January 2016 Update New Unit 1 Health Benefits & Financial Assistance Funds
CUPE
3902
January 2016 Update New Unit 1 Health Benefits & Financial Assistance Funds
( 1 ) The Unit 1 Health Benefits have changed under the NEW Collective Agreement . For more details about the new health plan and how to make claims , please visit : http :// www . hrandequity . utoronto . ca / currentstaff / unionized / cupe-local-3902-unit-1 . htm
Also , please see the CUPE website for more details about health benefits : : http :// cupe3902 . org / unit-1 / unit-1-benefits /
( 2 ) Two new financial assistance funds were bargained for ; the Tuition Assistance Fund ( TAF ) and the Graduate Student Bursary Fund ( GSBF ).
The TAF is a fund that should provide all eligible members a tuition grant equal to the difference between their tuition fees ( less other grants such as DCAs , OGS , etc ) and 50 per cent domestic tuition . In order to be eligible for this fund you must be beyond the “ funded cohort ” and paying tuition in the 5th or 6th year of your PhD ( research stream ) or 2nd year of your Masters ( research stream ). If you have not been contacted about this fund and you believe you are eligible , please contact Hana Saleem in LabourRelations ( hana . saleem @ utoronto . ca ) or Rebecca , our staff representative ( sr @ cupe3902 . org ) to resolve this issue .
The GSBF is a fund for Unit 1 members whose annual funding is below $ 17,500 / year . It should be sufficient to provide all bargaining unit members in the funded cohort with a top-up equal to the difference between their funding and $ 17,500 / year . Currently , the GSBF is not being distributed because the Union is filing a complaint with the Ontario Labour Board against the University of Toronto Administration . The complaint is being filed because the Union contends it was not given enough funds to distribute the GSBF to all students who need it . Additionally , the Union reports that it was not given sufficient funding information that was promised in bargaining , which is needed in order to distribute the funds . If you wish to read the particulars of our complaint at the Board it can be found on the homepage of ourwebsite : http :// cupe3902 . org .
Finally , please see this pamphlet ( http :// cupe3902 . ord / wpcontent / uploads / 2015 / 08 / CUPE-3902-Unit-- Benefits-Funds-2015 . pdf ) regarding financial assistance funds that will be available in the spring of 2016 , which you may be eligible to apply for .
By : Catherine Braunstein CUPE REPRESENTATIVE ‘ 16
Photo by : Ed Gregory
SPRING 2016 | From Prescription to Nutrition | 2