Glossary

In the event that the Union and the employer cannot find a solution to a problem through open and honest communication, the Union may decide to send a grievance to arbitration, where the case is heard before an arbitrator, who is empowered to make a ruling on the specifics of the dispute. This legal decision is binding on both parties, and in some cases can serve as a precedent in future disputes. The wait time for an arbitrator can be years, although the CAQ government began attacking labour rights in 2019, and have changed the laws around grievances in the employer's favour. Read more about that here.

A Collective Agreement is a legal document agreed to by an employer and a bargaining unit, like a union. The terms specified in a Collective Agreement determine the responsibilities of employer and employees, as well as the details of the working conditions. Everything from wages, to how disputes are settled, to vacations and sick days are determined in the document. These terms are worked out between the employer and the bargaining unit through the process of collective bargaining, otherwise known as negotiations. 

The Confédération des syndicats nationaux is a Quebec-based federation of labour unions. It represents 330,000 workers across 2,000 unions. CUUSS-TS is affiliated with the CSN, and we send them 2.5% of our Union dues to have access to advisors, mobilization support, training, and a connection to the broader labour movement.

A grievance is a formal complaint, generally lodged by a union against the employer for violations of the Collective Agreement or Labour Law. Our Agreement specifies time-frames for when a grievance can filed, the employer's response, and notice of arbitration.
A grievance can be filed on behalf of an individual member or the Union as a whole. The employer will routinely deny the validity of grievances, at which point the Union will usually refer the grievance to arbitration.

Liberation is the release of Union members from their job for a specified period of time to help the Union. The Union will notify the member's manager and HR of the date and time of liberation in advance, and the member loses no pay while liberated. The Union has a bank of hours for liberating its members, and if all of those hours are used, the Union repays the salary and benefits of the member to the University. Liberation hours are used to support everything from Executive duties to organizing social events and planning with other Unions.

The University Health and Safety Committee is a group formed of representatives from all employee groups, the administration and Environmental Health and Safety. It meets every 3 months to discuss issues related to health and safety in the workplace, and decide on courses of action. Health and Safety Representatives are also members of the committee, and are responsible for performing inspections of University facilities. There are 2 HSR's that represent CUUSS-TS, CREW and CARE, and they are responsible for lab inspections.