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Executive Officers' Workplan
2011-12

7 Oct 11 - As required by YUFA By-law 9 (b), the following is the Executive Committee's Workplan.

• President
• VP Internal
• VP External
• Chief Stewards
• Communications Officer
• Treasurer
• Equity Officers
• Recording Secretary

President - Arthur Hilliker

• Perform the duties of President as outlined in the YUFA Constitution and By-laws.

• Inform members of specific YUFA activities and facilitate participation in YUFA activities by members by meeting with units and other groups of YUFA members, as appropriate.

• Serve on Senate as YUFA Senator.

• Serve as Chief Fiduciary Officer of the Association.

• Lead the preparation by the Executive of the draft Primary Negotiating Positions for renewal of the Collective Agreement and their approval by Stewards’ Council, followed by ratification by the General Membership.

• Coordinate the leadership role of the Executive in the upcoming bargaining for a new Collective Agreement.

• Lead the three-member YUFA team representing the Executive for discussion of possible Pension Plan changes with the Employer related to the Plan’s solvency.

• I will work to ensure that our preparations for bargaining are as transparent and inclusive as possible. This will be especially important in our current context as major issues related to faculty teaching load (including the possibility of a Teaching Stream) are likely to be at the centre of negotiations.

VP Internal - Mary Kandiuk

As per the YUFA By-laws, the Vice-President Internal:

• assists the President in ensuring YUFA’s internal operations are running smoothly and in accordance with the Constitution and By-laws,

• recruits members to contribute to the Association,

• Chairs YUFA’s staff relations committee,

• is a member of Executive and Stewards’ Council, and

• 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:

• prepare for collective bargaining (with other members of Executive and YUFA staff).

Constitutional / By-law Reform:

• oversee the review of the YUFA Constitution and By-laws (with members of the YUFA Constitution and By-laws Subcommittee).

Association Renewal / Building Participation in YUFA:

• work to fill current and future vacancies on YUFA Committees (with other members of Executive and YUFA staff),

• work with members of Executive and YUFA staff to develop a strategy for membership renewal, and

• organize new faculty reception (with other members of Executive and YUFA staff).

Joint Task Force on Inclusivity & Diversity:

• as Co-Chair of the Joint Task Force on Inclusivity & Diversity, work with Barry Miller, Executive Director Employee Relations, and Rhonda Lenton, Associate Vice-President Academic and Vice-Provost, to oversee the analysis of the results for the Survey on Inclusivity & Diversity and the preparation of the final report for JCOAA.

VP External - Livy Visano

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, YFS, and the GSA re immediate issues such as quality of education. 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. I will be setting up regular consultations with YFS, CFS (Ontario), and OPSEU.

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, METRAC, OCAP, OPIRG, Toronto and York Region Labour Council, Ontarians with Disabilities Alliance (AODA), Action Education Toronto, Ontario Health Coalition, and local teachers' unions). I will be striking a working group of all Vice-Presidents External in the GTA (UofT, UOIT, Ryerson, OCAD).

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,
-- Co-Chair of All Campus Unions Committee
-- Member of YUFA Staff Relations,
-- Member of OCUFA Staff Relations,
-- Alternate member, Senate.

Chief Stewards - Sheila Embleton & Gerard Naddaf

As the two Chief Stewards for YUFA, we work in close collaboration with the YUFA staff, especially Monica Mulvihill. The shared work of the two Chief Stewards in the coming year will include:

1. Providing informal and formal advice to YUFA members in all contractually-related matters and representing members in meetings with the Employer.

2. Representing members in all stages of the grievance and arbitration process.

3. Bringing potential policy grievances to the attention of the YUFA Executive and carrying subsequent grievances forward.

4. Organizing and Chairing meetings of the Grievance Committee and Stewards’ Council. In the coming year, Gerard Naddaf will Chair Stewards’ Council, and Sheila Embleton will Chair the Grievance Committee.

5. 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 Sheila Embleton will participate in JCOAA.

