Concordia and CUPEU sign a new collective agreement

Representatives from Concordia and the Concordia University Professional Employees Union (CUPEU) met on December 17 to formalize a new collective agreement.

The negotiating parties reached an agreement in principle on September 12, which was officially approved by Concordia’s Board of Governors on September 26. The new agreement is effective from June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2026 and will soon be available on Concordia's website in both English and French.

‘We worked very hard to achieve equity’

“This collective agreement is a living document with a strong foundation,” says Shoshana Kalfon, student academic services advisor for the Faculty of Arts and Science and CUPEU president.

“It is always important to ensure that our clauses are up to date — whether this means keeping them as they are, tweaking the language or removing items.”

CUPEU represents more than 600 professional employees across the university, including advisors, guidance counsellors, nurses and departmental administrators and coordinators.

“Hybrid work is important to our members. We worked very hard to achieve equity and for all our members to benefit from it,” Kalfon adds.

Pierre Claude Bourke, manager of employees and labour relations, led the Human Resources negotiating team. He expressed gratitude for the collaboration during negotiations.

“Through dedicated efforts and discussions guided by shared interests, the parties reached an agreement that meets the needs of both CUPEU members and the university,” Bourke says.

The university representatives pictured at signing:

Graham Carr, president and vice-chancellor

Michael Di Grappa, vice-president, Services and Sustainability

Carolina Willsher, associate vice-president, Human Resources

Sylvie Côté, executive director of employee and labour relations, Human Resources

Kathryn McDonell, director of administrative services, Instructional and Information Technology Services

Tanya Poletti, director of administration and services to students, Enrolment Services

Gabriel Prévost, advisor, employee and labour relations, Human Resources

The CUPEU representatives at the signing: 

Shoshana Kalfon, president, CUPEU

Sigmund Lam, vice-president of negotiations, CUPEU

Lucie Tessier, union representative, CUPEU

With regrets:

Pierre Claude Bourke, manager of employee and labour relations, Human Resources

Ricardo Menezes, union representative, CUPEU
 

Find out more about employee and labour relations at Concordia.