York University’s approach to collective bargaining with all our bargaining units is informed by five core principles
Open, transparent and honest conduct, knowing that achieving a renewed agreement in a timely manner is in the best interests of our community.
Improving and expanding initiatives that further our principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion across the entire University.
Focusing on the financial wellbeing of our employees and the long-term sustainability of York, taking the current economic climate and fiscal realities into account.
For the bargaining process, the union and its leadership.
To our community.
Updates
As has been discussed in multiple fora, the University has been responding to a number of challenging circumstances in recent years starting with the pandemic and the impact on international enrolment. Slower than expected recovery post-pandemic resulted in modest reductions in international targets for several years. However, the government simultaneously reduced domestic tuition fees by 10% in 2019 and froze the fees at that lower level through to 2022-2023 resulting in a loss of revenue for York exceeding $360 million. We nevertheless managed to finish each of those years positive to plan and produced a carry forward surplus.
Without the addition of an unexpected set of events in 2023-2024, the University would have been able to mitigate these circumstances through the cost containment measures that have been taken, along with student recruitment strategies to take maximum advantage of the remaining opportunities for growth. Unfortunately, in this past year, the Province made the decision not to implement the recommendation of their Blue Ribbon Panel by freezing tuition for another four years through to 2026-2027. The Federal government then unexpectedly chose to cap international enrolment. This had an immediate exacerbating impact on international enrolment with students discouraged from applying to Canadian universities or unable to get visas.
York is not alone in having to take extraordinary steps to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our students and respond to talent needs locally and globally. The CUPE 3903 labour disruption of winter 2024 was however a further compounding factor for us.
We have taken important steps over the last 10 years creating a strong foundation for navigating the changed environment for post-secondary education and maintaining the momentum we have achieved. These include investing in our reputation, faculty complement and research intensification across all disciplines, positioning York for future enrolment growth in the fast-growing York Region, expanding programs in emerging new fields including engineering and health, technology, and entrepreneurship, and advancing innovation in pedagogy. Nevertheless, the combined impact of the 2023-2024 policy directions regarding higher education are significant with flow-through effects over the next three years that will require the collective efforts of the entire community to adjust expenditures and seek new revenue, if we are to close the gap caused by the loss of enrolment and the decline in enrolment revenue and return to a balanced position.
Our current negotiations with the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) is a crucial opportunity to engage a key employee group to stabilize the University’s finances while we also take actions to promote recovery of our revenues. As a result, earlier today the University requested a no-board notice in connection with our current collective bargaining with YUFA. While it is not usual to take this step this early in the process of working with a conciliation officer, the University’s budgetary circumstances are also far from usual. Getting an expeditious resolution is urgently needed for our students and the University given the current circumstances.
York University budget
As alluded to above, the sector-wide factors, along with York’s 47% projected shortfall in international student enrolment and 17% projected shortfall in domestic student enrolment relative to targets for fall 2024 continue to exacerbate our significant financial challenges.
At York, 75% of our overall budget, or $923.9 million are budgeted for salaries and compensation, with YUFA salaries making up 40% of the total budget. It is critical that we achieve a negotiated renewal collective with YUFA as expeditiously as possible. Given the portion of the budget that is dedicated to the salaries of YUFA-represented employees, the University needs certainty around those numbers, as we now move well into the third month of the 2024-25 fiscal year.
We are seeking all means to help the parties reach consensus toward a common goal of a stable and thriving university.
University Salary Proposals
Progress through the ranks (“PTR”) is an important component of the salary model and annual salary increases to YUFA-represented employees. As part of collective bargaining with YUFA, the University has proposed a joint working group dedicated to reviewing PTR. The proposed joint working group would consider the use of senior abatements and junior increments to redistribute a greater proportion of PTR increases to more junior and mid-career faculty. The proposed new joint working group would also consider a merit component to PTR.
The inclusion of senior abatements/junior increments and a merit component, both in full-time faculty and librarian salaries exists at many other Ontario universities and could respond directly to YUFA’s concerns around enhancing PTR increases for junior faculty and librarians. The University’s proposal for a Joint Working Group is available here.
