Pages tagged "post"
Join the 2018 Walk with Excellence
Students from the 2016 Walk with Excellence sit facing a stage during the celebration and wearing white t-shirts with the "Walk with Excellence" logo on the back.
This year, the Walk with Excellence is on Monday, May 14. Due to the strike, instead of taking the community to York, the Walk will be bringing York to the community. The Walk will start at Westview Collegiate and students will walk to the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA), 995 Arrow Road.
There are two options for participation:
- Meet the Walk as it arrives at JCA (995 Arrow Road) at approximately 11:00 a.m.
- Join the Walk at Westview Collegiate (755 Oakdale Road) at approximately 10:30 a.m.
These times may vary; organizers will confirm by the end of the week.
The organizers are hoping Faculty will wear their robes! This is such an exciting opportunity to celebrate Jane-Finch students in their success!
For more information about the Walk, check out the 2016 walk.
The JCA is an institution that comes out of greatness. Its founders are Orders of Canada and have changed the course of history several times in their lives. The current leadership is young and dynamic. This year, we will be relying on some of these amazing community assets as we celebrate and encourage these students.
Please let me know if you and some of your staff and student leaders will be willing to come out for this. I know it will be a bigger time commitment, but especially important this year.
Please share with YUFA colleagues!
Regards,
Natalie Coulter
Co-Chair, Community Projects
YUFA Budget and Faculty Club Levy voting results
YUFA conducted an electronic ballot from May 1 to 8, 2018 on the 2018-19 YUFA budget and on the continuation of the levy to fund the Faculty/Graduate Student Café & Pub (et al.).
The vote was conducted in accordance with Article 3.5 of the YUFA Constitution, which states:
“The annual budget and fee structure shall be prepared by the Executive Committee and presented to the general membership at the Annual Meeting. Assent shall be given by a simple majority decision of those members voting electronically subsequent to the meeting. Accommodations will be made for those who do not have access to the Internet and who request such accommodation. No proxy voting is permitted.”
The proposed budget was presented to the general membership at the Annual Meeting held on April 17, 2018.
The results of the vote are as follows:
Do you approve the proposed 2018-2019 budget?
Yes: 445 (69.9%) CARRIED
No: 192 (30.1%)
Abstain: 99 *
Total voters: 736
Total eligible voters: 1,512
Turnout: 48.7%
Do you approve a $2 per month levy for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2018 to support et al. (the new faculty/grad café) with the understanding that 7 percent of the funds generated will go to support the costs of the Senior Common Room in Glendon?
Yes: 447 (64.3%) CARRIED
No: 248 (35.7%)
Abstain: 41 *
Total voters: 736
Total eligible voters: 1,512
Turnout: 48.7%
To review the approved 2018-19 YUFA budget, please click here.
For more information, please email [email protected].
* According to Bourinot’s Rules of Order, an abstention is “the refusal to vote either for or against a motion.” Abstentions are not counted as votes and therefore are not included in the total percentage of ballots cast.
OCUFA issues statement on back-to-work legislation
The following statement was issued by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) on May 8, 2018. The statement is available on the GlobeNewswire and on the OCUFA website.
Earlier today, the Ontario Legislative Assembly concluded its 2018 session before the proposed back-to-work legislation could pass.
OCUFA strongly condemns government attempt at tabling back-to-work legislation
TORONTO – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) strongly condemns the government’s tabling of back-to-work legislation aimed at striking academic workers represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903 (CUPE 3903) and defends the rights of academic workers to a fair negotiation process. This legislation breaches the constitutionally protected right of CUPE 3903 members to freely negotiate their agreement and undermines the collective bargaining process. More generally, such legislation subverts the bargaining process by signalling to employers that they can avoid meaningful engagement in collective bargaining by stonewalling and waiting for government intervention.
OCUFA welcomes William Kaplan’s recommendation for the creation of a government task force on precarity in postsecondary education employment, as outlined in the Industrial Inquiry report commissioned by the Ontario government. The increasing number of precarious positions on our university and college campuses is a critical concern that needs to be addressed. However, it is important to note that growing precarity in our educational system will not be resolved by undermining the collective bargaining process.
Strikes and bargaining difficulties in the sector are products of underfunding and problematic hiring practices in the postsecondary system. Contrary to Mr. Kaplan’s suggestion, an investigation into alternative “methods of dispute resolution” simply ignores the underlying issues and is a solution in search of a problem. In fact, almost all negotiations in the postsecondary sector are concluded successfully, without a need for job action. In the rare instances job actions have taken place, they have been short. An inquiry or a commission with a mandate to explore alternative means of dispute resolution fully misses the mark. What we need instead is a thorough review of the impact that systematic underfunding has had upon our postsecondary system, and the role that the Ontario government and postsecondary employers have played in creating and reinforcing precarity
Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty and academic librarians in 28 faculty associations across Ontario. For more information and to download the poll results, please visit the OCUFA website.
