Read the position statements - Concordia University Faculty

Candidates and position statements
Françoise Naudillon, Études Françaises – Vice President
Link : http://explore.concordia.ca/francoise-naudillon
A full professor in the Department of French Studies and faculty member at Concordia University
since 2000, Francoise Naudillon served on the executive committee of CUFA from 2005 to 2007 .
She is currently a member of the executive committee of the FQPPU (Fédération québécoise des
professeures et Professeurs d’université) and VP on CUFA executive. She has developed a good
knowledge of the university and its problems both in Quebec and in the rest of Canada. For
example she published in 2013 Women and Power in Quebec Universities and she is currently
working on Research And Gender In Quebec Universities. She has also served on committees such as
CAUT Defense fund, and she is currently a member of Equity Committee at CAUT.
There are several challenges facing CUFA; the most immediate being the collective agreement
negotiations. Moreover, like all unions, CUFA needs to mobilize its members and needs to be
especially sensitive to the younger professoriate, who face the challenges of balancing work and
family life. I am particularly interested in issues of equity and gender. Finally CUFA must strive to
improve the working conditions for our ETA and LTA members.
In a climate of negotiating during a period of austerity, I intend to work with the Executive to
ensure that we achieve a fair and equitable agreement in a timely fashion. Furthermore, I want to
help our younger colleagues better understand the work that CUFA does and help them address
their challenges of balancing work, family, and access to child care. Finally, I intend to continue the
research on gender and equity in the professoriate that I have been pursuing while at the FQPPU.
Aaron Brauer, Sociology & Anthropology – Secretary
With a decade’s experience on the CUFA Executive (2004-2006 Member at Large, 2009-2013
Secretary, 2013-present Member at Large), and negotiating team (2006-2009), I remain committed
to bettering our working conditions. I am also a Trustee of the CAUT Defence Fund (2012-present)
and was a member of the FQPPU ad hoc committee on e-Learning (2010-2013). My commitment to
labour issues and democratic governance continues, and to this end I have been closely involved in
negotiations work throughout my tenure. There is still much to be done to improve labour relations
at Concordia and as an ETA and long-time activist in the Association, I have the experience to
continue working towards that goal. I would appreciate the opportunity.
The challenge that I would address is enhancing the association’s visibility with the membership.
The Executive must be in sync with those labour issues that are at the core of the members’
concerns. My approach to addressing this challenge is to bring the Executive to the membership by
visiting departments on a regular basis. This will provide the Executive with an opportunity to
have a better understanding of the working conditions that need to be improved and the best way
to secure these improvements.
Shelley Reuter, Sociology & Anthropology – Member at Large
CUFA faces a number of challenges, not least negotiating our next contract. But perhaps the most
alarming issue ahead of us is how to mitigate demoralization among our members as the full impact
of the so-called austerity measures is felt. Continually being “asked” to do more with less – ever
bigger class sizes, arbitrary enrollment minimums, little to no hiring, shrinking support staff – CUFA
will have to remain vigilant so as to ensure our membership does not resign itself to deteriorating
working conditions as these draconian measures continually and not-so-surreptitiously chip away
at gains we have made over the years. I have demonstrated my commitment to fighting such
challenges as a past and current member of the Executive (2007-9, 2011-present). I bring
significant experience to the position that includes leading strategic revisions to our Constitution,
overseeing CUFA communications, active participation in negotiations work, and organizing for a
strike. I would also bring to this position my experiences on the Pension and Benefits Committees
(2007-9), the CAUT Executive (2009-10), and as a Trustee of the CAUT Defence Fund (2008-2012).
I believe the membership would benefit from continuity on the Executive during negotiations and
sincerely hope to return for another mandate.
Tony Costanzo, Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics – Vice President
I am submitting my candidacy for the position of Vice-President at CUFA. As Vice-President, I will
bring to CUFA and the CUFA Executive considerable institutional memory amassed during my many
years of service to the University and to our union. As in the past, I will continue to defend the
rights of Concordia’s faculty and librarian members in the face of administrative pressures that
threaten the working and learning conditions at the University.
Finally, I strongly believe that an effective union is one that is strong, participatory and accountable.
As Vice-President, I will work to strengthen the link between the Executive and CUFA members. I
will continue to advocate for better communication and greater transparency regarding CUFA
decisions that affect all of our members, such as those related to our current contract negotiations.