Congratulations! As a new member of CUPE Local 3651 you are now part of not only Local 3651’s approximate 700 members but also 158,000 health care members work in hospitals, residential/long-term care (LTC), community health, home care and at Canadian Blood Services (CBS) across Canada.
With 700,000 members just like you belonging to a union, we all share common goals of working towards raising the standard of living through improved wages, hours of work and benefits.
At Markham Stouffville Hospital there are three different bargaining units. A bargaining unit is a group of workers who perform similar work and are represented by a union.
- Full-time Service Workers
- Part-time Service Workers
- Clerical Workers
Because CUPE is your union, you have the opportunity to voice your questions and concerns about your work, your future and ways to improve the workplace and our community. In order to do so we encourage you to attend Membership Meetings. Membership Meetings are where you use your democratic right to help make important decisions for the local. It is where we exchange information, debate issues and make decisions that affect all of us!
In sharing our challenges, coming up with solutions and working together as one strong united voice, we are able to use our collective strength to ensure, better working conditions!
In Solidarity,
CUPE Local 3651
Definitions
Arbitration – A method of settling disputed thought a third party whose decision is final and binding.
By-laws – A local union’s bylaws state how the local is organized and what rules it must follow. Each local develops its own bylaws, following the parent union’s constitution. CUPE National provides an example in the Model Bylaws. Bylaws usually describe important aspects of a local union such as the role of officers, how officers are chosen, and procedures for meetings.
Collective Agreement – A contract between the union and the employer covering wages, hours of work, contracting out, benefits, grievances and much more!
Collective Bargaining – Collective bargaining, covers a variety of subjects. Representatives of labor and management negotiate over wages and benefits, hours, working conditions and much more. It is the job of the union to enforce the contract on behalf of the members.
Contracting out – When an employer uses another employer to do work of the bargaining unit.
Benefits of being in a union – Unions are important because they help set the standards for education, skill levels, wages, working conditions, and quality of life for workers. Union-negotiated wages and benefits are generally superior to what non-union workers receive. Workers who are paid well and enjoy job security can afford to pay taxes to support the growth of public services like schools, roads, clean water, police services, electricity and health care. In this regard, even people who have never belonged to a union benefit from the existence of good union jobs in their communities.
**For more definitions check out the CUPE mini dictionary at https://cupe.ca/cupe-mini-dictionary-union-language