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For more information, contact:
OCUFA:
- Ben Lewis, Communications Lead, at 647-894-8938 or [email protected]
- Mark Rosenfeld, Executive Director, at 416-306-6030 or [email protected]
YUFA:
- Richard Wellen, YUFA President, at 647-637-3475 or [email protected]
- Jody Berland, YUFA Communications Officer, at 416-735-7571 or [email protected]
Call for nominations: Stewards' Council Representatives to Executive Committee
A photo of raised hands
Dear members,
Nominations are now being accepted for the positions listed above for the term 1 June 2018 to 31 May 2019.
The Stewards’ Council Representatives (2) to Executive Committee are elected by Council (Article 5.2 of the YUFA Constitution). The members of Stewards’ Council are: members of the Executive Committee, all elected Stewards, and one representative from each Recognised Caucus (Article 4.2). The Stewards' Council Representatives to Executive Committee serve as co-Chairs of Stewards' Council meetings (alternating every other meeting). Stewards' Council Representatives to Executive receive a 0.5 FCE release and serve for a one-year term.
Candidates for election as Stewards’ Council Representatives to the Executive Committee should submit written statements of their interest in serving. Elections will be conducted by electronic ballot. Where only two or fewer candidates are nominated, a ratification ballot will be conducted.
Stewards’ Council members who wish to nominate Stewards or who are themselves willing to serve should indicate their interest in writing to the Acting Returning Officer by email at [email protected].
Nominations will be accepted until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, 2018.
Best,
Maura Matesic
Vice-President Internal and Acting Returning Officer
Nominations for YUFA Committee Service
YUFA is seeking nominations for the following committees (see below). Terms of service are two years unless otherwise indicated. Committee service carrying a course release is also indicated.
If you are interested, kindly submit a written statement outlining your interest and any relevant experience to YUFA ([email protected]) no later than Tuesday, May 22, 2018.
Serving on a YUFA committee counts as service.
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Call for Nominations: Joint Employer – YUFA Committees and YUFA Committees
Below are the names and descriptions of the various joint and YUFA committees which will have vacancies beginning June 1, 2018. For each committee, the number of vacancies is indicated along with any course release associated with service. Unless otherwise indicated, all terms of service begin June 1, 2018 and end May 31, 2020. Appointments to committees are approved by the Executive Committee and ratified by Stewards’ Council.
If you wish to be considered for any of the positions available, kindly submit a written statement describing your reasons for wanting to serve, any relevant experience and any education or training. The deadline to submit your written statement is May 22, 2018. Statements should be submitted to [email protected] (subject line: Committees).
Health & Safety Committee (1 vacancy)
The YUFA Caucus of the Joint Committee on the Administration of the Agreement (JCOAA), per Article 7.03 (d), is seeking 1 volunteer to be appointed as a Committee Member to the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC).
Applicants should have an interest in Occupational Health & Safety. One member of the committee must be formally certified to perform workplace inspections and accident investigations. Meetings are set by the Committee. The JHSC protocol can be found here.
Joint Financial Information Subcommittee (3 vacancies)
The Joint Committee shall establish a Financial Information Subcommittee to serve as the channel for the passing of data and analyses of the financial operations of the University between the parties. The Subcommittee shall meet at least once every six (6) weeks during the Autumn/Winter session and shall submit a summary report of its activities to the JCOAA once annually, between 1 February and 31 March. The Association shall receive all financial information given to Senate APPC and its subcommittees.
There are three vacancies for at-large members.
Joint Implementation Committee on Affirmative Action (2 vacancies)
YUFA is seeking three members for the Joint Implementation Committee on Affirmative Action for Faculty, Librarians and Archivists (Article 12.22).
The mandate of this subcommittee is to ensure that units conform to the Article 12.21 criteria for selecting candidates and to ensure that units actively seek out and give fair consideration in their selection processes to candidates designated in the affirmative action provisions of the Collective Agreement. The subcommittee approves academic unit affirmative action plans in order to ensure that policies already established are implemented. Any substantive revision to a unit’s plan must be submitted to the Joint Committee on Affirmative Action for approval.
The meeting schedule is determined by the Joint Subcommittee. For this academic year, members are asked to keep Wednesdays 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. available in case meetings are needed. Most meetings occur during the hiring period, between January and the early summer.
