governance

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.

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.

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.

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 And although the Executive's language on carriage rights was withdrawn from the bargaining proposals, this language could return, to the detriment of the members.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.