At the end of November 2024, YUFA received notice from the Assistant Vice-President of Labour Relations at York University, Dan Bradshaw, that the Employer would be pulling out of an agreement with Simon Fraser University and Carleton University, effective January 1, 2026, to provide reciprocal tuition waivers for the dependants of up to five YUFA members who are enrolled at either institution. The reciprocal tuition waiver program is an entitlement under the provisions of the YUFA Collective Agreement. This program waived tuition at the domestic arts and science tuition fee rate for dependents of YUFA members attending either Carleton University or Simon Fraser University.

Upon receiving this notice from the employer, YUFA immediately filed a policy grievance. The Employer has commitments to reciprocal tuition enshrined in the YUFA Collective Agreement which the employer is obligated to fulfill.  

The Employer tried to eliminate the reciprocal tuition waiver program during the 2024 round of bargaining; YUFA did not agree.  Now the Employer appears to be trying to achieve what they could not during bargaining. YUFA is of the view that this is an example of bad faith bargaining. 

For members with dependents who are currently accessing this program, YUFA has been told  that the Employer will no longer honour requests from YUFA members to access tuition waivers for their dependents as of January 1, 2026. If you have any further questions or follow up, please contact [email protected]