6. Specifically assisting units with the application of the Collective Agreement in all matters of change, whether structural, administrative, or in assignment of workload, and working with the Long Range Planning Subcommittee of JCOAA.

7. Providing information to members periodically through the Stewards’ Information Webpage or otherwise.

8. Recruiting stewards and members of the Grievance Committee, where needed.

9. Participating in full-day monthly meetings in Toronto of the OCUFA Grievance Committee involving common interests and workshops. Gerard Naddaf will represent YUFA this year.

Communications Officer - Jay Rahn

In addition to my participation on Executive, including compilation of the Executive Summaries, I shall be soliciting and editing material for circulation to YUFA members, e.g., through YUFA-M and YUFA’s Website. As bargaining begins in the Spring, I shall be especially involved in apprising members of ongoing issues concerning the renewal of the Collective Agreement.

Treasurer - Richard Wellen

As Treasurer of YUFA, I will continue to play a leading role in monitoring the finances of our union, and to prepare the annual budget in consultation with the President and the Executive. My position also requires me to consult with the auditor as necessary and, most importantly, report on the state of YUFA’s finances to the membership. I shall also ensure that our members' money is invested appropriately. I will conduct all of these activities as expeditiously and transparently as I possibly can and be available for consultations with our Trustees, if needed. As a member of the Compensation Committee, I will endeavour to ensure adherence to our new release time policy and any changes made to it in our by-laws.

I will continue to work as a member of the Constitutional and By-laws Subcommittee on matters related to governance and decision-making in YUFA. As Treasurer, I will undertake to ensure that the Subcommittee pays sufficient attention to Constitutional and By-law provisions related to Officers’ release time, the regulation of the Defence and Arbitration Funds, as well as approval of the annual budget. During the anticipated consultation and approval stages of our Constitutional / By-laws review I hope to play a role in communicating the rationale of any proposed changes to Stewards’ Council, Executive and to the membership as a whole.

Equity Officers - Ida Ferrara & Rose Steele

The ongoing work of Equity Officers involves 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.

We will work with respective constituencies in order to advance equity, especially with regard to the intersectionality of equity issues. Building relations continues to be important and we will meet as needed with various equity-related offices on campus (e.g., Human Rights, Affirmative Action Officer, etc.). Our involvement with the Caucuses will be appropriate to that desired by each Caucus. The Equity Officers will continue to ensure that any YUFA Constitutional / By-law changes required to affirm the Caucuses’ rights are brought to the attention of the Constitution & By-law Subcommittee, which has been examining the Constitution and By-laws and is expected to make recommendations for change to the YUFA membership in the 2011-2012 academic year.

Equity Officers will meet with the Equity Subcommittee at least once in the Fall term and again in the Winter term and will bring forward concerns from the Equity Subcommittee to the Executive Committee. In conjunction with the Equity Subcommittee, we will explore potential activities within the University that would allow Equity Officers to hear from various interested constituencies regarding concerns that could be taken up in the future.

Given the recent discussions at the University and the ongoing questions being raised about the possibility of introducing a new Teaching Stream or expanding upon the existing Alternate Stream, the Equity Officers are interested in assessing the equity implications of a Teaching Stream based on experiences at universities in Ontario that have had a Teaching Stream in place for some time. We have approached Associations that represent faculty at these universities and have already received some positive support. We plan to conduct an online survey of Ontario faculty in Teaching Stream or equivalent positions in late Fall 2011.

This year, Ida Ferrara will become a member of the Joint Committee on the Administration of the Agreement (JCOAA). In addition, the Equity Officers will provide input with respect to equity concerns for the renewal Collective Agreement and will bring forward any suggestions made by the Caucuses and/or the Equity Subcommittee.

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 Collective Agreements. We also will continue to monitor the current Collective Agreement (May 2009 – April 2012) for outstanding equity concerns.

Recording Secretary - Heather Campbell

In keeping with By-law 14 h, I will take the minutes for the Executive Committee, General Meetings, and those of the Stewards’ Council.