Also as part of the current negotiations, the University has proposed a Year 1 (May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025) across the board increase to base salaries with the caveat that implementation be deferred to Year 2 (May 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026) in order to assist the University in addressing its immediate fiscal situation. The full package of University proposals is available here.
Unfortunately, despite the University’s efforts to date to provide financial and budgetary information to YUFA, the University has been presented with more than 160 YUFA bargaining proposals over multiple meetings, many of which have financial implications. While the University’s tally of YUFA’s proposals is not yet complete, the University’s preliminary estimated cost of YUFA’s proposals, which includes various cost assumptions that have been shared with YUFA, is approximately $40.5 million of new spending in Year 1 (May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025) of a three-year proposed renewal collective agreement, if the University were to agree to YUFA’s proposals. This number equates to a 12%+ increase in the cost of the agreement in a single year, and will only rise as we continue to cost YUFA’s remaining proposals.
Communications from the YUFA bargaining team continue to focus on individual items lifted from the Value for Money Audit of York that was released by the Auditor General last year. In that report, which the University has responded to, there are some statistics that unfortunately continue to paint an inaccurate and misleading picture. The University has provided the facts to YUFA, however, and those who are interested in learning more about this can refer to the FAQs found here.
The contributions of YUFA-represented faculty, librarians and archivists have been absolutely essential in bringing about the significant progress that York has achieved in recent years, and remain vital to its future success. The University would like to achieve a negotiated collective agreement with YUFA as soon as possible to provide much-needed certainty that will inform and support solutions to York’s financial challenges.
The bargaining teams are scheduled to meet again on July 16, 23, 31 and August 13, 20.
The Ontario postsecondary education sector is facing unprecedented challenges. These are significantly impacting the financial sustainability facing York and other universities, albeit to varying degrees depending on program mix, percent of international students and global ranking. The pandemic itself had significant costs including the decline in international enrolment which has been slow to recover and the loss of ancillary and other revenue. But this situation was further compounded by the 10% cut in domestic tuition in 2019 and the unexpected multi-year tuition freeze imposed by the province. With the exception of a modest increase in grant revenue starting in 2024-25, the government has limited new enrolment revenue to those programs where there is urgent labour market need. And then this past year in 2023-2024, new and unexpected international student limits and related visa processing delays, in combination with geopolitical tensions between Canada and countries such as India caused further volatility. These factors including a 47% projected shortfall in international enrolment relative to targets for the fall of 2024 have made it extraordinarily difficult to simultaneously manage wage increases including the renegotiation of the moderation period and other inflationary costs.
York is taking a transparent approach about the University’s current financial circumstances, sharing budget details through presentations to specific constituent groups and community-wide town halls. To ensure the long-term sustainability of the University, it is imperative that we continue to invest in growth including new programs and program revisions, rethink our strategic enrolment approach, and alter our cost structure to align with our revenue.
These opportunities for change and growth depend on our collective efforts - by the administration and employees alike - to meet and overcome our financial challenges.
Actions regarding administrative efficiencies are already in progress. Achieving a renewal collective agreement with YUFA is a further crucial step. The University initiated a first bargaining meeting with YUFA in March 2024 in the hopes of getting the process off to a timely start. In a concerted effort to progress toward a negotiated renewal collective agreement with YUFA, the University:
- Provided YUFA with detailed information on the University’s financial position, including a meeting on May 21, when the Provost & Vice-President Academic and Vice-President Finance and Administration delivered a presentation on the University’s three year budget plan as approved by the Board of Governors on April 30, 2024.
- Gave an earlier presentation, at the request of YUFA and to complement the bargaining process, at a special meeting of the Joint Subcommittee on Long-Range Planning on May 16, 2024 to discuss the University’s approved three-year budget. At this meeting, the Provost & Vice-President Academic and Vice-President Finance and Administration delivered a similar presentation to what was later presented at the May 21 bargaining meeting.
- Proposed 32 meeting dates for bargaining over March through June, including pursuing additional dates in June. Of the dates proposed, YUFA confirmed six, thus limiting the possibility of more progress towards a renewal agreement earlier in the summer.
- Proposed that the parties seek early third party assistance with Eli Gedalof who helped successfully conclude negotiations for the 2021-24 YUFA renewal collective agreement.
