2013 Fall General Meeting

___________________________________________________________

Dear SFUFA Members:

Please diarize and plan to attend SFUFA’s Fall General Meeting, which will be held at:

IRMACS Theatre ASB 10900

Wednesday, November 6th, 2:30 – 4:00pm.

Members in Surrey and Vancouver can participate via video-conference at the following locations:

Surrey – SUR 5200

Vancouver – HC 2250 Westcoast Energy meeting room (Harbour Centre)

We want to draw your attention to the notice of motion regarding certification. A vote on whether to proceed with discussions of unionization will take place at this meeting, and all members are urged to attend to express their views.

The motion reads as follows:

“That over the next 12 months SFUFA educate and inform members about unionization and pursue certification under the Labour Code”

As you know, the Spring General Meeting directed SFUFA to explore the idea of certification. Having researched the implications and consulted members in a variety of venues, it appears that there is a growing interest in the topic among members, and some good reasons to consider the change.

We put forward the above motion not because our relationship with the university administration is broken, but because certification provides a greater range of tools for dispute resolution and makes the bargaining relationship one of equals under the law. We have recently seen that the restrictions on our rights have prevented us from addressing some critical issues. We believe that if there are advantages to certification, then we should not put off consideration until a point of crisis; rather, the transition should be undertaken when relationships are generally positive, so that the voting process and negotiations for a first agreement can be as smooth and collegial as possible.

Further information on certification will be forthcoming, and the General Meeting will provide greater detail and an opportunity for discussion. In the meantime, please plan to join on us on November 6th so that whatever decision is reached reflects the overall opinion of SFUFA members.

Please note: If you intend to bring any motion forward to the General Meeting, please provide the text of the motion to us no later than Thursday, October 31st, so that the motion may be distributed to all members in advance.

We look forward to seeing you on November 6th.