Campus Unions Call On York To Negotiate with YUFA

CUPE 3903, YUSA, CUPE 1356, and Osgoode Hall Faculty Association are united in supporting the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) and its effort to negotiate a fair deal with York University.

On July 12, York University requested a “no board” report, which triggers a legal countdown to a possible lockout or strike. Despite claiming in their recent communications to have increased financial difficulties due to the CUPE 3903 strike, the university administration has not hesitated in veering toward yet another possible campus shutdown. These continual threats of labour disruptions also damage the student experience at York.

York claims that student enrollments are too weak to justify increases to faculty salaries that YUFA has requested to match the rate of inflation. Yet York does not have those same worries when it comes to the salaries of senior administration, which have increased by an alarming 47% since 2018 despite university revenue only increasing by 3% over the same period.

In its recent mass email, York blames its inability to support faculty members at the bargaining table on the “slower than expected recovery” since the pandemic began. Concerns about the impact of the pandemic did not prevent them from spending $260.5 million on building the Markham Campus over the same period.

York claims it wants to “reach consensus toward a common goal of a stable and thriving university”. Yet, continuing with its record of violating collegial governance, York is proposing to eliminate the joint committees with YUFA that would ensure consultation with faculty members about how reducing the number of courses and introducing much larger ones might impact teaching and learning.

Far from fostering a thriving university, York’s proposals to YUFA appear aimed at circumventing overwork protection, making increases to class size part of the normal routine, and freeing the senior administration of their obligation to consult faculty members and adequately research the potential impact of these changes. York must bargain in good faith with YUFA if it is truly committed to student success and what it acknowledges are the “absolutely essential” contributions of YUFA to this university.

CUPE 3903, YUSA, CUPE 1356, and Osgoode Hall Faculty Association call on the university community to support YUFA in its effort to defend employees, students, and the quality of higher education at York.

Did the hours that York calculated for your Record of Employment (RoE) seem wrong?

Did this potentially even interfere with your ability to claim Employment Insurance?

CUPE 3903 has been working to pin down exactly how the Employer has calculated the hours listed for members’ RoEs, some of which do not seem to reflect the amount of work completed by members. Staff have identified the opportunity to file a grievance to address this issue, but for that to happen—they need members’ data.

• April/May 2023 RoE,
• Aug 2023 paystub
  • (or final 2022-23 contract year paystub if not teaching in the summer)
  • Dec 2023 paystub,
  • May 2024 paystub,
  • May/June 2024 RoE
  • All Written Offers of Appointment for FW 2023-24

Notice: A member has submitted a proposed bylaw amendment to Appendix E, relating to the Professional Development Fund, which can be voted on at the September GMM. It is as follows:

APPENDIX E – Professional Development Fund

I. Preamble

The Professional Development Fund (PDF) is available to members of all bargaining units.

II. Criteria & Procedures

• This money will be distributed three times per Collective Agreement year, in periods that correspond with academic terms and peak conference periods:
  • Period 1 (FALL) Sep 1 — Dec 31 Deadline: Jan 10
  • Period 2 (WINTER) Jan 1 — May 31 Deadline: June 10
  • Period 3 (SUMMER) June 1 — Aug. 31 Deadline: Sept 10
• Priority will be given to applications for events that occur within the current period (e.g., applications for conferences in October will be given priority in the Fall period. If submitted in the Winter period, the same application will be considered lower priority and will only be funded if money remains after all current applications are processed)
• The PDF does not cover capital costs such as equipment, software, stationary, and books.

III. Amounts & Distribution of Awards

• In each funding period, a maximum amount of funding is made available for disbursement.
• In the interest of awarding monies equitably to all eligible applicants, the maximum individual award for conference presentations in any academic year will not exceed $800 $1,200. The maximum individual award in any academic year for all other costs will not exceed $400 $600. Depending on the availability of matching funds, this maximum may also be adjusted to ensure widest coverage of the applicant pool.
• A member may only draw up to the total maximum of $800 in a given academic year.

If after checking your recent pay statements via HR Self Serve, you have received less than 100% remediation pay, CUPE 3903 is able to file a grievance on your behalf in order to advocate that you get all the pay you are owed. A Jotform link has been created for you to upload the relevant information, which includes:

• All Written Offers of Appointment for 2023-24
• Paystubs, including:
  • January paystub
  • the one with 90% advance pay
  • the one with 10% remaining pay
• CD/TA remediation workload forms
• Any correspondence indicating departmental approval of those forms

Click here for the Jotform link to upload your information about remediation pay grievances!

Also, consider attending a Check Your Paycheque help session (linked) if you are in Unit 2.