- Provided the YUFA bargaining team with the June 13, 2024 Academic Policy, Planning and Research Committee (APPRC) 2024-25 Enrolment and Tuition Revenue update, with data on new student acceptances received by the June 3 deadline and the financial implications relative to the approved budget.
- On June 21 requested the assistance of a provincially appointed conciliation officer to assist the parties in reaching an agreement.
The University’s proposals, many of which prioritize York’s financial circumstances and sustainability, are available here. Highlights of the University proposals include:
- Establishing a timeline for academic units to create new or revised teaching load documents as many of the existing documents have not been revised in years, creating barriers to collaborative problem solving at the unit level.
- Adjusting carry forwards for various funds to assist in addressing the University’s current financial challenges.
- Deferring the May 1, 2024, across-the-board base-salary adjustment until May 1, 2025, thus delaying this portion of the salary increase by a year to facilitate an in-year contribution to reducing the University’s operating deficit.
- Maintaining the current annual Progress-through-the-Ranks (“PTR”) lump sum salary increase, which is equivalent to an increase of between 1.5% and 2.5% to base salaries for most YUFA-represented (faculty and librarians/archivists) employees. PTR has been in place as an additional form of salary increase since the initial 1976-78 collective agreement between the University and YUFA.
- Maintaining the current annual and professional expense reimbursement (PER) allocations for employees.
- Establishing firm time limits and requiring detailed particulars for grievances to enhance the timeliness and accountability of the parties’ grievance procedures.
To date, YUFA has made over 140 proposals on a wide range of topics (Equity, Workload, Working Conditions, Compensation and Benefits, Governance and Collegial Process, Labour Relations and Union Rights, etc.).
Over 40 of the proposals are for various forms of increases to compensation and benefits, including proposed across-the-board salary increases of 4% per year for the three years of the contract. YUFA also proposed an increase to PTR in each year of the renewal collective agreement for a total increase of $1,000 per eligible employee.
More than half of the YUFA proposals to date, including proposals related to other topics (i.e., non compensation and benefits proposals), have been identified by the university as having potential financial implications.
The University is concerned that despite its best efforts to provide up-to-date information about the University’s financial challenges, YUFA’s current proposals do not appear to reflect the seriousness of the situation. We will continue to work with YUFA through bargaining with the hope that negotiations will allow us to address the current financial challenges and position York for future success. We very much hope that these efforts will be aided by the provincially appointed conciliator.
The University and YUFA first met to begin negotiations to achieve a renewal collective agreement on March 12, 2024. Despite the University’s bargaining team proposing 32 meeting dates, since the first meeting, only six additional dates were confirmed allowing for little progress in working towards a settlement.
This round of collective bargaining takes place as the University – like the post-secondary sector nationwide - faces unprecedented financial challenges due to significant pressures, including lower student enrolments, the full extent of which has only become clearer since the bargaining process was initiated. Every day that goes by without a collective agreement between the University and its full-time faculty represents a missed opportunity to work together to find mutually agreeable solutions.
As such, the University has requested that the Ministry of Labour appoint a conciliation officer to assist in moving negotiations forward to ensure stability for students, faculty, instructors and staff and to help set the path for the University’s financial sustainability.
Following a bargaining meeting on May 21, when the Provost & Vice-President Academic and Vice-President Finance and Administration provided a detailed financial presentation of the University’s approved three year budget plan, the University bargaining team suggested the parties engage third party assistance with Eli Gedalof who helped successfully conclude negotiations for the 2021-24 collective agreement. An invitation to engage Mr. Gedalof’s assistance was again made on June 3. YUFA declined both invitations.
At a meeting on June 18, YUFA provided the University’s bargaining team with a high-level overview of the proposals that it intends to table in the future, yet only shared a subset, consisting of 25 equity-focused proposals. YUFA indicated it will share additional proposals at upcoming bargaining meetings.
Although the University looks forward to meeting with YUFA at the seven bargaining dates now scheduled in July and August, this is unlikely to be sufficient to achieve a renewal collective agreement given that YUFA has yet to table most of its proposals. This pace does not reflect the seriousness of the financial challenges that inform the current round of negotiations and the paramount importance of the parties working together toward a renewal collective agreement as expeditiously as possible.
