For Mieke and other CASLLers who are wondering what issues caused the
strike at York, I forward this message I received early in the strike.
Rick

> Forwarded message:
> >From [log in to unmask] Mon Mar 24 11:24 PST 1997
> Date: Mon, 24 Mar 97 13:14:16 CST
> Errors-To: [log in to unmask]
> Originator: [log in to unmask]
> From: [log in to unmask] (Warren Crichlow)
> Subject: Re: support for York U. Faculty
>
> CAN-FAC:
>
> Yes we are on strike.  Three days of picketing thus far.  I am told
> that 80% of classes are cancelled.  But I am also informed that the
> administration in refusing to be flexible in negotiations.  Such
> inflexibiliy may infact lead to a very long strike.  So far, morale
> among the librarians and faculty is strong, despite some cold wet days
> on the picket line (four hour shifts from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM--all
> entrances the campus are picketed) and some hostile responses from a
> few young men wanting to get into the gym or hockey rink.
>
> What can you do?  Send your words of support and encouragement to the
> York University Faculty Association via the internet:
> [log in to unmask],Internet.
>
> Below, my colleague Engin F. Isin outlines the outstanding issues the
> librarians and faculty are fighting for.
>
> Thanks for your support.
>
> Warren Crichlow
> York University
> ------------------------
>
> YUFA position summary of outstanding issues
> March 21, 1997
>
> The following YUFA positions are currently on the negotiating table. A
> mediator from the Ontario Labour Relations Board is attempting to move
> the parties as quickly as possible to a fair, negotiated settlement.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 1. Working conditions
>
> A. Norms for class sizes be frozen at 1992 levels.
>
> B. Full array of teaching activities, including graduate supervision,
> be taken into account in calculating and assigning teaching load.
>
> C. Structure, format, mode of delivery, and late course cancellations
> be fully taken into account in calculating and assigning teaching load.
>
> D. Enlarge the mandate of the Long-Range Planning subcommittee of the
> Labour-Management Committee to include academic planning broadly,
> concerns about the impact of restructuring on faculty, departments,
> etc.
>
> E. Permanent transfers be limited to situations where there is no other
> solution.
>
> F. Establish a well-funded Joint Committee on Teaching Load and Class
> Size, with mandate to make recommendations that will resolve the
> problems of overwork, poor teaching conditions,, and demoralization, in
> light of the collective agreement's guarantees of reasonable terms and
> conditions of employment.
>
> G. Establish a Joint Committee on Technological Change, with full
> participation in the academic computing and multimedia planning
> process.
>
> H. Guarantee of adequate instructional, infrastructural, and research
> support.
>
> Administration Response: Will discuss, but not promise anything but
> limited study, discussion and weakened committees; nothing that
> requires further commitment of resources, which clear and enforceable
> limits on teaching loads and class sizes will require (they claim).
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 2. Compensation
>
> A. Incorporate in the collective agreement the structure of YUFA's pay
> equity exercise.
>
> B. A $2.2 million fund to address gender and age anomalies/inequities
> in YUFA salaries.
>
> C. Substantially increase funds for YUFA's pay equity exercise out of
> existing $4.6 million pay equity fund.
>
> D. 2.6% cost-of-living adjustment in each of the two years of the
> contract.
>
> E. Payment of normal current grid increments, as in the historic
> contract, adjusted for inflation.
>
> F. An employee pension contribution holiday from the $45+ million
> pension surplus, comparable to what the employer will take and has
> taken every year since 1993, in addition to YUFA's share of the latest
> employer pension contribution holiday.
>
> Administration Response: Regular career grid increments are not
> automatic (they say); unlike other public employers, they call them an
> "8% increase". Any increase in compensation must require no new funds
> and can thus be funded only from the existing YUFA envelope by gutting
> some provisions of the collective agreement and refusing to negotiate
> seriously on other pressing concerns (e.g., class sizes), which they
> claim cost too much and will require them to fund through decimating
> the complement.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 3. Retirement
>
> A. Seven concession offered to flexible retirement plan.
>
> B. Study the retirement plan for one year to see how it can be changed
> in an equitable fashion.
>
> C. In case of no agreement after study, submit the whole retirement
> plan to mediation-arbitration for final resolution.
>
> D. Negotiate based on the previously-negotiated retirement plan, not
> the one imposed in August.
>
> Administration Response: No 3rd party arbitration -- they have already
> decided; no modification of the terms they imposed in August that costs
> any money, which any significant changes will (they say).
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 4. Librarian issues
>
> A. Allow the librarians to decide collegially where new librarian
> appointees can best be deployed.
>
> B. No unreasonable alteration in librarian workloads in light of 25%
> cut in the complement in recent years.
>
> C. Consideration of the full array of scholarly/creative activities in
> librarian professional responsibilities
>
> Administration Response: Administrators are the sole decision-makers
> re: deployment. Administrators determine employees' tasks during the
> 35-hour work week; whatever scholarly/creative activities are not "for
> the institution" are inappropriate to librarians' professional
> responsibilities.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 5. Fellowship funds
>
> A. Increase funding of all fellowships by inflation factor.
>
> No Administration Response
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> E n g i n   F.   I s i n
> Assistant Professor
> Division of Social Science
> York University
> Toronto, Canada M3J 1P3
> TEL: 416.736.2100.20346 FAX: 416.736.5924
> http://www.yorku.ca/faculty/academic/isin