THE GUARDIAN. Inside. McGuinty Report on Post-Secondary Educa on in Ontario Proposes Damaging Austerity Measures The McGuinty government s recent

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1 THE GUARDIAN September 2012 volume 11, issue 1 McGuinty Report on Post-Secondary Educa on in Ontario Proposes Damaging Austerity Measures The McGuinty government s recent proposed changes to postsecondary educa on in Ontario, including more online learning, a shi from four- to three-year undergraduate degrees and increased private sector involvement in curriculum development and teaching, promise to cut educa on costs at the expense of quality and accessibility....by Amy Buitenhuis Though the report, en tled Strengthening Ontario s Centres of Crea vity, Innova on and Knowledge, has received li le a en on since its June 28, 2012 release by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universi es, its recommenda ons would result in new ways of learning and teaching, and a restructuring of educa on funding that aims to modernize the system in the hopes that by increasing its produc vity, we can reduce the cost to the public. The report calls for more online classes and the crea on of an Online Ins tute where students could receive online degrees, to reduce educa on costs while maintaining quality of educa on. However, it is not clear how online classes would provide students with the same educa onal experience as being in a room with a professor or Teaching Assistant (TA). Online classes, the report argues, could make universi es and colleges more accessible to students who wouldn t otherwise be able to make it to campus, like students from rural areas or those who must work to support children or another family member. However, providing greater access to lower quality online degrees could exacerbate the dispari es in income and quality of life of those who already find it difficult to get a post-secondary educa on. It also strips graduate students of the opportunity to interact with students as TAs and instructors, which provides valuable teaching experience important in their careers and an opportunity to fund their graduate studies. The report also suggests year-round learning to shorten the length of me undergraduates spend in school to three years and increase efficiency by making use of campus facili es yearround. While the report touts that yearround learning could add to the mix of employment op ons available to students by le ng them work when they want summer, fall, or winter, this strategy may limit the me noncoop students have to work, causing students to take on more debt, when Ontario college and undergraduate students already have average debt of $13,000 and $26,000, respec vely. It is also ques onable as to whether or not students will be ready to leave school a er a three-year degree. continued on page 4... Inside International Women s Day page 3 Academic Workers Conference page 5 Working Group Updates page 6 Bargaining Updates page 7

2 The Guardian, Vol. 11, Issue 1, September 2012 Message from the Editor-in-Chief Welcome to a new year, and a new issue of The Guardian. To all of our new members, welcome to the Union. I hope The Guardian can help to keep you informed about what s going on in CUPE 3902, as well as about issues related to educa on work in general. The Guardian has a long and proud history in our local. So we re not planning to mess with what works. However, one of our goals this year is to have The Guardian reach an audience beyond the membership of CUPE In the past year of Unit 1 bargaining, we learned the value of reaching out to the wider campus community for support. Undergraduate students, for instance, understand that our working condi ons are their learning condi ons. The next few years, with increasing threats to post-secondary educa on in the form of austerity measures, will make this more true than ever. Letters from the Base...by Mike Thicke, Editor-in-Chief This is an issue that we must confront head-on and make sure that everyone understands just how much of a threat the governments proposals are. Ashleigh Ingle s ar cle on Access Copyright, to be featured in our October issue, showcases just how willing the University is to compromise our ability to study and teach for uncertain and marginal gains. Again, this is an issue we need to confront, and in solidarity with students and faculty. Finally, beginning this issue we will be expanding our distribu- on of The Guardian to campus loca ons such as libraries and major faculty buildings. We hope this will bring Current and upcoming ar cles exemplify our expanded mission. Amy Buitenhuis discusses the Ontario government s white paper on post-secondary educa on. Online our message to everyone on campus and make us a stronger part courses and shortened undergraduate programs threaten of the conversa on both our ability to live and students abili es to learn. about the future of the University of Toronto. An early issue of The Guardian... Message from the Chair I would like to extend the warmest welcome to all of our returning and new members, as we embark on a new academic year at the University of Toronto. I hope you have had a refreshing summer and are ready for the year. Here at CUPE 3902, the Execu ve Commi ee and staff, as well as the Quality of Educa on working group, the Grievance Commi ee, and the Mobiliza on Commi ee, have been hard