Equity Subcommittee (2 vacancies)
YUFA By-law 3 establishes the Equity Subcommittee to assist the Equity Officers to facilitate, advance, and advocate for the reduction and removal of inequities at York University, with regard to issues such as hiring, tenure and promotion, salaries, and retirement.
These include inequities on the basis of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, age, ethnicity, religion, political belief, language, culture, ancestry, place of origin (birth place), colour, citizenship, creed, sex, pregnancy, sexual preference, marital status, family status, number of dependents, or belief or membership in associations, and other forms of discrimination.
Dispute Resolution Committee (1 vacancy – 0.5 FCE course reduction)
YUFA is seeking applications from members who wish to be considered for the position of YUFA Side-person (1 position) as described in Article 9 of the Collective Agreement.
DRC Side-person: Applicants should have familiarity with the Collective Agreement in general and the grievance process in particular, as outlined in Article 9. Only members who agree to set aside a scheduled three-hour block of time twice a month shall be appointed to the DRC. Each appointee receives a 0.5 FCE course release during the term of appointment. Service to YUFA by its members is included within the definition of “service to the University” for purposes of assessing workload and evaluating performance. Up to two (2) members shall be appointed by YUFA Executive, ratified by Stewards’ Council, for a one-year term beginning June 1, 2018 and ending May 31, 2019.
Reminder: YUFA Budget and Faculty/Grad Club Levy Votes end May 8
The voting period for approving the 2018-19 YUFA Budget and the continuation of the Faculty/Grad Club Levy ends at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2018.
All YUFA members who are eligible to vote will receive an email invitation to vote. You may vote by clicking on the link in the email invitation.
If you do not receive an invitation to vote, please contact YUFA right away: email [email protected].
This electronic vote is being conducted in accordance with Article 3.5 of the YUFA Constitution, which states:
“The annual budget and fee structure shall be prepared by the Executive Committee and presented to the general membership at the Annual Meeting. Assent shall be given by a simple majority decision of those members voting electronically subsequent to the meeting. Accommodations will be made for those who do not have access to the Internet and who request such accommodation. No proxy voting is permitted.”
The proposed budget was presented to the general membership at the Annual General Meeting on April 17, 2018.
Notice of Annual General Meeting for et al. (Faculty/Grad Student Café & Pub)
An image of the name and logo of "et al."--the new faculty/grad student café and pub
This is to inform YUFA members that et al. (the Faculty/Grad Student Café & Pub) will hold its first Annual General Meeting (AGM) as follows:
et al. Annual General Meeting
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
UNIFOR Local 112
30 Tangiers Road
* The UNIFOR Hall is an accessible venue.
All et al. members are invited to attend. If you are not yet a member, but wish to be, please sign up here.
Elections for new board members will be held at the AGM. Any member can run for a position on the board. If you are considering running for the board, but would like more information, please e-mail Jacob McLean: [email protected].
The agenda of the AGM is below:
Agenda:
- Welcome
- Approval of the Agenda
- Presentation of Annual Report (Chair)
- Adoption of Annual Report
- Presentation of Accounts (Treasurer)
- Adoption of Accounts
- Election of Board Members
- Other Business
- Closing remarks
- Adjournment
CAUT issues open letter to York Board of Governors
The following letter was issued by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) to York University President Rhonda Lenton and Board of Governors Chair Rick Waugh, following its national council meeting of on April 28 and 29, 2018. The letter expresses CAUT's alarm at recent actions by York's Board of Governors that undermine the authority of Senate to make decisions on academic matters and to set academic policy. The letter also refers to a unanimous resolution passed by delegates at the meeting to condemn the Board's actions.
To download a PDF of the letter, please click here.
Motion on University governance passes at Senate on April 26
The following motion was submitted by York University Senators Richard Welland, Ricardo Grinspun, and Mina Rajabi Paak to the Senate Executive Committee in advance of the Senate meeting on Thursday, April 26 (see here for agenda). Following a period of discussion, the motion passed with near unanimous support from Senators.
MOTION
(submitted by Richard Wellen, Ricardo Grinspun, and Mina Rajabi Paak)
Senate instructs Senate Executive that any actions or decisions attempting to clarify the authority and role of Senate, including the formation of any committees, working groups or investigation bodies, will be acted with, and only with, the formal approval of Senate.
RATIONALE
In his April 2 letter, the Chair of the Board of Governors calls for the formation of a joint committee appointed by and composed of the Executive of the Board and of the Senate to clarify "the respective roles of the Board and Senate." Anticipating that Senate Executive may develop a process to clarify some of these matters, it is important to assert the need to bring any such plans and decisions as a recommendation for formal approval of Senate.
