YUFA
Executive
Executive Officers' Workplan
2009-10
5 Oct 09 - As required by YUFA By-law 9 (b), the following is the Executive Committee's Workplan.
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Perform the duties of President as outlined in the YUFA Constitution and By-laws.
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Inform members of specific YUFA activities and facilitate participation in YUFA activities by meeting with units.
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Serve on Senate as YUFA Senator.
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Serve as chief fiduciary officer of the Association.
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Work with Executive Associates and Officers to consider revisions to the By-laws.
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Participate in the organization of New Faculty Member Luncheons in collaboration with Executive Associates, the Vice-President Internal and the Communications Officer and to make presentations at the luncheons.
As per the YUFA By-laws, the Vice-President Internal:
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assists the President in ensuring YUFA’s internal operations are running smoothly and in accordance with the Constitution and By-laws,
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recruits members to contribute to the Association,
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chairs YUFA’s staff relations committee,
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is a member of Executive and Stewards’ Council, and
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develops and carries out priorities and projects as part of the Workplan.
In addition to the above-mentioned duties, the activities of the Vice-President Internal will focus on the following priorities in the coming year:
Collective Bargaining:
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serve as a member of the Bargaining Team, and
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assist with the collection and dissemination of information as it relates to collective bargaining (with the Bargaining Team, Communications Officer and YUFA staff).
By-laws Revision:
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ensure that YUFA By-law #7 is revised so that Stewards’ Council representation reflects the creation of the new Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.
Constitutional Reform:
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initiate and oversee a process for review of the YUFA Constitution.
Association Renewal / Building Participation in YUFA:
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welcome, inform and reach out to new members through new faculty lunches (with other members of Executive and YUFA staff),
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work to fill current and future vacancies on YUFA Committees (with YUFA staff), and
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work with all members of Executive and YUFA staff to develop a strategy to increase member participation.
Joint Committee on the Administration of the Agreement:
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as Co-Chair of JCOAA, assist with the administration and implementation of the Collective Agreement and serve as a member of subcommittees of JCOAA (with YUFA members of JCOAA and YUFA staff).
Perform the duties of Vice-President External as outlined in the YUFA Constitution and By-laws (italicized):
-- develop and carry out priorities and projects as part of the workplan
I believe that external development is integral to YUFA’s mission. As VP External, I will build on our past accomplishments and further strengthen proactive advocacy, coalition-building and ongoing consultation with our various constituencies on and off campus; enhance YUFA’s external profile and presence; expand YUFA’s engagements with community based groups / organizations; promote greater inclusivity with respect to CAUT, NUCAUT, Toronto and York Region Labour Council, and OCUFA; and, facilitate more strategic and operational partnerships among inter and intra-University unions. The above activities reflect three interrelated themes that characterize external relations: relationship building, representation, and recognition (3 Rs).
In addition to the above, specifically I will seek to promote the research activities of our members by i) facilitating links between the respective research interests in social justice and equity of our members and the various progressive community-based agencies / organizations; ii) facilitating research partnerships with charitable and non-profit organizations; and iii) recognizing and promoting research interests consistent with YUFA’s commitment to social justice.
Relationship building
-- liaise with campus unions, student organisations, OCUFA, CAUT, NUCAUT, and other labour and education groups
Continue to nurture and expand the well-developed links with CUPE 3903, YUSA, Graduate Student Association (GSA) and York Students' Federation (YSF). My first priority is to collaborate with CUPE 3903 and the GSA re immediate issues such as the transition process of University restructuring, FGS proposed changes, quality of education, etc. A strengthening of YUFA’s links with all campus unions and student associations enables a more active, ongoing, mutual and progressive consultative process guided by a joint commitment to political engagement. This open, accountable and accessible set of relations in pulling together reflects an authentic spirit of community collaboration. The following will be implemented: promote an understanding of the interests of all campus unions and student associations; increase the flow of information; encourage proactive consultation; invite a wider degree of participation in the planning and development of various community projects. I will encourage a collaborative public education orientation (consciousness-raising) within York University (especially an outreach to the general student population) and the wider community regarding YUFA’s role and responsibilities as a union.
Off-Campus Activities:
I will liaise with appropriate provincial and national faculty associations as well as non-academic unions in terms of action and lobbying on such matters as labour relations, education, health and safety, retirement, transportation, and housing (e.g., OCUFA, CAUT, NUCAUT, OFL, Toronto and York Region Labour Council, Ontarians with Disabilities Alliance (OADA), Action Education Toronto, Ontario Health Coalition, and local teachers' unions).
