Teaching Assistants, internally-funded Research Assistants, and Contract Instructors at Carleton University
Upcoming union and community events
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Since October 7th, 2023 the Israeli military has murdered over 26,000 Palestinian civilians, including over 10,000 children as recorded by Al Jazeera, and the death toll continues to rise daily. CUPE 4600 stands firmly in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their ongoing struggle for liberation. We reject any conflation of the support for Palestinian life with the condoning of violence against civilians or antisemitism.
Israel’s drastic escalation of genocidal violence towards Palestinians in Gaza includes: the shutting off of water, electricity and telecommunications; the bombing of civilian infrastructure including residences, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and refugee camps; and numerous war crimes such as collective punishment, the use of white phosphorus munitions and the indiscriminate murder of unarmed civilians and journalists. The continuation of the illegal blockade and frequent attacks on Gazans must cease immediately and permanently. A temporary truce or “humanitarian pause” is unequivocally insufficient.
CUPE 4600 recognizes the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory as “unlawful under international law,” as determined in the October 2022 report by the United Nations General Assembly. Israel’s illegal settlements and the forcible displacement and transfer of Palestinians continue to violate international law as indicated in Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
We recognize that the events of October 7th are a retaliatory escalation against the current and long history of settler-colonial systemic violence and oppression in historic Palestine against the Palestinian people. Israel has imposed a brutal blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, cutting the Palestinian people from the rest of the world and forcing them to live in an open-air prison. CUPE 4600 understands that in order to cease the continuous and tragic loss of life, the root cause of violent Israeli settler-colonialism must be addressed. We recognize that decolonization is not a metaphor and must be enacted through the repatriation of Indigenous land and life (Tuck & Yang 2012). Humanitarian justice requires the liberation of Palestine as well as an international commitment to ensuring Palestinians are granted the human rights they have been denied for over 75 years.
With this historical context, CUPE 4600 joins the growing global consensus that recognizes Israel as actively committing the international war crimes of apartheid and genocide. While Palestinians and international solidarity activists have understood that the state of Israel has been continuously committing the crime of apartheid for many decades, organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israeli human rights NGO B’Tselem have more recently adopted the term to describe the system of racial segregation that Israel imposes on the Palestinian people.
The workers’ struggle and the struggle for liberation are inseparable. Like all peoples of the world, Palestinians have fundamental rights to freedom, justice, and equality. As trade unionists, we are compelled to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation, just as unions and workers did in the struggle for liberation from apartheid in South Africa.
CUPE 4600 presents this statement as a union on unceded and un-surrendered Anishinaabe Algonquin Territory. We recognize that the genocide of Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island and in historic Palestine is inextricable. Canada is complicit in both as a colonial power embedded in the histories and development of settler-colonialism and as a current source of financial, political, and material support for Israel’s crimes.
We issue this statement of solidarity as voted on during our November 17th General Membership Meeting.
CUPE 4600 calls on the Canadian government to stand up for the inalienable human rights of the Palestinian people by calling for:
Events, meetings, and protests coming up:
Next meeting: Monday February 5th, 3pm, Nicol 3022
You are invited to join the next meeting of the CUPE 4600 Mobilization Committee.
What is the Mobilization Committee?
The CUPE 4600 Mobilization Committee is made of of members from both units. You do not need to be an elected official of the union in order to join the committee. No prior union organizing experience necessary, all are welcome!
This committee is tasked with organizing campaigns, events, protests, pickets, and educational workshops for the membership. The goals of this work change from year to year, depending on what is happening at Carleton and in the community. Sometimes this work focuses on preparing for a potential strike, other times it might be more aimed at supporting other unions or community groups. This is decided by the members of the committee.
What happens at the meetings?
The meetings take place every two weeks, and are a space for members to discuss upcoming projects. This committee is chaired by an elected member, who runs the meetings and prepares an agenda.
At the meeting, all members are encouraged to participate in the discussions and decision making process. Meeting participants will get to help plan the projects put forward by the committee, sign up for volunteering tasks, prepare materials, and learn some useful hands-on organizing skills in the process!
The meetings happen in a hybrid format, meaning it is a mix of in-person and online participation.
