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YUFA Digest no. 2, January 2012

by Jay Rahn, YUFA Communications Officer

19 Jan 12 - This issue of YUFA Digest complements YUFA’s Executive Meeting Summaries and other information disseminated via YUFA-M.

As the Winter semester begins and YUFA approaches bargaining for a Renewal Collective Agreement, the following account summarizes the current context of bargaining, recent negotiations at other Ontario universities, YUFA’s preparations for bargaining, and YUFA’s outreach to other organizations.

The Current Context

Student Enrolments

This September, 90,000 students entered Ontario universities, almost 2,000 more than in the double-cohort year.

According to YFile and YLife,

  • York admitted more than 11,000 first-time students, including a first-year cohort of 6,100 students, for a total of about 55,000 students.

  • these high enrolments ‘exceeded the University’s targets based on its programming goals for 2011-2012.’

  • York’s President is ‘proud that York University is growing, particularly in the areas of science and engineering, and health.’

  • York’s Vice-President Students, also attributes this growth to ‘the efforts undertaken to improve the retention rates of our continuing students.’

Student-Faculty Ratios

According to Statistics Canada as reported by CAUT (Section 7, p. 56, Table 7.3) the number of full-time equivalent students per full-time faculty in Ontario during 2009 was already 26.2 – higher than the national average of 23.6 and more than 20% higher than all but one other province.

According to York’s Fact Book (Section 08, A, 01 and B) the number of YUFA full-time faculty and librarians decreased by 4.0% (from 1407 to 1353) between 2008-09 and 2011-12.

Figures available for 2008-09 to 2010-11 (Section 02, 03) show that the number of funded full-time equivalent students increased by 3.1% (from 48,500 to 50,069). This increase in students and the decrease in YUFA employees amount to an increase of 7.0% in the number of students per full-time YUFA member between 2008-09 and 2010-11.

Similarly, according to the Fact Book’s calculations (Section E, 02), the student-faculty ratio for graduate students during the 2008-11 period increased by 5.2%, and for undergraduates, by 9.1% (including TAs among faculty).

Provincial Government Policies

According to its 2011 platform (pp. 19-21, 31) the Liberal Party will:

  • create 60,000 more spaces for post-secondary students,

  • build 3 new undergraduate campuses in Barrie, Milton, and Brampton,

  • provide a 30% undergraduate tuition grant to students from families earning less than $160,000 annually,

  • double the time students spend in Bachelor of Education programs,

  • train more doctors and nurses,

  • increase post-secondary funding (p. 9) by 8.9% from 2011 to 2015 (i.e., on average, 2.2% per year).

The Conservative platform (pp. 13, 22) promised to:

  • create up to 60,000 more spaces for post-secondary students,

  • increase the number of credit-transfer programs between colleges and universities,

  • raise the threshold on student financial support,

  • end the Liberals’ foreign scholarship program,

  • protect frontline jobs in education,

  • grow education services,

  • increase post-secondary funding by 8.6% from 2011 to 2015 (i.e., on average, 2.1% per year).

The NDP Party platform promised to:

  • freeze tuition fees for undergraduate, and graduate students from 2011 to 2015 and compensate institutions for lost revenues,

  • eliminate the interest on the provincial portion of student loans,

  • forgive tuition-fee debt for medical students who work in rural areas,

  • increase post-secondary funding by 1.1% from 2011 to 2015 (i.e., on average, 0.3% per year).

The Green Party platform promised to:

  • increase non-health funding by 0.2% from 2012 to 2015 (i.e., on average 0.05% per year).

OCUFA’s analysis of the Liberal platform and Throne Speech emphasizes that:

  • no money has been allocated to increase per-student funding, which is currently the lowest in Canada.

Government Funding

Since 1993, Ontario government transfers to universities have been the lowest, or second lowest, of any province (Section 1, p. 2, Table 1.4).

Government funding of Ontario universities has also been the lowest or second lowest as a proportion of university operating revenue (whereas tuition has been highest or second highest as a share of operating (Section 1, p. 3, figs. 1.2, 1.3).

Faculty Salaries and Administrative Spending

Between 1980 and 2009, the portion of Canadian university budgets spent on full-time faculty salaries declined from 31% to 20% (Section 1, p. 4, fig. 1.5).

From 2008-09 to 2010-11, the percentage of York’s operating funds spent on Academic areas increased by 1.5%. All of this increase was in programs administered by the Vice-President Research & Innovation, where expenditures rose proportionally by 65% – in contrast to expenditures administered by the Vice-President Academic & Provost (e.g., full-time faculty salaries, which declined proportionally by 0.2%: October Senate Agenda, p. 94).