at work preparing for the challenges of the upcoming year. Indeed, many crucial tasks are ahead of us....by Abouzar Nasirzadeh, Chair Units 2, 3, and 4 are bargaining with the Employer and need your support. For Unit 1, we are looking to strike the Funds Implementa on Commi ee to implement the distribu on of gains we made in the last bargaining round. We will also have more General Membership Mee ngs this year, and will be having 2 in the Fall term. Lastly, please a end our back-to-work BBQ (details at This year is going to be a busy year, and I hope we can work closely together to make this upcoming year a success. Mike Thicke, Editor-in-Chief Jesse Payne, Managing Editor The Guardian is the official publication of CUPE Local 3902, the representative of 7,000 education workers at the University of Toronto, Victoria University & the University of St. Michaels College. The Guardian is produced by volunteer and union labour. The Guardian The Guardian is a proud member of the Canadian Association of Labour Media, Canada s national labour media organization. 180 Bloor Street West, Suite 803 Toronto, Ontario M5S 2V6 Tel: comms@cupe3902.org UTM: Room 2111E, South Building Tel: utm@cupe3902.org UTSC: Bladen building, Room 335 Tel: utsc@cupe3902.org

3 The Guardian, Vol. 11, Issue 1, September 2012 Interna!onal Womens Day and the Dream of a CUPE Feminist Caucus O n Saturday, March 11th, 2012, a few CUPE 3902 members congregated in the Union office for a solidarity breakfast, before joining the Interna!onal Womens Day (IWD) rally. A"er a year of intense debates, mobiliza!on, and contract ra!fica!on, some selfiden!fying womyn, and allies, decided to take a breather and celebrate IWD, and achievements of womyn both locally and globally....by Sara Suliman, Unit 1, Division 4 A feminist caucus is one avenue to responsibly partake in these cri!cal and o"en uncomfortable ques!ons about power and privilege, in order to eventually dismantle power hierarchies and organize under inclusive frameworks. I hope the idea leaves its abstract space and becomes a reality, especially at a!me where the local is nego!ating Unit 3 s agreement, where jobs are largely feminized and face a genuine risk of disappearing altogether. This is As the annual tradi!on dictates, IWD started with a fes!ve a!me for solidarity, for feminism, and for cri!cal discusrally at the OISE auditorium. A sister from Egypt Skyped sions that can only move the local forward. in and spoke about her par!cipa!on in the poli!cal uprising that eventually toppled Mubarak s regime. There were other performances and dances in recogni!on of the 100th anniversary of IWD. CUPE 3902 members discupe 3902 is commi!ed to the elimina"on of discrimicussed the few months that just passed, when the official natory behaviour, policies or prac"ces that prevent or spokespeople of the Union were largely white men, and undermine the full and equal par"cipa"on of all who when the Union witnessed hur+ul acts of sexism and howish to join and pursue the mission of the organiza"on. mophobia in its Unit 1 ra!fica!on mee!ng, and came to the consensus that a CUPE 3902 feminist caucus is greatly Discrimina"on can happen overtly, covertly and by needed. omission. We will take pro-ac"ve steps to ensure that CUPE 3902 Equity Statement full and equal par"cipa"on is possible. It is fantas!c that over a thousand members of the local joined the ra!fica!on mee!ng a few days before IWD. However, these discussions glossed over built-in inequi!es between dominant and marginalized groups within the same workplaces. Moreover, in many countries and nonunionized workplaces, the opportunity to discuss working condi!ons and compensa!on is itself a luxury. Therefore, despite the sweat and pain that the process brought, it remains a privilege that must be acknowledged and dealt with responsibly. CUPE 3902 Members convene for Interna!onal Womens Day We want to work towards an"-oppression and be conscious of our privileges and create an environment where union members are respected for abili"es and poten"al. We commit to build a union culture in which equity, diversity and safety are fundamental. This statement serves to remind us all that diversity in our society is a strength and that we must ensure equality and equity. 3

4 The Guardian, Vol. 11, Issue 1, September 2012 Experiential Learning or Privitization?...continued from page 1 The fourth year provides students with another year to mature, grow and think carefully about the path they will take once they leave school. With the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 (16.3% as of May 2012 ) more than double that of the general popula on, it seems strange to push youth into the workforce before they are ready to look for jobs that are increasingly difficult to find. Perhaps the most pernicious sugges ons in the report relate to the changing nature of post-secondary educa on funding. Described as experien al learning, the Ministry wants to see more private sector internships integrated with the curriculum and more joint centres between private firms and universi es. While providing opportuni es for students to gain prac cal work experience is important, the main purpose of these measures is to shi the burden of post-secondary educa on funding to the private sector. Increased private sector involvement in curriculum, teaching and funding could fundamentally change the purpose