Tentative Agreement: On the Way to Performance Indicators?
Richard Wellen
An Analysis and Commentary on the Proposed Teaching Load Reduction Framework
The likely result will be annual competitions among both units and colleagues for course releases. We know the university has been avidly studying the use of performance indicators, and they have been canvassing Faculties on this topic. The acceptance of this framework is almost certain to result in a significant intensification of post-tenure performance review within units. In fact, one cannot avoid the suspicion that the reason the parties negotiated a vague framework with only very general principles, was so that performance indicators could more easily be smuggled in.
Memorandum of Understanding: A Response
Marcia Macaulay and Yvette Szmidt
On September 17 there will be a meeting to ratify or not a tentative settlement between the employer and YUFA. This tentative settlement fails to reflect the bargaining positions which YUFA members approved and gave the Bargaining Team a mandate to negotiate at a General Membership Meeting on June 2, 2009. There are a number of significant concerns which we wish to bring to your attention.
Allegations of Academic Fraud Revisited: Released Documents Fuel Doubts About Shoukri's Spin
David Noble
Documents just disclosed under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act show that the false description of newly-appointed FLAPS Dean Martin Singer as a "renowned scholar” originated in President Shoukri’s own office, which had closely overseen the decanel search process.
Precipitous Settlement ???
Marcia Macaulay
What members should fear in the case of a precipitous settlement is a trading off of the bargaining positions ratified by the membership during the last General Membership meeting. Advances in workload could in fact be clawed back, leaving York as a university without the benchmark of 2+2 which is in keeping with other universities in Canada. And although the Executive's language on carriage rights was withdrawn from the bargaining proposals, this language could return, to the detriment of the members.
YUFA Executive Ignores Members’ Mmotion to Hold Monthly Consultation Meetings During Negotiations
Richard Wellen
At our spring membership meeting a near unanimous motion was passed directing the Executive to hold consultation meetings with the membership at least monthly during bargaining in order to keep members up to date. Apparently there is no intention to comply with that motion as we have already exceeded the one month threshold.
For those who are not in YUFA, or for those in YUFA who were expecting a somewhat visible bargaining process, please take a look at the message below from YUFA about negotiations (Bargaining Update # 2)
An Open Letter to Arthur Hilliker, YUFA President
The YUFA Democracy Caucus
In your statement to YUFA members on May 25 you do not mention that you have blocked all attempts to discuss and resolve the election irregularities by the Executive, and have discounted the motion passed by Stewards Council reaffirming its procedures for the election...
The Failures of a Faculty Association
Jody Berland and Ricardo Grinspun
Challenging times require strong collective action to defend values of fairness, integrity, and democratic accountability. It is deeply disappointing to see the York University Faculty Association failing to stand up to the task. We are responding to egregious anti-democratic practices in the Executive of that Association, most recently in the election of Steward Council Representatives to YUFA Executive. In this article we offer context and commentary on this event.
Electoral Crisis in YUFA
We are a group of YUFA members who are concerned about a breakdown of democracy in YUFA. This crisis will prevent us from making our voices heard in the upcoming contract negotiations. Like Arthur Hilliker in his message sent on May 19, we too call for "us [to] unite and work together in the best interests of our members." However, without due process, democracy and transparency, this will not be possible.
Casualization of Academic Labour at York University: A Discussion Paper
Nicola Short, Hira Singh, Justin Podur, and Ray Rogers
This discussion paper comes out of a motion passed at YUFA's 3 March Special General Meeting. It should be noted that despite the striking of this subcommittee by a SGM of YUFA, it is clear that YUFA has only belatedly come to grips with the issue of casualization as it develops bargaining positions. We hope that our discussion paper plays a role in catalyzing both the executive and the membership in taking these issues seriously.
Report on YUFA Executive Meeting of May 4 2009
The YUFA Democracy Caucus
How is it possible that a member of another union, is suddenly in a position to dictate what our elected members on Stewards' Council should and shouldn’t be doing? The lack of democracy makes me crazy – it’s a combination of a majority on Executive that wishes to control how another YUFA body, Stewards' Council operates, plus for good measure staff that now has far more power than YUFA members.
Executive's Proposed Abolition of Carriage Rights
Nick Lary
The Executive is considering changes in Article 9 that will seriously weaken members’ rights in the new Collective Agreement. The stewards and the members will have a chance to reject these proposed changes in their separate votes on the bargaining proposals before negotiations begin.
Stolen Stewards Council Election?
Laurence Green
The stewards should elect "their" representatives to the YUFA Executive. If the Executive chooses the Council's representatives, then this isn't "representation." The stewards present, agreed and voted accordingly. After the motion carried, no one was prepared for it to be overturned this week, and accompanied by claims that THIS MOTION and the stewards who voted for it were trying to change the terms of the election, during the election... when from my perspective, and others, we were clearly trying to accomplish the opposite and PREVENT any procedural irregularities from skewing the election outcome.
Democratic Gains at the YUFA SMM on March 3
Marcia Macaulay
The YUFA Special Membership Meeting on March 3, 2009 was an important
event for the membership as a whole. It was attended by approximately one
hundred and fifty members. This meeting concentrated on motions brought
from the previous Special Membership Meeting on February 9.
L'État C'est Moi: Hilliker as THE Authority on YUFA's Procedures and Constitution
The YUFA Caucus for Democracy
The President of YUFA showed his contempt for the recognized election procedures, which were changed a whole 6 weeks and 4 days into the elections for Stewards’ Council reps to Executive. Executive members were suddenly allowed to vote and thus skewed, and probably stole, the results of the election.
Appendix T (formerly U) -YUFA'S President Proposes Faculty Salary Freeze
Richard Wellen
YUFA has been very ‘cooperative’ in the last decade of negotiations. In consequence, we have won very few improvements in pay and working conditions over those years. In the meantime, we have seen faculty unions at Carleton, Brock and Wilfred Laurier win teaching load reductions that have been refused by our own employer. Now is not the time to fall further behind and make our own members pay the price for the misguided policies of both the employer and the government.