The University believes that by utilizing all of the collective bargaining tools available, including the assistance of a conciliation officer, a renewal collective agreement can be achieved, to the benefit of all York employees and students.
Achieving a renewal collective agreement expeditiously with the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) is important to ensure stability for our students, faculty, instructors, and staff, and to setting a clear path to financial sustainability for the University. The University administration provided YUFA with Notice to Bargain on February 29, 2024, following which the parties began bargaining on March 12, 2024, and have met four times to date. On May 10, the University proposed 16 additional dates for bargaining meetings and today three were confirmed (June 18, 25 and 28).
The University has a strong history of success that has been achieved through collaborative and collective efforts across the institution. Together we have made significant progress toward the realization of the vision and priorities outlined in the University Academic Plan 2020-2025, as reflected in the growth of our research, reputation and rankings, and the breadth and diversity of students who are joining York. Progress is also evident from the increasing interest of government and others in partnering with York to address emerging societal and labour market needs. We have also developed important strategies to advance our commitments to sustainability, decolonization, equity, diversity and inclusion, and we continue to invest in York’s future to ensure that we maintain the positive momentum that is establishing York as a leader in higher education.
At the same time, a number of significant and ongoing challenges have seriously impacted the financial health and stability of the post-secondary sector. Despite multiple years where external factors have resulted in a decline in revenue, York has fared relatively well. Nevertheless, the extended tuition freeze combined with the impact of the international cap has widened the gap between revenue and expenditures that is unsustainable. Potential actions have been identified but an optimal strategy can best be achieved with the active engagement of all our employee groups, including through collective bargaining with our union partners - that is why we are focused on concluding an agreement with YUFA in an expeditious manner.
On May 21, Provost and VP Academic Lisa Philipps and VP Finance and Administration Carol McAulay attended a York-YUFA bargaining meeting to share a detailed financial presentation and an update on the University’s multi-year budget plan as approved by the Board of Governors on April 30, 2024. At this presentation, they highlighted the financial gap that must be addressed to ensure York continues on its positive trajectory. Significant University-wide changes are required to achieve savings of $30M, $80M and $90M respectively in each of the next three years beginning in the current fiscal year 2024/25.
Details of the Board approved budget will also be shared at the June meeting of Senate and through other channels to keep the community informed of the challenges ahead, and how the University will work collectively to implement recovery plans.
During the May 21 meeting, the University bargaining team suggested that the parties engage the assistance of Eli Gedalof, who helped the parties successfully conclude negotiations on the 2021-24 collective agreement, to achieve a renewal agreement. The proposed dates for the parties to meet with the assistance of Mr. Gedalof are June 22, 23, 29 and 30. The University looks forward to YUFA’s response to the proposal that we meet with the assistance of Gedalof.
The University’s bargaining team is committed to working with YUFA to achieve an agreement that reflects the critical role that faculty members and librarians/archivists play at the University and that considers the University’s existing fiscal circumstances.
The 2021-24 Collective Agreement between York University and the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) representing approximately 1,700 full-time faculty, librarians and archivists, and post-doctoral visitors is expiring on April 30, 2024. In anticipation of that date, the University provided YUFA with Notice to Bargain on February 29, 2024.
The bargaining teams for the University and YUFA met for an initial bargaining meeting on March 12, 2024. Two subsequent meetings were scheduled for the University to present its initial non-monetary proposal package. The first was held on April 2, 2024, during which the University provided its initial non-monetary proposals to YUFA, consisting of 19 proposals and seven housekeeping items.
The next meeting, to take place on April 23, 2024, is anticipated to focus on reviewing the University’s proposal package and providing YUFA with an opportunity to ask questions regarding the University’s proposals.
The University has proposed to YUFA a weekly bargaining schedule with dates and times for May and June 2024. In response, YUFA shared that it is unlikely to complete its process to finalize its proposals prior to the third week of May.
With the conclusion of the recent labour disruption, and as many faculty, staff and students work through the remediation period for the 2023/24 academic year and plan for the upcoming academic year, the University believes that the parties share a mutual interest in concluding. As such, the University will continue to explore bargaining dates with YUFA and looks forward to receiving YUFA’s non-monetary proposals in the near future.