YUFA

YUFA members need to intervene to call for a new election, to be held according
to the Stewards Council’s rules which place the power to choose their
representatives entirely in the hands of elected Stewards.

Norene Pupo

...Even last year when I asked YUFA for a $500 donation to support a conference, Labour Rights as Human Rights, (a conference following the BC Supreme Court Decision, and involving international guests from the ILO) YUFA refused, despite again wide labour support, including support from the other campus unions...

There has been much recent discussion on and off the YUForum discussion list about anti-democratic principles and process in the recent elections to Stewards Council. This posting by Stanley Jeffers on YUForm on April 6 was a response to Michael Mazurkewich on that list. It is posted here as an introduction to this question.

Deborah Brock

My experience in social movements has taught me that work is best shared, and change is best made, by maintaining open, democratic and participatory structures and processes. For YUFA, these structures and processes must be consistent with Section 1.3 of the Constitution.

The YUFA Democracy Caucus

These minutes were initially withheld as a gesture of good will -to see if the presence of witnesses would lead to greater openness, transparency, and accountability in the transactions of YUFA Executive. The minutes are now being posted.

The YUFA Democracy Caucus

Once again, YUFA observers were excluded from much of the meeting, an action not mentioned in the Constitution.

The YUFA Democracy Caucus

The YUFA Democracy Caucus summarizes the highlights of the poisonous YUFA Executive meeting on Feb. 23.

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.

Linda Briskin

I have just learned that TAs and contract faculty will only be getting 90% of their Fall salary. Although it is the case that there are two less weeks in the year (22 rather than 24 weeks), TAs and faculty are facing a lot of extra work to sort out remediation and the winter semester which include revised schedules and assignments, setting up make up exams and deferrals, and dealing with student concerns. If the York President wants to heal the wounds of the strike, as he claims, cutting back the salary of TAs and contract faculty is not the route to go.

Nick Lary

In March 2005 the Canadian Association of University Teachers set up a Committee of Inquiry in direct response to the actions of the York Administration and the Toronto police in suppressing a student demonstration in Vari Hall on January 20 2005. There was widespread dismay at York and in the wider academic community and beyond over the actions of the Administration. The Committee of Inquiry was set up at the request of YUFA Executive.

Ricardo Grinspun

The Canadian Association of University Teachers appointed the "CAUT Ad Hoc Investigatory Committee into governance and academic freedom at York University" in 2005: (1) To determine whether there were threats to, or breaches of, right of free expression and academic freedom at York University; (2) To determine whether there were inappropriate governance practices; and (3) To make any appropriate recommendations. The committee members were Rebecca Coulter, Associate Professor of Education, The University of Western Ontario, and Kenneth Field, Head, Access Services, Bata Library, Trent University.

Marcia Macaulay

The current strike at York has broken all records for labour disputes at English-language universities in Canada. Last week, CUPE 3903 faced a forced ratification vote to decide whether the employer’s latest offer would be supported by its membership. The offer was rejected by 62% of the members in a healthy turnout of 69% of eligible members. A significant aspect of this dispute concerns acceptance or non-acceptance of a new class of position: Teaching/Service Appointments. Such appointments replace the existing Special Renewable Contract Appointments already accepted by the York University Faculty Association. The new TSAs have not been accepted by YUFA; they have not even been introduced to its membership, and they present serious problems for YUFA should they be accepted by CUPE 3903.

The current CUPE 3903 strike is linked to and attempts to address an increasing trend towards casualization of labour throughout the economy, among universities, and at York. Casualization is driven by a “bottom line” mentality that emphasizes cost reduction and conceals the broader social and economic costs and impacts of job insecurity and precarious employment.

Union negotiators sometimes refer to 'principled' vs. 'positional' bargaining. In principled bargaining, both sides approach negotiation as an opportunity to solve a problem. In positional bargaining, both sides seek to score points on issues and to influence opinions as well as contract language. Over the course of the CUPE 3903 strike, we have seen several examples of 'positional' bargaining by the Employer. These actions undermine the work of both bargaining teams and pose additional risks to the collegiality of the University.

YUFA affirms its commitment to Affirmative Action in all appointments throughout the University, as outlined in Article 12.21. This follows a previous communiqué dated 20 Nov. 08, in which YUFA affirmed its support of the Conversion Program and reiterated CUPE 3903’s position that it should be continued and extended.