YUFA
Executive
Executive Officers' 2006-07 Workplan Progress Report
4 May 07 - As required by YUFA By-law 9(b), the following outlines Executive Committee Officers' 2006-07 work plan progress.
I executed successfully my Workplan for 2006-2007.
As outlined in the Workplan, I performed the duties of the President as outlined in the YUFA Constitution and By-laws. I have continued as Chair of the All University Committee on Pensions, as YUFA's Senate representative and as chief fiduciary officer of YUFA.
YUFA Executive and staff have identified a number of possibly useful Constitutional and By-law amendments upon which we will be taking action.
With the advice and approval of Executive and utilizing the reports of the Contract Review Committee and the Bargaining Priorities Committee, I drafted the bargaining proposals, which I then shepherded through the Stewards' Council and a General Membership Meeting. I participated in the bargaining process both as an ex officio member of the Bargaining Team and leading discussion with the Executive and Chief Negotiator as bargaining progressed.
Professor Scott Forsyth and I have been meeting with units and with groups of chairs regarding the amended workload provisions of the new Collective Agreement.Of course, a major undertaking for Executive this year has been preparation for bargaining, consultation with members, meeting with constituent groups, considering bargaining initiatives, prioritizing, and communicating with the Bargaining Team. Post-bargaining, I have assembled a committee for my department and I have worked to develop a workload plan.
I also participated in the YUFA planning meetings for the Joint Committee on the Administration of the Agreement, and attended the meetings with Management regarding the issues and problems in the implementation of the Collective Agreement.
I have attended meetings, responded to documents, and communicated members’ concerns as the YUFA representative on the Centre for the Support of Teaching.
I have worked closely with the Community Projects Committee and with offshoot groups such as the Jane Finch group PEACH (Promoting Education and Community Health).
As Chair of YUFA’s Personnel Committee, I met with CUPE 1281 and Executive members of the Personnel committee and did interviewing and hiring of new staff, as well as communicating with staff on leave regarding their ongoing status and maintaining contact with our insurers.
I participated in Executive and Stewards' Council meetings, including the Stewards’ Retreat.
Unfortunately, with the intense pressures of bargaining this year, Executive and staff determined that New Faculty Lunches were not possible. I intend to reinstitute these next year as they are an important outreach to new members. We did present at the Atkinson’s new faculty orientation in the Fall.
I have attended Faculty of Arts meetings, and attended meetings in other Faculties regarding restructuring. I have consulted with Chairs regarding their sense of the best practices in accommodating members’ needs in restructuring and reported back to Executive.
I have worked, in consultation with other Executive members and with staff, to fill Executive positions for 2006-08 as they become vacant. I have also worked to contact departments to replace stewards where the incumbent was not active, and to seek new recruits for Stewards’ Council. This is an area which requires ongoing work next year. I have also worked to fill vacancies on committees and in external organizations.
I have begun consultative meetings with an initial group of mid-career YUFA members to begin to investigate the components of perceived salary inequities and to develop possible strategies to remedy these.
As VP External I represented YUFA with our external partners (e.g., OCUFA, CAUT) and internal partners (e.g., YFS and the Coalition for Education). I also attended Executive, membership and (occasionally) Stewards’ Council meetings.
As I leave Executive after many years of service (as VP Internal, President, Past President, VP External and YUFA Co-chair of JCOAA for many years), I take a moment to reflect upon the state of the Association. Two issues seem to me to be most pressing at this time.
First, a union is only as strong as the solidarity of its membership and organizational structures. A challenge to that solidarity is posed by a lack of clarity between the responsibilities of Executive and Stewards’ Council in the current Constitution and By-laws. This lack of clarity leads to unnecessary conflict and erodes solidarity within the union. I would urge a future Executive to resolve this problem.
