York has a surplus of $316.8 million at the end of the 2020-21 year, which could be used to support our faculty, librarians and archivists and strengthen the quality of education here at the University.

While there have been many cuts to the post-secondary sector over the last few years, the Ford government, through Bill 124 (the Protecting Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019) has imposed a 1% cap on monetary increases to Collective Agreements in Ontario. This legislation means that YUFA is limited in what we can ask for in relation to monetary issues. Many of the larger issues on the table right now are not monetary issues. They concern equity, collegial governance, timely and dignified accommodation processes for members with disabilities and care-giving responsibilities, and recognition of the extra workload, shouldered disproportionately by our equity-seeking members, under pandemic conditions.