We hope to see you at our next meeting!
If you have any questions, you can email mobcor@cupe4600.ca to be put in touch with the committee chair
What is the Gender Affirmation Fund? In addition to the gender-affirming care included in your health benefits, CUPE 4600 has a fund intended to help members with some of the costs associated with gender-affirming care and transition. You can find more information about the fund, including the application form, on this page.
Hi friends,
Here are some upcoming events and meetings that may be of interest to CUPE 4600 members
For more information and details about these events, click here
Hello Teaching Assistants,
As some of you may be aware, Carleton does not issue the first pay check to Teaching Assistants until the end of the first month of each term.
Teaching Assistants holding a TA position of 130 hours can apply for the TA Advance, and receive short-term funding to help them bridge the gap in income.
Via the TA Advance, you can receive up to $750 in the middle of the first month of the term. Any amount received via the Advance is repaid to Carleton through automatic deductions on your first three pay check (250$ per pay check).
PLEASE NOTE the application deadline for the winter 2024 advance is Friday, January 5th, at 5pm
You can download the TA Advance application form here. Applications should be submitted to the Office of the Deputy Provost by email at: Banaaltahir@cunet.carleton.ca
Hello Teaching Assistants,
As some of you may be aware, Carleton does not issue the first pay check to Teaching Assistants until the end of the first month of each term.
Teaching Assistants holding a TA position of 130 hours can apply for the TA Advance, and receive short-term funding to help them bridge the gap in income.
Via the TA Advance, you can receive up to $750 in the middle of the first month of the term. Any amount received via the Advance is repaid to Carleton through automatic deductions on your first three pay check (250$ per pay check).
PLEASE NOTE the application deadline for the September 2023 advance is Friday, September 15th, at noon.
You can download the TA Advance application form here. Applications should be submitted to the Office of the Deputy Provost by email at: Banaaltahir@cunet.carleton.ca
Hello CUPE 4600 members, both new and returning!
Orientation week is coming up fast, and we’ve got some great activities coming up, which are open to new and returning members of both units. Everyone is welcome!
Here are some of the events we have in the works. More details about all of these will be sent.
Monday, September 4th: March with us in the Ottawa Labour Day Parade. We will meet up at the Human Rights monument (220 Elgin st) at 11:45, and then join the parade at noon.
Tuesday, September 5th: Come visit us at the FGPA TA orientation. We will have a table there with info and cool swag for members. 1-3pm in front of Southam Hall
Wednesday, September 6th: Drop by the GSA lounge (6th floor Nideyinàn/Unicentre) on Wednesday afternoon (1-4pm) to get help signing up for your benefits! We’ll have board members present who can explain how our benefit plan works, and how to access your health benefits.
Thursday, September 7th: Join us for the most important meal of the day! Free pancakes from 9am until 10am. Location will be announced once the booking is confirmed.
Then, come visit our table at the GSA info fair, which will take place from 10am until 4pm in the Tory quad.
After that, join us for a radical walking tour of Ottawa. We will meet at the “Mama” sculpture (the giant spider) in front of the National Art Gallery, downtown Ottawa (380 Sussex Dr), at 2pm. The tour, Protest, strike and rebellion in Canada’s Capital, will take you to the locations of some key events in Ottawa’s radical history.
Friday, September 8th: We’ll end the week with a social at Mike’s Place, located in the Nideyinàn building (University Centre). We’ll be there from 5pm until 7pm
Thursday, September 21st: Contract Instructors info event and social. More info TBA
Our Annual General Meeting will take place on April 26th, at 6pm.
The AGM is when we elect our new executive board and executive council. All members in good standing will be able to vote for their new executives, and are welcome to run for board and council positions. A separate email containing detailed instructions on the nominations process will be sent to you.
The AGM is also where the current executive board will submit their final board reports, where we will be presented with the budget for the upcoming year, and where we present the recipients of the Stuart Ryan Solidarity Award. This year we will also be announcing the results of the ratification vote at the AGM.
This year the AGM will once again take place online, via zoom. You will receive more information in the coming days, including board reports, a meeting agenda, executive board nominations, and copies of motions that may be presented at the meeting. Stay tuned!