YUFA
Contract
Budget cuts threaten contractual rights, action urged
Dear Members -
We are all facing the spectre of budget cuts at the University and units are struggling to deal with the consequences of less money and more students.
Many units have been looking at increasing class size as one way to mitigate these budget cuts. All members, and particularly Chairs, should know that we are not obligated to increase class size. In fact, the opposite is true.
As a result of an arbitration in 1998, our employer was prohibited from increasing class sizes until these issues were taken up in the joint committee on Teaching Load and Class size. This committee was to study patterns of teaching workload, class sizes and report back to YUFA and the Employer. Three years later the Employer still has not activated this committee (see articles 18.13 and articles 18.14). Thus increasing class size without initiating the procedure mentioned in article 18.13 violates and undermines our Collective Agreement.
YUFA encourages members to say no to increased class sizes. This is not a solution to the financial limitations that the University is facing. YUFA continues to discuss this issue with the Employer and will fight for the rights that are entrenched in the collective agreement.
Penni Stewart
YUFA Chair
Dear Members
Budgets of units across the university are being cut by the Employer. As well, the Employer is downloading additional responsibilities and costs on to units. In principle, units are being offered "choices" about how to make these cuts. Each of these "choices" amounts in the end to increased workload for YUFA members: increased class sizes; restricted curriculum (and the problems this creates for students and our ability to plan); less support staff; and fewer people to carry an increasing administrative and service load; etc. We are being asked to give up rights under our collective agreement and to become the authors of our own misfortune.
YUFA asserts that all changes that increase our workload or that shift work among teaching, research and service imposed as a direct result of the budget cuts, are violations of our collective agreement. This is confirmed by an arbitration ruling in 1998.
The Employer claims that if the specific changes are choices made by units, the Employer is not violating the collective agreement.
Our collective agreement states that any basic changes to working conditions must be negotiated with the Union as a whole and not with individual members or groups of members. (Please refer to Article 5.01 of the YUFA collective agreement). Thus, our position is that the Employer's directives to units to make these cuts are violations of our collective agreement.
Nevertheless, these directives have been issued and we recognize that members feel compelled to cooperate. In order to protect our current and future rights, any changes made by units or representatives of units should be documented. Correspondence regarding these changes should state that these decisions are being carried out under the Employer's directives and they are without prejudice to YUFA members' rights under the collective agreement.
We urge three specific actions:
1) That each unit pass a motion stating that you are implementing these changes under pressure and without prejudice to your rights under the YUFA collective agreement. Please forward a copy of such motions to yufa@yorku.ca.
2) That unit chairs include such a statement in all correspondence relating to the implementation of the cuts.
3) Contact your Area Representative (formerly Chief Steward) or C & G co-chairs to arrange an area meeting or to follow-up on these issues.
We strongly request that you keep YUFA informed of actions and developments as the unfold in your unit.
You can contact YUFA staff at x55236 or yufa@yorku.ca