More than 200 members attended the YUFA General Membership Meeting Agenda on November 21st.

The Executive Committee reported on the two offers from the Employer regarding retroactive salary increases now that Bill 124 is no longer in force. Bill 124 limited increases in salary to 1% each year for the past three years.

YUFA President, Professor Arthur Hilliker, outlined why neither option is acceptable. A discussion with many members contributing revealed strong support for continuing to collaborate with other unions on campus (which were also adversely impacted by Bill 124). Professor Hilliker noted an upcoming meeting between the YUFA Executive and York University president Rhonda Lenton.

Much of the meeting focused on the deteriorating state of labour relations. The Chief Stewards, Professor Nancy Sangiuliano and Professor Phiippe Theophanidis, reported that the Employer’s continuing intransigence on many matters increased the number of formal grievances being filed, including for relatively minor issues that could have been reasonably and cost-effectively resolved. This regrettable and increasingly litigious approach adopted by the Employer to resolve grievances in arbitration is not only very costly, time-consuming, and inefficient, but also negatively impacts the teaching and learning environment. The report from the Joint Committee on the Administration of the Agreement (JCOAA) and the Long-Range Planning Committee (LRP) also noted this approach by the Employer and the continued undermining of collegial governance.

Professor Agnes Whitfield, Chair of the Joint Financial Information Subcommittee, reported on the difficulty in obtaining financial information from the university administration.

YUFA Treasurer Professor Paul Evans briefly presented YUFA’s most recent audited financial statements, noting that the organization is financially sound and that our Defence Fund, while substantial, remains below target.

The Executive Committee thankeds YUFA staff – Mariful Alam, Erin Black, Baolinh Dang, Alison Fisher, Nicole Leach, Manuel Marqués, Paula Perez-Smith and Kristin Skinner – for their dedication and hard work.

Following the General Members Meeting the YUFA Trust Fund and Foundation held their Annual General Meetings.