CUPE 3903 Condemns Exclusion of Unit 2 Members from Glendon English Departmental Meetings

Glendon campus, York University

Glendon campus, York University

On June 26, the English Department at Glendon passed a motion to exclude Unit 2 members from voting “in Departmental meetings in matters of governance and curricular planning.”

This motion was passed at a summer meeting to which most Unit 2 members of the department were not invited. This is extremely problematic.

Furthermore, this motion is contrary to the language and spirit of article 15.10.03 of the Unit 2 collective agreement which outlines the right of CUPE 3903 members to participate and vote at meetings of the departments in which they are employed. It is the duty of the Employer to recommend and use their best efforts to persuade departments that CUPE 3903 members have the right to participate and vote in departmental meetings.

This motion, passed by the English Department at Glendon, broadly excludes CUPE 3903 members from participation in the department. The CUPE 3903 Executive strongly condemns this motion and the process by which it was passed.

Clearly, this is an issue of respect for CUPE 3903 members. CUPE 3903 members are vital members of the York community both through our teaching and our research. Our contributions to our departments should be recognized, respected and appreciated, not least through our collegial participation in departmental council meetings.

This specific motion in one department raises the broader issue of our members’ participation in departmental council meetings. Clearly, our participation rights in the Unit 1 and 2 collective agreements should be strengthened and extended to Unit 3. These should be issues for our next round of collective bargaining in 2017.

If you have comments or concerns about your participation in (or exclusion from) your own departmental council meetings, please contact Murray Cooke, Chief Steward Unit 2, cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com.