Second, the work of YUFA is important and incredibly varied. Yet a very small number of YUFA members do the vast majority of that work. The negative results of this are numerous. Among the most serious are that a vast majority of members feel no direct connection with the union; we are not able to draw on the expertise of members that would assist in the work of the Association; expertise is confined to too few people; and when one of those rare members who have served in multiple ways leaves, the hole is difficult to fill in a seamless way. YUFA has numerous important initiatives that it will be undertaking in the coming year. Two that stand out are implementation of the Task Force on Diversity and Inclusivity bargained in the 2006-09 Collective Agreement, and a working group to examine the whole range of issues raised by course evaluations. These are examples of activities in which there is considerable expertise within the YUFA membership, but that expertise is not being utilized for the good of the membership. My proposed solution would be this: every academic unit (department, division, school or Faculty) should include within its committee/service planning a YUFA position, beyond that of representative to Stewards’ Council. Those members would bring their interests and expertise to YUFA for a single task. They need not work with the Employer in an adversarial role if they are not comfortable doing so. They could work on the YUFA caucus of any number of committees, working groups or Task Forces. They could make their research skills and knowledge of working conditions in their units available to the wider group. Unions depend on solidarity, but they also depend on membership engagement. Bringing more members into the union as a part of their service to the University is essential at this time.
Chief Stewards - John Bell and Penni Stewart
In 2006-07, we have, between us:
1. Consulted with, assisted, and represented YUFA members in contract-related matters vis-à-vis the York University Administration as these move from meetings with the Employer's representatives through the various stages of the pre-grievance and grievance process (Article 9).
2. Developed policy grievances.
3. Worked on five arbitrations of grievances:
- Employment Standards (pay equity),
- Professor Noble,
- Professor Greenglass,
- Professor Jazairi,
- Forced retirement of 2006 cohort.
4. Represented and advised members at disciplinary meetings.
5. Consulted with YUFA staff and lawyers regarding ongoing and potential grievances.
6. Chaired meetings, and expedited the work of YUFA Stewards’ Council, including:
- setting up, Chairing / participating in more meetings of Stewards’ Council than usual, because of the exigencies of collective bargaining in 2006-2007;
- overseeing the very first election of Stewards’ Council Representatives to the YUFA Executive;
- continuing to attempt to recruit stewards in units where they are needed;
- reading the entries on the often very busy YUFA Stewards’ Council listserv;
- preparing and Chairing an all-day retreat of Stewards’ Council.
5. Participated in meetings and related activities (e.g., listserv) of the YUFA Executive.
6. Participated in meetings and deliberations of the JCOAA.
7. Consulted with the Bargaining Priorities Committee and the Bargaining Committee.
8. Attended labour-related conferences.
Comm
1. Performed the duties of Communications Officer as outlined in the YUFA Constitution and By-laws, including:
a. Wrote for and solicited and edited submissions from the membership for the YUFA Website and YUFA-M distribution:
In addition to writing the usual reports required for the YUFA Website and YUFA-M distribution, in April 2007, I produced the inaugural issue of the reactivation of YUFA’s newsletter, Active Voice (Reactivated), issued in both online and paper format (sent to members’ mailboxes), which included articles solicited from the membership on the tenth anniversary of the 1997 Strike.
[A note for the future: In the fall, we will be producing regular issues, which will enable members to contribute both online and in print. This will be a union-friendly newsletter and submissions may be edited for length/content/style. There will be space for issues beyond YUFA. Volunteers are welcome.]
I instituted a new item in the YUFA Website: a link called “What’s YUFA Up To Now?” where we post such things as the summaries of Executive meetings and reports on other important union-related events. I am constantly aware of the cry I hear from many members that they do not hear enough from YUFA and I have been working to change that while simultaneously being aware that members do not want their mailboxes flooded with too many emails. The Website provides a place to inform members as much as possible but on their own terms.
b. Served on Executive Committee and Stewards’ Council:
I have served regularly and faithfully on the Executive Committee and Stewards’ Council, missing meetings only rarely and for good reason (always connected to bargaining).
c. Produced a summary of minutes of the YUFA Executive meetings:
I have produced regular and reasonably timely summaries of YUFA Executive meetings, available on the Website.
d. While also serving as a member of the Bargaining Team, wrote Bargaining Updates:
During the seven and one half months of bargaining, I wrote detailed and frequent Bargaining Updates to keep the membership informed of progress, as well as reports on regular and special YUFA membership meetings. I have heard positive feedback from many members, appreciative of the increased amount of communication during bargaining.