Representation
I will seek to ensure i) YUFA’s active representation and recognition on provincial and national faculty associations and ii) YUFA's representation of the external interests of its members. These interests inter alia include: responding to prevailing “market” pressures, government benchmarks / targets, workload, and erosion of union consciousness. As a leading unionized faculty association, YUFA’s active representation on these bodies is critical. Clearly, sustained communication beyond York University enhances YUFA’s profile, credibility and capacity to be effective.
-- track external affairs pertinent to members’ interests and co-ordinate involvement in associated actions
Recognition
YUFA recognizes and promotes the commitment of its members to social justice. I will work towards supporting existing community projects and facilitate the development of community-related initiatives (the input from the wider community and YUFA’s outreach activities). Given my experience in working with a number of community-based organizations, I will further pursue YUFA’s tradition of supporting issues of social justice and equity. I will work with members in promoting YUFA’s role and responsibility vis-à-vis social justice - notably external political, economic, educational, social, and health issues.
-- member of Executive and Stewards’ Council,
-- member of Community Projects Committee,
-- member of All Campus Unions Committee
-- member of YUFA Staff Relations,
-- member of OCUFA Staff Relations.
Chief Stewards - Suzie Young & Bernard Lightman
The shared work of the two Chief Stewards in the coming year will include:
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Providing informal and formal advice to YUFA members in all contractually-related matters and representing members in meetings with the Employer.
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Representing members in all stages of the grievance and arbitration process.
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Bringing potential policy grievances to the attention of the YUFA Executive and carrying subsequent grievances forward.
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Organizing and chairing meetings of the Grievance Committee and Stewards’ Council. In the coming year, Suzie Young will Chair Stewards’ Council, and Bernard Lightman will Chair the Grievance Committee.
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Participating in the work of the YUFA Executive and the Joint Committee on the Administration of the Agreement (JCOAA). Both Chief Stewards attend Executive and Bernard Lightman will participate in JCOAA.
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Specifically assisting units with the application of the Collective Agreement in all matters of restructuring, and working with the Long Range Planning subcommittee of JCOAA.
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Providing information to members periodically through the Stewards’ Information Webpage or otherwise.
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Consulting, where appropriate, with the Bargaining Team and facilitating lines of communication between members, the Stewards’ Council, and the Bargaining Team.
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Recruiting stewards and members of the Grievance Committee, where needed.
Communications Officer - Louise Ripley
My workplan as Communications Officer consists of my regular activities as outlined in the By-laws. I will write as appropriate for the YUFA Website and for YUFA-M email publication, including summaries of the regular monthly Executive Committee meetings, notices of meetings of the General Membership, Bargaining Updates, and other events that may be deemed to be of interest to the YUFA membership.
In order to accomplish my goals as Communications Officer, I will, to the best of my ability, attend all Executive Committee and General Membership meetings. I am available by email at lripley@yorku.ca.
Equity Officers - Didi Khayatt & Rose Steele
Ongoing work of Equity Officers entails regular attendance at the Executive Committee and Stewards’ Council meetings where we will maintain a watching brief on equity issues of the current Collective Agreement and equity issues which arise out of YUFA business. Equity Officers also will liaise regularly with equity-seeking constituencies, such as the YUFA Race Equity Caucus, Access York, etc.
Equity Officers will examine the Constitution to redefine the membership of the YUFA Equity Committee to revitalize an active, engaged committee. With the Equity Committee, we will explore the possibility of a University-wide discussion in Spring 2010 that would allow Equity Officers to hear from various interested constituencies regarding concerns that could be taken up in the future. Concerns from the Equity Committee will be brought forward to the Executive Committee.
This year, Didi Khayatt will continue being a member (for one more year) of the Joint Committee on the Administration of the Agreement. Should a Contract Review Committee (CRC) be constituted for the new Collective Agreement, Rose will be the equity representative. In addition, the Equity Officers will continue to bring to the attention of the CRC any suggestions made by the Caucuses.
The Equity Officers will continue to investigate the relevant equity clauses from other Canadian universities, as well as from suggestions from CAUT that YUFA may wish to consider for future Agreements. We also will continue to monitor the new Collective Agreement (May 2009 – April 2012) for outstanding equity concerns.
Both Equity Officers will attend the New Faculty Lunch series organized by the Executive and will speak to equity concerns when introduced by President Arthur Hilliker.
We will work with respective constituencies in order to improve the function of equity, especially with regard to the intersectionality of equity issues. Building relations will be important and we are interested in meeting with various equity-related offices on campus (e.g., Human Rights, Affirmative Action Officer, etc.), and being involved with the Caucuses.
As Treasurer of YUFA, as well as Co-Chair of the YUFA Community Projects Committee, it is my intention to continue my focus of fiscal responsibility on the one hand, and promoting social justice within a union context, on the other. There were a number of financial issues, such as the banking of course release that, because of the strike in 2008-09, we were unable to address this past Winter. I look forward to a fulsome discussion of these issues this coming Fall.