Your Union is having it’s January General Membership meeting this Tuesday, January 24th, 4:30 – 6:30pm at Harbour Centre, room 2245.

TSSU members and allies are encouraged to attend and participate in discussions. We are also looking for new volunteers for various committees such as, Social Justice, Membership Mobilization, and Internal Relations.

As always, there will be a delicious free lunch provided – this time around, it’s vegan/veggie friendly!

WHY: The benefit to you is that you get to keep your money longer, and avoid paying any late fees.  All you have to do is ensure that you have paid your fees by or on the last pay run of the semester.  You can pay with any combination of deduction and payment that you like (ie. give them some money up front, then pay through deduction).  The real benefits to you are twofold: you avoid late fees, can pay it over the entire semester, and can collect interest on the money you do make thereby.  Even if you have the money, you can keep it in savings, and pay slowly through payroll. TSSU members wanted a tuition waiver in past bargaining, but SFU would only agree to this system.

WHO:  Any TSSU member with a current employment contract can set up a deduction of tuition from your paycheques.

WHEN: You can set up a regular deduction (at least a dollar) or you can change your amounts as many times as you want (you just fill in a new deduction form – see “how”).  You need to get the form in before the payroll run occurs for that pay period.

HOW:  go to https://myinfo.sfu.ca  and enter your student ID number.  Click on Payroll and Compensation, then click on “Voluntary Deduction”, then “Add Deduction”.  Fill in the form and submit.  If for some reason you want to raise or lower your deduction, just submit a new form.

PROBLEMS:  There is a detailed Q & A provided at sfu’s website. If the system won’t let you sign on, it is likely that your contract has not entered the system – in which case you need to check with your department. This often is not done until the first week of the semester, a few days before your first pay-period. Your pay period is indicated on your copy of the contract.

If you have any problems, you can also contact TSSU at 778-782-4695 or 778-782-4735.

UPASS GRIEVANCE: SFU has recently violated our Agreement on Tuition deduction, and is insisting that you must deduct $120.00(the full value of the UPass) to cover the cost of your UPass in the first month.  TSSU has grieved this violation, and is pursuing a resolution.  Until we get this resolved, it is possible that you will have problems renewing your UPass in the second month of the semester unless you ensure that you have paid $120.00 in that first month.  We will provide updates on the grievance on our website.

4:30-8:30 lower level highland pub social

Hello Members!

The TSSU’s Fall Election period will begin with polls opening this Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 10:00am and closing Wednesday, November 16th, at 5pm.

Polling stations will be at:

Burnaby Campus: November 9, 10:00am-2:00pm, on the 3rd floor of the AQ near the Mackenzie Cafeteria.
Surrey Campus: November 9, 10:00am-2:00pm – ask for Anisha at the Reg desk and she will escort the TSSU members to where the table has been readied.
Vancouver Campus: November 10,  2:00pm-6:00pm – on the Mezzanine.

Also, this election boasts the inaugural usage of the TSSU online voting system! simply click on the http://survey.tssu.ca and follow the prompts to participate in your online voting system – available the entire seven days of the election period!

You can read the Candidate statements in the post below – Happy Voting everyone!

My name is Carina Nilsson, and I have been involved in the TSSU since I began my Graduate Program in History in the Fall of 2008. I began as Treasurer in March 2010, then was elected as Coordinator in August 2010, and have held that position up until now. I am very excited to now run for the position of Organizer in the 2011 Fall elections.
Our members are now spread across three different campuses, and it is vital to ensure that members at Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey all feel that their interests and need s are being heard and represented.
I am committed to increasing the visibility and involvement of the TSSU on all campuses by organizing outreach activities, campus events, connecting with community and campus groups, and maintaining a dynamic social media plan.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to the upcoming semesters!

Trustee 1

Hello, my name is Brendan Plummer and I am entering my application for the TSSU Trustee office. I am a first year MA student in the department of History, currently holding a TA position, and am eager to get involved with the union.I am a new graduate student at SFU and will therefore bring energy and a fresh perspective to the office of the Trustee. Alongside a positive vitality, I possess a tenacious work ethic and a passion for social justice. I have been a long-time volunteer with Vancouver’s Learning Is First (LIFT) high school tutoring program, as well as a member of the Downtown Eastside Adult Literacy Roundtable. Through these volunteer positions, I have become familiarized with group collaboration and organizational bureaucracy. Most importantly, these positions have provided me experience learning from those around me while contributing my own knowledge where best it fits.

Along with research, writing, and analytical skills honed in the department of History, my capacities are well suited to interpreting and applying the TSSU Bylaws and Collective Bargaining Agreement for the best interests of our membership. As this is critically important in a bargaining year, I encourage your backing for my candidacy for the Trustee position. Thank you for your time and support.

Coordinator

My name is Connor Moffatt and I am running for the position of TSSU Coordinator. In my last year I have been continuously active in the TSSU as both Trustee and my department’s Shop Steward. My experience as Trustee and serving variously on the Executive, Internal Relations (Policy) and Membership Mobilization Committees have prepared me quite well for the position of Coordinator. It is my hope that my ability to cope with the bureaucracy and keep that end of things under control will enable others to put their energies into new creative strategies so vital to our Union both in general and in a bargaining year.

No statements were received by deadline for GSS Representative or MMC Commissioner candidates.

This Wednesday, October 26th, we will be having our October General Membership Meeting from 12:30-2:30pm in MBC 2290.

All TSSU members and allies are welcome to attend, join in the discussion, and enjoy a delicious, free lunch!

We need more volunteers for our numerous committees, so come find out about the variety of ways in which you can become involved in your union!

As well, the nomination period for the November 2011 elections is still on until the end of the meeting, so it’s not too late to get in your nomination forms. 
We have a number of positions up for election: Chair, Secretary, Trustee I, Ex-Officio, Coordinator, and Organizer.

You can find out more about these positions by coming to the GM this Wednesday.

See you there!