At our General Membership Meeting at 4:30 pm on Thursday, March 22, at SFU Surrey (SUR 5080), TSSU will constitute a Contract Committee to begin the pre-bargaining process leading up to the April 2019 expiration of our current Collective Agreement. While that expiration date may seem far away still, it demonstrates just how much time and energy go into contract development and bargaining processes. The Contract Committee is somewhat unique in the TSSU insofar as it does not always exist. Unlike other committees, the Contract Committee is formed by the General Membership prior to the end of each Collective Agreement, and continues operating until the new Collective Agreement is ratified.

As such, the Contract Committee constituted on Thursday will only be the first of what is sure to be multiple iterations of the Committee over the course of its life, as members come and go based on schedules, personal and professional commitments, and even graduation from SFU. So if you are worried about not having the time, knowledge, or skills to contribute to the Committee, don't worry -- you aren't tied to it forever, and there is no better way to learn about the Collective Agreement than in the collective effort of making our Agreement even better.

There will be an informative discussion of the duties and responsibilities of the Contract Committee at the General Membership Meeting prior to the selection of committee members. The Committee is stipended at $150 per month for the first 12 hours of work, and $20 per hour after that to a maximum of $1200 per month. All TSSU members are eligible to sit on the Contract Committee, and furthermore, are encouraged to put their names forward for consideration! 

Free dinner will be available at the Meeting as always, and you are invited to join us afterward for a drink at Central City Brewers.

UPDATE (26/03/2018): Seven of the eight non-ELC/ITP positions on the Contract Committee were filled at the March GM. There is still one vacant position for a Sessional Instructor on the Committee. Interested members should contact tssu@tssu.ca.