On June 25th, you should have received all retroactive pay increases you are owed from the Fall term of 2020 to the Winter term of 2024, provided that you were an active employee in the Winter term of 2024 when the new collective agreement was ratified. 

If you did not have a winter contract and are eligible for 2020-2023 back pay, you should have received an email in the end of June or the beginning of July from someone from Payroll & Records at York asking you to send them your banking information.

You must submit your information by September 30th in order to receive the back pay you are owed from 2020-2023. You should receive that back pay by October 25th, 2024, which is the next regular pay date after the deadline.

If you did NOT receive that email, it is vital that you inform the union by emailing Neil at cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com. Please include your employee number. We will make sure you are on the list of people the university needs to make arrangements with to ensure you receive the pay you are owed.

Important note:

This long wait is intended to give the union time to reach out to all former employees to make sure they submit their banking information to receive the pay they are owed. Please help spread the word to your colleagues in this situation who may not be checking their York email!

Notice: Fund applications will now be requiring employee number and non-York email addresses from applicants. This will allow for smoother disbursal of funds to members going forward. Thanks!

The Lead Steward Unit 1 and Vice-President Unit 2 positions proceeded to a runoff election as no candidate was able to secure >50% of the initial vote. According to CUPE 3903 bylaws, in order for someone to be elected they must receive a majority of the votes (50%+1). This election has now concluded, having ran from Thursday, June 20th – 5PM to Tuesday, June 25 – 5PM.

• Rebecca (Becky) Whiley: 100 (51.0%)
• Vinnie Collins: 66 (33.7%)
• Sofia Chaudhry Schlichting: 30 (15.3%)

VOTER SUMMARY
Total: 203
Abstain: 7 (3.4%)

• Joseph Tohill: 75 (52.1%)
• Catherine Swenson: 69 (47.9%)

VOTER SUMMARY
Total: 147
Abstain: 3 (2.0%)

The CUPE 3903 Unit 4 Bargaining Team Committee election nominations period closed on June 19th at 12pm. The following positions are acclaimed:

Daniel Payne – BT Representative

Susan Bryant –  BT Representative

Thank you and congratulations everyone!

Results – Executive Committee Elections 2024-25

Start: 2024-06-14 17:00:00 America/Toronto
End: 2024-06-19 17:00:00 America/Toronto

Communications Officer

Mackenzie Edwards: 193 (58.3%)
Elisa Dong: 94 (28.4%)
Kathleen Cherrington: 44 (13.3%)
VOTER SUMMARY
Total: 368
Abstain: 37 (10.1%)

Vice-President Unit 1

Collin Xia: 155 (73.1%)
Aidin Torkameh: 57 (26.9%)
VOTER SUMMARY
Total: 223
Abstain: 11 (4.9%)

Lead Steward Unit 1

*Run-off Election Needed*

Rebecca (Becky) Whiley: 93 (44.3%)
Vinnie Collins: 64 (30.5%)
Sofia Chaudhry Schlichting: 31 (14.8%)
Anson Nater: 22 (10.5%)
VOTER SUMMARY
Total: 223
Abstain: 13 (5.8%)

Vice-President Unit 2 

*Run-off Election Needed*

Joseph Tohill: 53 (39.3%)
Catherine Swenson: 43 (31.9%)
Sylvia Peacock: 39 (28.9%)
VOTER SUMMARY
Total 141
Abstain 6 (4.3%)

Lead Steward Unit 2

Neil Braganza: 74 (55.2%)
Christopher Bailey: 60 (44.8%)
VOTER SUMMARY
Total:141
Abstain: 7 (5.0%)

Run-Off Elections

The Lead Steward Unit 1 and Vice-President Unit 2 positions will be proceeding to a runoff election beginning June 20th – 5PM as no candidate was able to secure >50% of the vote. According to CUPE 3903 bylaws, in order for someone to be elected they must receive a majority of the votes (50%+1). A plurality is not sufficient to be elected. As no candidate for these two positions were able to obtain a majority of the votes, a run-off election will occur with the candidate receiving the fewest votes withdrawn. The process will continue until a candidate obtains a majority.

Below is the relevant passage in the bylaws:

“A candidate must obtain a majority of votes cast, i.e. at least 50% plus 1, to be declared elected. When no candidate obtains a majority, the candidate receiving the fewest votes shall be dropped and a second ballot taken. The process shall continue until one candidate has obtained a majority.”

All electors will be receiving a new ballot and the runoff election will occur from Thursday, June 20th – 5PM to Tuesday, June 25 – 5PM.

The following are the remaining candidates:

LS U1
Rebecca (Becky) Whiley
Vinnie Collins
Sofia Chaudhry Schlichting

VP U2
Joseph Tohill
Catherine Swenson