and goals of educa onal ins tu ons. Close links with the private sector could limit the nature of the curriculum, narrow research agendas, and hinder academic freedom for students and faculty. It was for this reason faculty at York s Osgoode Law School turned down a partnership with Research In Mo on founder Jim Balsillie this past March that would have provided $30 million from each of Balsillie and the province to create a research centre on interna onal law despite pressure from the Ministry and York administrators to accept the deal. In par cular, faculty raised concerns about the role of external funders in influencing academic priori es, policies and programming and faculty appointments and visi ng scholar fellowships. A focus on this type of partnership would only add to the trend already occurring in Canada: between 1978 and 2008, the por on of university opera ng revenues coming from public funding dropped from 83.8% to 57.5%, and private sector funding increased over that period as well. There is also a proposed push to link university funding to commercial outputs, by providing these future public-private research centres with access to funding based on number of firms created, number of angel investments in student companies, number of new jobs. A focus on commercial outputs as opposed to educa onal outcomes could prevent educators and researchers from exploring a broad range of curriculum and research goals 4 and might dispropor onately favour the fields of engineering and science over humani es and social sciences. It could also change the type of research being done within disciplines, say by favouring research on oil development over green technologies that may be less lucra ve. It is important to look at this report in the context of other changes occurring in Ontario. Premier McGuinty, the selfdescribed educa on minister, was elected on promises to reduce tui on by 30% but delivered a tui on grant that excludes some of the most vulnerable students, including students who have been out of high school for more than four years, interna onal students, graduate students, part- me students, and students pursuing second degrees in teaching, law and medicine. Ontario has highest tui on fees and spends the least per full- me post-secondary student out of any province. The result of these ongoing and proposed changes is an increasingly polarized educa on system where fewer lowincome youth can a end university, and those that can attend access lower quality educa on in the form of online courses and take on more debt. Further, students and faculty are limited in what they can learn, teach and research by what is deemed innova ve and profitable. The province has clearly iden fied the role they want unions to play in this process. In the report they write they expect unions and other stakeholder groups to bargain responsibly and to consider aspects of collec ve agreements that enhance produc vity and facilitate transforma on. Rather than passively accept these proposed changes, TA unions are ideally placed to push for a different kind of thinking about educa on in Ontario, as graduate students provide around 70% of the teaching happening at UofT. Despite this, not all CUPE 3902 members are convinced of the their ability to make change in this respect, and many internal debates centred around the role of TAs in the fight for quality of educa on during last year s round of bargaining. Although ini ally holding smaller class sizes, and therefore quality of educa on, as a crucial part of our bargaining proposals to UofT, our final contract made no major gains related to reducing tutorial sizes. As McGuinty s proposed changes begin to make their way across Ontario, the need for TA unions to join the fight for be er post-secondary educa on will only become clearer.

5 CUPE members recently par cipated in two important conferences on the future of unionized academic workers. The first conference, held August 2-4 in Vancouver, was put together by the Coali on of Graduate Employees Union (CGEU) to brainstorm next steps and advance the causes of graduate employees across the United States and Canada. CUPE and BCGEU academic and support staff unions par cipated in the conference and contributed to discussions about building campus solidarity in bargaining and poli cal ac on. The Guardian, Vol. 11, Issue 1, September 2012 Academic workers share struggles and strategies at international conferences The COCAL conference was co-hosted by the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (STUNAM) and the Asociacion Autónoma del Personal Académico de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (AAPAUNAM). This was the first me these organiza ons have hosted the annual COCAL conference, and by all accounts they did a tremendous job. Con ngent faculty ac vists and representa ves from across North America par cipated in presenta ons and presented and interpreted in English, French, and Spanish. CUPE 2278, graduate employees at the University of British Columbia, co-hosted the conference with the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU), who represent graduate employees at Simon Fraser University. Workshops were held on organizing, bargaining, job ac on, coali on building, local union democracy, and social media. The plenary panels included presenta ons on the current poli cal and bargaining climate in B.C. Adrienne