Senate Rules and Procedures stipulate (Section D, page 33) that:
The Executive Committee shall be responsible for monitoring and making recommendations to Senate on all matters pertaining to: the organization of Senate and its committees, the organization and function of academic governance in the University Senate's relation both with other bodies in the University and with bodies external to it. The Executive Committee may make recommendations on behalf of Senate, and subject to Senate approval, to the Administration and the Board on matters related to the organization and structure of the University.
Although this is a broad mandate, it is circumscribed to "monitoring and making recommendations to Senate". Senate Executive does not have independent decision-making on matters of "the organization and function of academic governance in the University, Senate's relation both with other bodies in the University and with bodies external to it"; rather, it "may make recommendations on behalf of Senate, and subject to Senate approval" on the matters at hand.
The intent of the motion, therefore, is to instruct Senate Executive that, in regards to establishing a process for reviewing these governance matters, forming a body to conduct such a review, as well as deriving conclusions and decisions, Senate Executive, shall, as per Senate procedures, bring any recommendations to Senate for approval.
YUFA president's remarks to Board of Governors meeting
YUFA President Richard Wellen delivered the following remarks to the Board of Governors meeting that took place by teleconference on Tuesday, May 1, 2018:
"As you know, this is a crucial time for our University. The protracted CUPE 3903 strike has led to feelings of hopelessness and anxiety for many of our students and faculty members, and the depth of these feelings may be greater than those in any previous strike at York. Many of the courses in the Fall/Winter and Winter terms are threatened, and there is now some likelihood that there will be a diminution or full cancellation of the Summer term for the first time at our University. Faculty members and others have told YUFA that they are demoralized by the administration’s apparent refusal to resume negotiations. Many faculty members have told YUFA that they are concerned about losing their summer courses and are uncertain about increased teaching responsibilities added to their next academic term, which will negatively impact their research.
"The YUFA Executive Committee would like to urge the Board to separate the myth of CUPE 3903 radicalism from the reality of CUPE 3903 members' bargaining concerns. In particular, we think it is important to put aside the myth that CUPE 3903 is too radical to bargain with, and instead make sure we recognize that the vast majority of CUPE 3903 members are feeling vulnerable and under-valued, and that this reflects real needs that the Board--and the entire York community--needs to grapple with. CUPE 3903 members are not deluded; rather, they support their union’s bargaining position for good reason. We think it is important that the Board give strong consideration as to how it can provide a new reasonable and fair compromise offer that would be meaningful enough to bring the members of CUPE 3903 to vote for a settlement.
"The refusal to make a new offer to CUPE 3903, along with concerns about university governance during the strike, have led to an unprecedented series of official non-confidence motions in the administration and the Board adopted by academic bodies, departments, and Faculties across our University. I have attached a summary of these motions that has been made available to YUFA. Whatever one thinks of these non-confidence motions, they surely reflect a growing sense of mainstream frustration with the approach to this labour dispute that has been taken so far. I have also attached a letter from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), summarizing motions that were unanimously passed at the CAUT national council meeting in Ottawa this past week. It is important to note that these received the assent of the representatives of nearly all faculty associations in Canada.
"This is a time that calls for constructive compromise. Many of the demands of CUPE 3903 reflect key current issues that are common to academic institutions across North America. In the current strike, these especially involve funding and the lack of secure academic employment that threatens the academic and scholarly mission of our University. The so-called 'conversion' program, which provides tenure-stream job opportunities to a limited number of contract faculty members, is one of the key issues in the dispute. This program has existed for more than 30 years and was initiated at a time when the administration, YUFA, and CUPE 3903 sat down together to imagine creative solutions to the University’s heavy reliance on contract faculty and how the legitimate career aspirations of those members of our academic community could be recognized. There was no strike or strike vote taken in the year this program was negotiated. Without getting into the question of how many conversion appointments should be made each year, it is important to understand that programs like this are becoming even more important as increased numbers of talented academics face conditions of insecure employment. For this reason, we see calls for programs like this increasing in the post-secondary sector. Arguably the provision of a reasonable number of such appointments is actually an enhancement, and not a detriment, to our institution.
"This is not the place to debate all of the issues in play in the current labour dispute. Rather, I would like to emphasize the need to explore every path possible to achieve a constructive turn in labour relations and, especially, to emphasize the Board’s role in achieving this. We think it is not too late to make this happen, and I remain available if you wish to follow up on this brief report."