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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