Priority areas

As of early November, the Bargaining Team is in the final stretch of revising proposals. Because bargaining is a complex and sensitive dialectical process, we cannot post in-depth information about our proposals (or the entire package) online at the moment. You can find information on our proposals by attending one of our General Membership Meetings, which are posted on the main page as they are announced, or by stopping in at the 3903 office. 

Here, though, is a basic rundown of priority areas. Generated through consults and surveys, the Bargaining Team brought it to the membership, where these areas were approved, on August 18, 2011. If some of it looks familiar, that’s because there are proposals that the employer hasn’t moved on for fifteen years or more.  We keep bringing them back because our members have indicated that they’re important.

BENEFITS
-– Expand benefit coverage (to broaden what is encompassed in the categories and to extend coverage to services not currently in the plan)
- Improve post-retirement benefits
- Improve pension language (working with national pension person)
- Subsidy for public transit
- Increase benefits coverage between contracts from 4 months to 8 months

FUNDS
- Parity for U3 (including research costs, tuition costs)
- New Funds: Member Equity Education Fund; Improved Childcare Fund; PhD Completion Fund for U2; Accommodation Fund (e.g. for assistive devices); Social Justice Fund; International Fund (to help cover legal costs of members who are attempting to get landed status)
- Increases to existing funds, indexation to membership (if not already) and indexation to CPI

INCOME SECURITY
- Wage Gains and/or COLA
- Off-set language to protect wage and funding gains
- Minimum Guarantee (MG) increase (U1); GA Summer Assistance (U3)
- Increase hours counted for EI
- Must sign a waiver before you are deemed to have waived your MG/GA/RA

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY PLAN
- E.g. transparent hiring process
- E.g. training of administrators on equity matters
- Improved recourse for members
- Greater career support for members

FACILITY & SPACE CONCERNS
- Change tables and privacy areas for feeding of babies
- Improved office space with 24 hour access, computer, phone, internet
- Parking: parking passes, accessible parking spots / spots for members with children and mobility consideration
- Make university accessible

WORKLOAD & CLASS-SIZE
- Absolute enrolment limits and reduction of class size (including distribution)
- Strengthen overwork /overtime pay
- Improve trigger language around both class size and tutor/marker assistance
- Improve language around electronic communication
- Increase number of research leaves

JOB SECURITY
- LSTA improvements, increase in number
- Conversions: increase number and tie to YUFA hires
- Minimum Entitlement for U2
- CAP enforcement: stronger language, a hard cap (and deterrents for Employer)

TUITION CONCERNS
- Return to post-residency fees
- International student parity
- Summer indexation language for U3