As provided in the UTFA Presidential Guidelines, below is communication #1 from Professor Zorić, candidate for UTFA President. The communications of the candidates reflects the views of the candidates rather than the Association.
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Dear UTFA Colleagues,
Voting for the UTFA president is now open–and the stakes are high. Who leads our Association really matters: it is the only democratically accountable body of faculty and librarians at U of T that advocates for our collective needs and interests.
Key issues in our working lives are on the table, and two distinct paths are available. Ours is constructive, built on clear evidence of experience, collaboration, and achievement.
Our campaign alone is open and transparent about who we are and what we stand for. ‘Team Terezia’ is a hardworking and effective group of colleagues elected by their peers from across the tri-campus. We have repeatedly proven our capacity to win major economic gains, defend your individual and collective rights, and improve your conditions of work. We commit to advancing: salary increases that at the very least match inflation; equal health and other benefits improvements for all, including retirees; fair and equitable workloads; affordable housing; pay equity; less precarity/a path to permanency for part-time members; expanded member engagement and collegial governance; and academic freedom. Our platform offers a clear and comprehensive vision, a history of success, and a plan to achieve it.
Our recent history of successes in achieving economic gains include:
- Winning a 10% across-the-board salary increase and securing the increase for 475 recent hires
- Negotiating major improvements in mental health and other benefits for all members, including retirees–against the Administration’s efforts to reduce them
- Mobilizing members to pressure the Administration to restore our PTR payments in 2021 and preventing any repeat of withholding PTR
For additional accomplishments, see here.
To effectively lead UTFA, a multilayered and complex Association with a broad mandate, one must be a serious and accomplished candidate who works well with a serious, accomplished, and supportive team of colleagues. Serving the membership, leading UTFA teams, building positive relationships with UTFA’s diverse constituencies, and working constructively with other University leaders cannot be an entry-level job. The President’s role requires serious preparation and skill: we encourage you to compare the strengths of the respective candidates as seen in the recent UTFA Presidential Candidates’ forums, available here and here.
‘Team Terezia’ stands proudly behind our platform. Unfortunately, the other candidate has decided to focus on wild accusations about UTFA’s elected Council, Executive, President and Negotiating Teams (past and present!) rather than making a positive and persuasive case for his own much narrower platform. We have responded to the mudslinging and the spurious claims; if you have additional questions, we are ready to answer them, but we prefer to talk about the issues that matter to our members, our ongoing work, and bold platform.
Terezia’s re-election is publicly endorsed by more than 2/3 of those elected to represent you on UTFA’s 60-member Council (and counting!), and nearly every member of UTFA’s elected Executive. We have broad support across our tri-campus membership; colleagues both active and retired; full-time and part-time; Tenure Stream, Teaching Stream, and Librarians; and across a full range of disciplines and professions.
We hope we can count you among our supporters and that you will vote to re-elect Terezia for a final two-year term.
Please vote! A strong turnout demonstrates that we have a strong, active, and engaged membership. Please see your UToronto email for your ballot!
Join us!
Yours,
Team Terezia Campaign