community stronghold that employs eight full time staff who are members of CUPE 1281. Employees of the RSU are the original chartered members of CUPE 1281 from 1974. Our members should be able to continue to do their jobs; it’s inappropriate for the university to intervene this way and to put their jobs at risk.
We stand with Ryerson students who deserve an autonomous students’ union that’s free to critique and challenge the University administration. Currently, Ryerson University is trying to set up a new student “government” with appointed students to determine it’s organizational structure, while the RSU is running it’s annual general elections without access to it’s membership lists because the university will not release them. This is a problem.
We call on Ryerson University to re-open communications with the RSU, to fairly negotiate an operational agreement, and release the levy fees to the RSU so that their important services and advocacy can continue to support Ryerson students and the community at large.
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For more information contact Lyndall Musselman, President of CUPE Local 1281
On Friday December 20, 2019, outgoing members of the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) executive board made a number of incendiary and unfounded allegations against our unionized CMG staff, CUPE 1281 and our CUPE National Staff Representatives. Such needlessly inflammatory statements do nothing to bring the Parties closer to concluding a Collective Agreement that’s been outstanding since 2016 nor to repair a relationship frayed by months of hard line concessionary bargaining that took aim at cornerstone entitlements such as severance on retirement and sick leave.
Unionized workers are entitled to mobilize for a fair deal. Union staffers are no exception. Our campaign, which focused on the personal experiences of our members was true, accurate and always respectful. We continue to stand by the campaign and our members at CMG as they continue to bargain for a fair deal in the New Year, with a new CMG management team.
For more information, please contact CMG 1281 CUPE Steward Deb Hong at CMGSteward@gmail.com.
MEDIA RELEASE
“CUPE 1281 is Fighting Back Against the Ford PSE Agenda”
For Immediate Release
January 27th, 2019
The Executive of CUPE Local 1281 joins the chorus of post-secondary students and workers on post-secondary education campuses to condemn the attacks from the Ford Government announced on January 17th. University and college students in Ontario now face a precarious and defunded future pursuing their education.
Meanwhile, our members, many of whom are employed by students’ unions or other student run organizations on university campuses, are forced to consider whether or not their workplaces will survive the new Ford Government mandate to make their student levies optional. CUPE Local 1281 sees this announcement as a blatant attack on students’ rights, important services for equity seeking student groups, and our members’ jobs. Moreover, this new directive by the Ford Government is but one part of a wider undermining of the social safety net of the Province, adding to already under attack areas ranging from social assistance to health care.
Our Local will fight back and do all that we can to support students’ right to organize and ensure post-secondary education in Ontario is not pushed out of reach or made unsafe for marginalized students or those coming from low-income backgrounds.
To our fellow organizers across the Province, we call for unity and diversity in action against the direct and consistent offensives of the Ford regime. Together, we will win.
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For more information, contact:
Naila Lalji, CUPE Local 1281 President
president@cupe1281.ca
Tel: 416-551-0057
CUPE 1281 convention is around the corner: Monday June 4, 2018.
If you’ve been thinking of getting more involved with your union, there are a number of opportunities that you can put your name forward for! Positions elected at convention will include:
The minimum wage has gone up to $14 an hour! Unfortunately some business owners have responded by cutting paid breaks and shifts, firing workers and even engaging in wage theft.
CUPE 1281 is sponsoring six (6) members’ attendance at CUPE Ontario Spring School, February 28-March 5, 2018 in Toronto. Please click here for course listings and descriptions. The Union is covering registration costs for 2-3 day courses priced at $100, and reimbursements in accordance with the Standing Policy on Reimbursement for Union Participation. We urge members to use their leave provisions, workplace professional development funds (if any), CUPE council funds, and/or apply for CUPE scholarships if possible, to maximize access to funding. CUPE 1281 members interested in participating in Spring School should submit a statement of interest to Sara Jaffri (admin@cupe1281.ca) by Friday, February 2, 2018. Spring School generally fills up fast, so please do not delay in expressing your interest.
We are also covering registration for members to attend a training session of their selection from the 2018 CUPE Workshop calendar here from January to May 2018. The same parameters outlined above apply. For those selecting a course from the calendar, please state your interest to admin@cupe1281.ca at least three weeks prior to the course commencement so that you can be registered. We will also consider interest in courses offered by Local CUPE Council and labour council, OFL and CLC sponsored courses/educationals. If you are interested in attending a non-CUPE educational or have an idea for an alternative educational opportunity for your workplace please contact: admin@cupe1281.ca
In accordance with the Bylaws, members who have attended courses, conferences and educationals, please submit a brief report (250-500 words) outlining the materials covered or actions taken at the course, conference or educational workshop. The report should also outline areas where the member would be able to share skills or materials with others in the Local. Such reports will be collected and held by the Vice-President.
Please take a look at the information links, note the deadlines, and take advantage of these opportunities!
(November 23, 2017)
This statement is to inform the York University community of the current situation at the Centre for Women and Trans People (CWTP-York), to dispel inaccurate information or misinformed perceptions which may negatively impact our members. As the union representing the Centre’s two staff, CUPE 1281’s main concern is to defend these workers from negative repercussions resulting from the Employer’s actions, including the Employer’s failure to defend workers from (and active complicity in) campaigns targeting trans staff.