[Fdu] York University Faculty Association: Response to admin's misrepresentation of YUFA

[Cynthia Wright]

Dear President Lenton,

In your recent message to the York community ("Two days of mediation 
produce no settlement 
<http://yfile.news.yorku.ca/2018/04/17/two-days-of-mediation-produce-no-settlement/>"), 
you claim that the CUPE conversion program remains a "fundamental issue" 
in the current labour dispute. You state that the University's proposal 
of two conversion appointments (which falls below CUPE's previous 
contract and the historical average) enjoys the "public support of many 
full-time faculty in the York University Faculty Association." You add 
that "Academics support University's position on conversions."

It is incumbent upon your office to provide evidence for such statements 
about the opinions of our members. This letter did not disclose that 
your claim of "public support" refers to a petition you received from 
152 members of YUFA who have organized a special group to discuss issues 
such as conversion appointments and the CUPE strike. Everyone is aware, 
including yourself, that among the more than 1,500 members of YUFA there 
are diverse views on the conversion program. The program has nonetheless 
been approved in every YUFA collective agreement voted upon by our 
members in the last thirty years.

It is disingenuous in this context that you failed to consult with YUFA 
before claiming that academics support the bargaining position of the 
York administration in this strike. By misrepresenting the views of YUFA 
members, your statement appears calculated to drive a wedge between YUFA 
members and our colleagues in CUPE 3903 upon their return to work. We 
ask therefore that you issue a correction, making it clear that you are 
in receipt of the signed petition of approximately 10% of our 
membership, but that you are not able to make a reliable claim about the 
opinion of YUFA members on the issue of the conversion program in the 
current negotiations.

Sincerely,
Executive Committee
York University Faculty Association

Read this post online 
<https://www.yufa.ca/response-to-admins-misrepresentation-of-yufa/>.

-- 
*York University Faculty Association*
YUFA is the professional association and certified bargaining agent for 
approximately 1,500 faculty, librarians and archivists, and 
post-doctoral visitors at York University.

t. 416-736-5236 <tel:416-736-5236>  | Email <mailto:yufa at yorku.ca>  | 
Website <http://www.yufa.ca/>  | Facebook 
<https://www.facebook.com/yufayorku>  | Twitter 
<https://twitter.com/YUFAyorku> | YouTube 
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9LftP2oHhil5p7cDoPUMg/>


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