Smith, past president of CUPE 2278, presented on the power of democracy and organizing leading to a successful strike at UBC in Ac vists from Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Oregon, and California offered presenta ons on organizing and the recent experiences of unionized graduate employees in the US. Plenary sessions at COCAL covered changes in academic labour in the context of neoliberal globaliza on, organiza- on and new forms of struggle by academic workers, and the culture and iden ty of the new academic ci zens in North America and the world. Natalie Sharpe and Dougal MacDonald from CUPE 3911, Athabasca University, gave a compelling presenta on on the deskilling of academic labour at AU, where management announced plans to eliminate the tutor-learner model by shi ing courses to a call centre model. Both the CGEU conference and the Coali on of Con ngent Academic Labour (COCAL) conference, held August 9-12 in Mexico City, featured powerful presenta ons from the Coali on large de l ASSÉ (CLASSE), one of the three main student groups leading the Quebec student movement to stop the province s tui on fee hike. The movement spread quickly, gaining support from unions and social jus ce ac vists across Quebec and Canada. Left: The 10th annual COCAL Conference was held in Mexico City at Autonomous University of Mexico.... Right: CGEU-affiliated locals at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in Canada. 5

6 The Guardian, Vol. 11, Issue 1, September Working Groups Update The new Unit 1 collec ve agreement provides for the crea on of three joint working groups with the employer: a Working Group on Undergraduate Tutorials, a Provos al commi ee on Graduate Student Financial Support, and a Working Group on Unit 1 Job Pos ngs. These working groups are meant to address serious concerns raised during bargaining that were not solved sa sfactorily by the Ar cles of the Collec ve Agreement. We will con nue to keep you updated on the progress of these working groups. Quality of Educa on Working Group Our side of the Quality of Educa on Working Group consists of six members. They have been mee ng since early May. There have been two mee ngs with the Employer, one in late June and one in late August. These early mee ngs have been focused on clarifying the meaning of tutorial and what ac vi es it might The Provos al Commi ee on Graduate Student Funding (PCGSF) has not yet met. Indeed, the names of the representa ves from the employer and the one student seat from the Graduate Educa on Council (GEC) were only determined in early July. Grant Allen (Engineering), Rob Baker (Arts & Science), Roberta Fulthorpe (UTSC), Luc de Nil (Vice-Dean, Students, SGS), Avrum Gotlieb (Medicine) and Jeanne Watson (OISE) will represent the Employer s side of the Commi ee. encompass. They have also been developing research ques ons and data requirements to supplement the 2010 report of the Working Group on Undergraduate Tutorial Experience. As tutorial quality was a major concern during bargaining, the Working Group has priori zed involving members of CUPE 3902 and other Mohamed Soliman will represent the GEC. Nearly six months a er the ra fica on of the new CA, the body responsible for naming Graduate Student Union (GSU) reps the General Council has yet to do so. It is not clear why this is so. We encourage members to direct any inquiry in this respect to departmental GSU reps. Despite these delays, your CUPE reps have developed a pla orm and iden- fied two key priori es: the system of fees for senior students and the balance between working hours and members of the community, such as undergraduate students. So far, the Working Group has been soliciting feedback on tutorial experiences from undergraduate student leaders and have met with a few undergrads to discuss their experiences. They are hoping to con nue outreach and engagement in town halls during the Fall term. Provos al Commi ee on Graduate Student Funding Job Pos ngs Working Group The Job Pos ngs working group is mandated to inves gate the development of a centralized, electronic system for pos ng bargaining unit posi ons. Given the ad hoc and confusing job pos ng procedures in many departments, such a system has the poten al to significantly improve the ability of our members to find work they are qualified for. fellowships. We have submi ed a request for data in order to ensure that the set of informa on is correct and that the first mee ng delays notwithstanding can be produc ve. Overall, the PCGSF has very important responsibili es. It is our hope that promises will be kept, and that a willingness to work in good faith emerges from all sides. Please direct inquiries to: Valen na Fulgini (ismf@cupe3902.org) and Wayne Dealy (gmf@cupe3902.org). Our four members of the Working Group have been ready to meet since May, and the Employer has assured us they will be ready to meet shortly. The Working Group is required to produce a recommenda- on within six months of the ra fica on of the Collec ve Agreement. Please direct inquiries to: Mike Thicke (crs@cupe3902.org)

