Important YUFA meeting March 3: Democratize Bargaining

Marcia Macaulay
There will be another membership meeting on Tues March 3 from 2-5 in ACE 102 (Acolade East Building, Room 102, Building #92). This meeting has not been well publicized by YUFA (see message from YUFA-M below). However, very important motions put on the table on Feb 9 but not taken up will be addressed.

1. In recent years, the YUFA Executive (a small group of 12 people) has been appointing members of the Bargaining team without any consultation with the membership. Two members of the Bargaining Team can be appointed directly from the Executive and all others have been appointed by Executive. In the last set of negotiations there was even reluctance by Executive to permit Stewards' Council to ratify such appointments since the Bargaining Team has not been considered a 'committee' but a 'team.' Democratic union practice usually endorses a separation between Bargaining and Executive committees to ensure some degree of oversight and accountability. Many of you might remember when each Faculty elected its own member on the bargaining team.

There are also now few collective opportunities for discussion and decision-making about our bargaining priorities (as is the common practice of all unions). For these upcoming negotiations, members of the Executive have acted as a File Preparation Committee as well as the Bargaining Priorities Sub-Committee. The proposed motions (below) will go some small distance to re-introducing some democracy and consultation into YUFA bargaining. Motions are also available on the YUFA website (link below).

2. Moreover, you have probably now heard that a motion to give up the right to strike voluntarily was defeated at the YUFA meeting on Feb 9 although the margin was close. There has been rumour suggesting that the motion (in some new form) will be re-introduced at the meeting on March 3, despite the fact that the membership had defeated this approach to bargaining on Feb 9.

Please come to this important meeting on Tues March 3. And encourage your colleagues to attend.

From the Report Back of the Committee-of-the-Whole in the Minutes of the Feb 9 meeting:

Motions proposed in Committee-of-the-Whole were reported back for possible
debate. Of these, the following were approved for subsequent debate by a show of hands:

1. That, following standard labour movement practice and in accordance with Article 9.1 of the YUFA Constitution, upon at least 7 days notice during the exam period in February / March 2009 a special general meeting be held at which the YUFA Executive will present its main recommended demands for the forthcoming contract negotiations and at which YUFA members will have an opportunity to discuss and vote on all such demands as will be raised at that meeting.

2. That the YUFA Executive inform the general membership by electronic attachment or secure mailout at least 7 days prior to the SGM requested in [the immediately preceding motion] of the main results of the bargaining survey conducted during Fall 2008.

3. That the bargaining team in the forthcoming negotiations include three members elected by the general membership no later than 31 March 2009.
____________________________________________
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:52:46 -0500
From: yufa
To: YUFA-M@YORKU.CA
Subject: Special General Meeting - Tuesday, 3 March 2009, 2pm-5pm

Special General Meeting

After hearing from many members who were unable to attend the February 9th SGM due to short notice, YUFA will be holding another SGM. Members are encouraged to attend.

Date: Tuesday, 3 March 2009

Time: 2 pm - 5 pm

Location: Accolade East Building, Room 102 (Building # 92
http://www.yorku.ca/yorkweb/maps/keele-webmap.html)

For the agenda & attachment, please go to

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