THE
AUFA PRESIDENT COMMUNICATES
As always, since I last wrote to you things have been very busy for AUFA. The Executive did a wonderful job preparing the constitutional changes that were passed at the Annual General Meeting
The most significant changes were to the way in which we will prepare proposals for collective bargaining. The spirit of the changes was to develop a process that was open and transparent, develop a clear and coherent set of proposals, and to ensure that the Executive and Negotiating Team understand both the wishes of the membership and the intent of the proposals.
One challenge we have faced in the past was taking the proposals that emerged from the various standing committees and merging them into a cohesive package. While the work of each committee has been fine in isolation, there is a potential for conflicting proposals to emerge. It is also necessary at some stage to develop a “clean” set of proposals with all of the appropriate cross-referencing and numbering in place. To accomplish this, we have introduced a Proposals Review Committee whose job it will be to take the separate packages that emerge from the committees and merge them into a consistent coherent set of proposals.
This leads to the Proposals Review Committee having both a large responsibility and authority. To ensure that they conduct their work appropriately, we have placed the Chairs of the Standing Committees on the Proposals Committee so that their work is adequately represented. We have also added a requirement for bargaining surveys to be conducted and we have retained the final approval of the proposals by the General Membership. Finally, we have placed all of this work into a time frame that would allow for revisions to the final proposals should the membership wish.
In order to ensure that the Negotiating Team has a clear understanding of the genesis and intent of the proposals (which is “occasionally” not clear from the contract language), we have involved them throughout the proposal development process. However, the Chief Negotiator serves as a non-voting member of the Proposals Review Committee.
Another important change that we have been working towards for some time now is to implement a budgeting process. We now have accomplished that and this year, for the first time in recent history, the Executive will “enjoy“ being guided in their spending by a budget. The budgeting process will allow us to collectively establish clear spending priorities and ensure that we have a healthy long-term financial outlook.
On the subject of constitutional reform, I should comment that we have had very positive experiences with our new grievance structure that was implemented in 2006. The Association Grievance Committee has been operating at arms length from the Executive and has been doing an outstanding job.
It is traditional for outgoing presidents to convey their thanks to the individuals that have helped them during the course of their term. All of my previous attempts to do this by listing names have failed miserably. In addition, it seems to me appropriate to acknowledge the incredible contributions that each and every member has made to AUFA and Acadia University this past year. We have clearly demonstrated the power of collective action and it has been a singular honour and privilege to have observed the activities of AUFA from the vantage point that I have enjoyed for the past two years.
I want to express my thanks to the individuals who have agreed to serve on the Executive and the various committees of the Association. I feel that we are very fortunate to have such a dedicated group of individuals and I hope that you will offer them your full support and appreciation.
Finally, in closing, I would like to urge all of you to consider making your own contribution to the work of the Association. I can assure you that there is no more rewarding (albeit somewhat demanding) way to fulfill your service requirements and I know that some of you will be taking particular satisfaction in adding your service on the “AUFA Weird Request Committee” to your cvs.
I hope that you all have a safe and productive summer.
Peter Williams