7 Bargaining Update The Guardian, Vol. 11, Issue 1, September 2012 Currently three out of four of our units are in bargaining, or will be imminently. They are: CUPE 3902 Unit 2 (Victoria University), Unit 3 (Contract Academic Workers), and Unit 4 (University of St. Michael s College). Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 3, represen ng Sessional Faculty members at UofT, has commenced bargaining toward a new Collec ve Agreement. On Friday, August 24, the elected Unit 3 Bargaining Team met with the Employer for this first me. Following brief introduc ons, the par es exchanged proposals and items for discussion and considera on over the coming months. Unit 4 Following our open le er to the Collegium of St. Michael s College, Unit 4 bargaining has seen some movement -- the Employer s agents have at last dropped their opposi on to reasonable proposals. At issue are the core principles of fair and progressive discipline, academic freedom, compensa on for extra work (e.g., serving on graduate commi ees), and leaves (maternity, parental, bereavement, conference). This year, our Local s Victoria University workers will be bargaining for a new contract. On August 2, 2012 at a Unit mee ng, we officially elected a Bargaining Team to begin the process of bargaining in the Fall, comprised of four Unit 2 members, Laura Wille, Adleen Crapo, Emily Blakelock, and Sco Marente e, along with Shiraz Vally (Staff Representa ve), Kevin Robillard (Vice-Chair Unit 1 and Unit 2) and Abe Nasirzadeh (Chair). In the upcoming weeks, we will be working together with Unit 2 members to The Union tabled a 4-page package of proposals based on findings of ongoing research and discussions with members throughout recent years, months and weeks. Priority areas, iden fied my the membership through the bargaining survey, meetings and discussions, include job security, wages and benefits, and fair and equitable treatment. survey the membership and develop proposals to bring to the bargaining table in the Fall. If you would like to get involved or are interested in suppor ng Unit 2 bargaining please contact Kevin Robillard, Vice Chair Unit 1 and Unit 2 at vc1@cupe3902.org. Sessional Faculty are among the most precarious workers employed by the University of Toronto, o en not knowing if they will be employed from term to term, o en despite years of service at the university and the high level of skill and dedica on to teaching which characterise Unit 3 members. The Unit 3 contract expires on August 31, They have also accepted language that protects against the use of complainants personal histories in sexual harassment grievances. These gains are significant, but the Unit 4 Team is aware that an inordinate amount of me (10 months) has been spent securing them. Un l recently, St. Michael s agents have con nually distracted from core issues by challenging standard language present in all other CUPE 3902 contracts, by promising proposals and counter-proposals that never appear, by promising to consult the employer without bringing back any response, and by retrac ng agreedupon language, bringing discussions back to square one. As we move at last to address those remaining issues which are of great importance to our members -- in par cular job security, wages, and benefits -- we hope St. Michael s will con nue to work with us to achieve a fair Collec ve Agreement as soon as possible. Bargaining a new contract requires ongoing dialogue, commitment and support. 7

8 Announcements Upcoming Events Late September Back-to-Work BBQ Loca on TBD Tuesday, October 16th, 4pm-5pm Unit 1 Members Mee ng Hart House Music Room Tuesday, October 16th, 5pm-8pm General Members Mee ng Hart House Music Room Thursday, October 18th, 5pm-8pm Unit 3 Members Mee ng Hart House South Dining Room Wednesday, November 21, 5pm-8pm General Member s Mee ng Hart House Debates Room Check for more informa on on upcoming events. Contribute to The Guardian The Guardian is a member-run newsle er. We cannot operate without the support and par cipa on of our membership. Please consider contribu ng to The Guardian by sending us a le er, wri ng an ar cle related to the broad mission of CUPE 3902 or educa on work, or joining the Editorial Board. A en on LGBTTIQQ2SA members!!!! We want you!!! The Queer Caucus of CUPE 3902 promotes equity, safety, and diversity within our Union, at UofT, and in the community. This is a posi ve space to meet other queer members, and an opportunity to talk about what we can do to address any ideas we have for the future. It is also a space to discuss any issues of discrimina on you ve experienced in the workplace and how our Local can support queer members. We hope you make it out to one of our meetings. Watch for announcements soon. Contact Abe Nasirzadeh at chair@cupe3902.org for more details. Division 4 Quality of Educa on Working Group Callout Due to scheduling conflicts, Sara Suliman has had to resign her posi on as Division 4 (Life Sciences) representa ve on the Quality of Educa on Working Group. The Execu ve Commi ee thanka Sara for all her hard work. We are seeking applicants to fill this posi on on a temporary basis, un l the posi on can be permanently Contributors and volunteers please Mike Thicke, Editor-in-Chief, at crs@cupe3902.org. You can also visit The Guardian online at filled at the next Unit 1 Members Mee ng this Fall. Applicants must be from Division 4 (Life Sciences). To apply, please send your name, department, year, why you are interested in the posi on, and any relevant experience to recep on@cupe3902.org by September 7th. PUBLICATIONS AGREEMENT NO RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: CUPE BLOOR STREET WEST TORONTO ON M5S 2V6 comms@cupe3902.org Campus Mail