Dear Colleagues,
While I appreciate the work of our TA union representatives, and I generally trust the competence and values of our union’s leadership, I must oppose — in the strongest of terms — the proposed Collective Agreement. In particular, Article 28 is extremely concerning.
I offer my opinion as a long-time student representative with involvement in many student organizations locally, provincially, and nationally. In addition, I have experience in negotiating collective agreements from my time as a Trustee of the Toronto District School Board, and also as a former General Manager of the University of Toronto Students’ Union. I share such personal details only to lend credibility to my opinion; i.e., to assure you that I am both experienced and informed.
Specifically, Article 28 includes language that serves only to legitimate and expand the university administration’s culture of control. The proposed language gives unprecedented power to the university’s management to police our conduct both on and off campus. Not only will such power significantly diminish our rights as workers, but it will set a terrible precedent — against which workers elsewhere will have to fight.
The position of our union is that such policies already exist; therefore, including the policies in our Collective Agreement gives us a “seat at the table” with respect to the application of those policies. I disagree strongly with this assessment. Because the policies in question deal with conduct that is subject to disciplinary action, these policies are already subject to the established grievance process. What’s most alarming is that inclusion of the policies may, in fact, result in circumvention of the standard and established process of progressive discipline.
In short, if you find yourself accused or guilty of a conduct offense as deemed by the university’s management, then you will likely have less protection as an employee under the proposed new language.
Therefore, I urge you to strongly reject the proposed CA — and to send our union representatives back to the negotiating table.
Vote tomorrow (Tue Nov 2) at 2:00pm in the Alumni Auditorium of Alumni Hall.
Sincerely,
Rick Telfer, MA (PhD student)
Graduate student Senator, Past President of the Society of Graduate Students, & Teaching Assistant