2. Found a way to encourage more contributions by YUFA members to YUFA publications:
I have brought back the YUFA newsletter, currently called Active Voice (Reactivated), now online (http://www.yufa.org/news/ActiveVoiceReactivated1.pdf) and in members’ mailboxes in April.
3. (Continue the past practice of Communications Officers in helping to organize and participating in YUFA’s New Faculty Lunch series):
We were unable to hold the usual New Faculty Lunch series this year due to the lengthy bargaining process.
4. In addition to attending Executive Committee and Stewards’ Council meetings, attended YUFA General and Annual Membership Meetings and other relevant meetings:
I attended all YUFA General and Annual Membership Meetings and a number of other meetings relevant to YUFA, and have written reports on these where appropriate.
5. Made myself as available as possible to YUFA members / Officers / Staff and others who wanting to communicate with / through me; I am always available by email at lripley@yorku.ca, or I may be reached at 416-736-5236:
I believe I have done this reasonably well. No one has yet complained of trying to reach me and being unable to do so. I have had a very enjoyable year as Communications Officer, and have had a great number of enjoyable (and sometimes not so much) conversations with a variety of YUFA members on a great number of issues. I have made some positive efforts to improve communications in some areas where communications had become embroiled in problems typical in academia and typical in electronic communication, including becoming better aware of my own electronic communication style. I even, for me a great accomplishment, have become more comfortable talking on the telephone!
Equity
By-law # 14 Description of Responsibilities: Facilitates and advocates for the reduction and removal of inequities within YUFA and York, assisted by Equity Sub-committee; chairs Equity Sub-committee; develops and carries out projects and priorities as part of the work plan; member of Executive and Stewards’ Council.
Didi Khayatt was re-elected in January for a second term of two years. Joy Mannette was elected in September 2006 for a two year term which would end in May 2008.
Report on the Workplan:
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We had proposed an Equity audit in 2006 for the University and funds were approved late last year to hire someone to do the audit. Bargaining for a new contract began on May 1st and it took precedence. Even though the requests from the Equity Committee were not met in Bargaining, an audit of the University was agreed to and will be administered by JCOAA. One of the two Equity Officers (Didi Khayatt) was ratified to serve on the subcommittee for the audit. Furthermore, the Chair of the Disabilities Caucus was also invited (and agreed) to sit on the same subcommittee.
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Didi Khayatt, as Equity Officer was also elected to sit on the JCOAA, as planned.
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Caucuses: 1) The Equity Officers met with the Bargaining Team several times and conveyed the demands of the various caucuses. 2) A member of the Aboriginal Caucus (Michael Greyeyes) was invited to sit on the Equity Committee this year and he accepted. The Equity Committee did not meet in 2006-07 because of bargaining.
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Equity workshops were planned for the Executive and YUFA staff for this year, but, once again, because of the focus on bargaining, it was put off. This plan will be resumed next year. Furthermore, one of the Equity Officers, Joy Mannette, was on sick leave for almost ten weeks.
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Attended all meetings of the Executive and Stewards’ Council as mandated by By-law 14.
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Research: One Equity Officer, Didi Khayatt, attended a CAUT conference on Women’s Issues in February. She wrote a report about the proceedings which she found very informative.
This past year I prepared YUFA’s annual budget and financial reports and provided regular financial updates to the YUFA Executive. I monitored YUFA’s financial position, provided financial advice regarding spending and investment matters, and participated in the work of the Executive Committee. I facilitated the implementation of the auditor’s recommendations arising from the YUFA Financial Statements with respect to the previous year’s budget. I have ensured that the membership database on the dues list is being reconciled every two months and that discrepancies are being followed up with the Employer via payroll. In addition I initiated and helped develop the YUFA Conference Travel Guidelines.