YORK SEEKS TO AVOID STRIKE AT BARGAINING TABLE TO PROTECT STUDENTS AND INTEGRITY OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMS<p>

YORK SEEKS TO AVOID STRIKE AT BARGAINING TABLE TO PROTECT STUDENTS AND INTEGRITY OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

TORONTO, March 19, 1997 -- York University's administration is seeking to avoid a strike tomorrow morning by its full-time faculty and librarians after union negotiators turned down one of the most generous offers in the province.

The York University Faculty Association (YUFA) and the administration agreed early this afternoon to reconvene at 7 p.m. tonight after negotiating past the 1 p.m. strike deadline. The union executive later indicated its intention to initiate full strike action Thursday morning if no agreement is reached before 7 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday). The union rejected one of the most generous packages offered to any faculty association in the province in the past two years.

"The administration is disappointed that an agreement could not be reached today at the bargaining table. We remain committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement as soon as possible so we can protect the interests of students and the academic integrity of our programs," said Michael Stevenson, Vice-President (Academic Affairs).

"We acknowledge faculty has some ground to make up in this post social contract collective agreement. But if you examine the issues -- on compensation, workload, retirement provisions -- and our offer, you will see we have addressed and moved on each and every one. Indeed, we are offering faculty one of the most generous packages in the province."

The administration is offering its 1,050 full-time professors and professional librarians more than an 8% increase in base salary over two years, an offer which estimates show would put faculty members above the system average by the end of the two-year contract. The average salary of YUFA members is $72,000. A fact sheet outlining the key elements of the administration's offer is attached.

Stevenson said he wanted to remind and reassure York's 40,000 students that the University Administration is committed to the completion of the term, adding that students will receive full academic credit for their work. The university will remain open, providing as many services as possible, including library, athletic and food services.

The administration has been negotiating with YUFA for more than a year. The faculty association's last contract expired in April, 1996. York's last strike by full-time faculty members was in 1985, and lasted 36 hours.

During the strike, York administration will provide the media with daily briefings and media availabilities with Vice-President Stevenson. These briefings will be normally held at 2 p.m. in 278A York Lanes, the boardroom on the second floor of York Lane Offices. Please call to confirm time and location. We will accommodate as many one-on-one interviews as possible.

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For more information, please contact: Sine MacKinnon, Senior Advisor for Media Relations (416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
YU/029/97

19 March 1997

FACT SHEET
YORK UNIVERSITY LABOUR NEGOTIATIONS WHAT ARE THE ISSUES/WHAT IS THE OFFER?

The administration put its best offer on the table prior to the strike vote by the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) to do everything possible to avoid a labour dispute. The offer includes:

Compensation and Benefits:

The administration is offering MORE THAN AN 8% INCREASE IN BASE SALARY over two years
PLUS

$2 million from the pension contribution holiday (YUFA's share)
PLUS

$1,025 per person in each of the contract's two years for Professional Expense Allowances, one of the most generous allowances in the province
PLUS

A 100 per cent increase (from $150,000 to $300,000) in an annual benefit fund which supports fringe benefits above the regular benefits package. YUFA will determine the benefits which are to be improved by this annual benefit fund.
PLUS

A one-time $300 payment to make the 1996/97 salary increment retroactive to May 1, 1996.

This offer is the most generous in the province. It would provide faculty members with competitive compensation packages vis-a-vis the salaries offered at other Ontario universities, thereby enhancing the university's ability to retain and recruit the best and brightest faculty and professional librarians. And, in one agreement, it would give faculty members significant gains on the system.

Retirement Provisions:

In order to give all full-time faculty and librarians fair and competitive compensation, the university has had to reform its retirement provisions. The fact of the matter is that the retirement provisions were unsustainable. The university couldn't sustain these costs without jeopardizing other important priorities that support the academic enterprise.

The administration understands that the faculty wants to retain its generous retirement package, but we believe that the new provisions remain fair while making salary improvements for all faculty possible.

The administration has shown further flexibility by proposing modifications to its retirement provisions (Article 14.) We have proposed a study which will consider different models of progress-through-the-ranks, compensation, and flexible retirement.

Workload and Technological Change

The administration has proposed changes to the contract to guarantee academic freedom in use of new technologies; to set reasonable minimum and maximum class sizes; to factor class size, student load and graduate supervision into the assignment of teaching duties; to provide opportunities for training in new technologies.

The administration has also agreed to undertake studies on workload and share the results on comparative teaching loads and total student load vis-a-vis the number of contact hours per student, the number of marked assignments/exams, and the average time required for marking assignments.

The administration agreed to activate and fund the Joint Committee on the Impact of Technological Change and undertakes to make recommendations on such issues as support services and training opportunities.

The administration is offering to establish and fund a $70,000 Technological Change Fund to support research and development grants and/or release time to allow YUFA members to conduct projects on teaching and learning with technology and the study of its effectiveness.

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For more information, please contact:

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
(416)736-2100, ext. 22087

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