With a view to eventual savings in administrative costs, $10M has been budgeted to pay for York’s PRASE project from 2011-12 to 2013-14. Of this amount, York’s current budget anticipates that $1M in actual administrative savings will have been realized by 2013-14 (October Senate Agenda, p. 86).

An initial development in this direction has been the elimination of the position of Vice-President University Relations (2010 salary $220,592.98).

Recent Negotiations & YUFA’s Preparations for Bargaining

Negotiations at Other Ontario Universities

Ongoing

  • Wilfrid Laurier: Bargaining has slowed even after monetary proposals were tabled by the association; administration has claimed there is a budget ‘crisis.’

  • Ottawa: ‘Teaching-intensive’ positions and workload information from Employer are still unsettled issues.

  • Brescia: Talks have continued toward a first collective agreement.

  • Toronto: Faculty seek end to ‘unilateral / frozen policies’ concerning health and safety, appointments, promotion, intellectual property, privacy, and conflict of interest.

  • McMaster Academic Librarians: A mediated meeting with the University Librarian has been sought by unionized employees.

Recent Tentative Settlements and Ratifications

  • University of Ontario Institute of Technology: After 15 months, the faculty association resisted merit, gained improved tenure & promotion procedures and a faculty voice in ‘modes of delivery.’

  • Windsor: The Faculty Association ratified after the parties reached a tentative agreement minutes before the strike deadline.

  • Queen’s: The faculty association retained the minimum guarantee, indexing, and early retirement among pension provisions and resisted ‘teaching-only’ appointments and changes to the tenure process.

  • Guelph: Faculty members gained 50% representation on the pension committee, full access to all actuarial data, a veto over any pension plan amendment (except as required by law), and a guarantee that the university will pay 125 percent of what faculty association members contribute.

  • Western: After a 13-day strike, librarians made gains in salary, complement, and workload.

  • Brock: Faculty members gained a 2.0-course teaching load and workload review.

  • McMaster: Arbitrator Kevin Burkett facilitated an agreement on retirement issues, including post-retirement benefits and pension sustainability.

  • Ryerson: A tentative settlement was reached December 3 and ratified on December 15.

  • Northern Ontario School of Medicine: A collective agreement was ratified on 28 November with 1.5%, 1.5%, 2.0%, 2.0% salary increases; the employer agreed that the association’s members’ research and teaching files are under their custody and control, rather than that of the employer.

Outside Ontario

  • A 4 year collective agreement, with 1%, 1.5%, 3%, and 3% increases, was ratified on 6 December at Brandon after a 45-day strike.

YUFA’s Bargaining Survey and Primary Negotiating Positions

In preparation for upcoming negotiations of YUFA’s Renewal Collective Agreement, more than 700 YUFA members responded to the Association’s Bargaining Survey (results posted 3 October 2011). Among faculty, workload and salary were leading concerns; among librarians, salary and research support.

Following the Executive Contract Review Committee’s report, as well as wide consultation with the membership, approval by the Executive Committee (at its 12 September and 3 October 2011 meetings) and amendments by the Stewards’ Council (at its 7 October and 4 November 2011 meetings), the Association’s Primary Negotiating Positions were further amended and ratified by the general membership at the 7 December 2011 GMM.

YUFA’s Outreach to Other Organizations

In conformity with By-law 18, YUFA supports specific groups and causes in order to ‘advance educational equity, social justice, and democratic bargaining.’

Among these, YUFA accords the highest priority to groups that work to advance academic accessibility, equity and democratic decision-making in education, groups from the York University community or immediate neighbourhoods that seek support for educational, social-justice, or recreational purposes, as well as labour organizations whose goals are broadly consistent with academic values, equity concerns, and democratic collective bargaining.

Community Projects: Since its 2010-11 Annual Report last Spring, YUFA’s Community Projects Committee (YUFA-CP) has continued to sponsor the Transition-Year Program, Readers to Leaders, and the Advanced Credit Experience (ACE).

As a consequence of community meetings with the San Romanoway Family Center, Success Beyond Limits, The Spot, PEACH, and the Black Creek Community Health Center, YUFA-CP has planned the following activities and events for 2011-12: workshops on optimal nutrition for sport and performance, family nutrition and healthy eating, recognizing and challenging oppression, and educational / employment opportunities, as well as a symposium on ‘Social Unionism and Community Engagement,’ tutoring for middle and secondary school Students, training in CPR and first aid, and swimming lessons.

Other groups and causes that YUFA has supported since the Spring of 2011 include the following:

Disclaimer: This Digest is for the information of YUFA members. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and currency as of the date of publication. Unless expressly stated to the contrary, views expressed on this site are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of YUFA.

Click here for YUFA’s communications policy.