Renan Levine, Ph.D.

Dear UTFA Members:

 

I want to take a moment to congratulate the winner of this election, Terezia Zoric. No one works harder at UTFA than she does.

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I am proud of my campaign and I want to thank all of my supporters who voted, spoke to colleagues, and sent encouraging messages of support.  We raised some very important concerns. We can now only hope that the UTFA leadership will take seriously my campaign's concerns about UTFA governance moving forward. 

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I trust that everyone at UTFA will be able to work together to strengthen our organization and advocate for pressing issues such as better childcare benefits, affordable faculty housing -- and academic freedom for all.

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At a time when many members of U of T’s Jewish community are feeling excluded, and quite a few report being targets of hate on campus, the decision by the current UTFA treasurer and all three current vice presidents to accuse a group of Jewish colleagues of making a “baseless accusation of antisemitism,” contributes to that pain and feelings of exclusion. Perhaps the end of this election campaign will provide the UTFA leadership with a moment to reflect on they can best unite our diverse membership in a manner that excludes no one.

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Yours,

Renan

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On this website, you can read about:

• My vision for a less divisive association 

• How recent dysfunction within our association has weakened it and caused the association to stray from core workplace values like inclusivity, transparency and zero tolerance for harassment. 

• Some of the policies I will advocate for as UTFA President

• How UTFA can be part of the solution to rising tensions and incivility on campus

• How UTFA can best defend academic freedom

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Your vote matters! Read more about why you should vote for UTFA President!

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I have the skills, the experience and the support from colleagues, including former members of UTFA’s Executive Committee, to succeed as President. I have served on UTFA Council, and on committees at UTFA like the one responsible for bargaining. I have advocated for faculty and students with administrators at Simcoe Hall, and I have served as a leader in other organizations. My experiences volunteering with UTFA demonstrated to me that UTFA can be more effective under new leadership.

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How I will Advocate for UTFA's Members

UTFA can accomplish more can be accomplished by viewing the relationship between the faculty and the administration as one involving tough but productive bargaining. Bargaining must start from the premise that often faculty and administration interests align, and working collegially is always desirable. Where our interests align, like on advancement and achieving net zero carbon emissions, we must work together, and where they diverge, we must advocate strongly for our positions. We cannot continue to criticize the administration constantly, because that diminishes our association’s effectiveness. Like some of our most successful peer-associations, we must start negotiations early in the final year of our agreements so that salaries can be brought to mediation and/or arbitration before we work without a contract, and without the raises we deserve.

 

We must always be cognizant that when disputes drag on between UTFA and the administration, resentment grows. Successful negotiations require flexibility and a willingness to compromise. At the same time, UTFA can be clear on what we will not compromise:

 

As president of UTFA, I will be a fierce advocate for the protection of all health benefits for retirees in future rounds of negotiation. I will work vigorously to uphold academic freedom for every member of our community, while ensuring that our students, staff and colleagues are protected from harassment and hate.  Two years ago, I emphasized the need for the university to address faculty and librarian housing needs and improve a child care subsidy that has not increased since 2007! UTFA Members have not seen any improvements in those policies in the last two years. Read more about what I will do if elected President here.

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Why UTFA Must Transform

In the past two years, I have become increasingly concerned with dysfunction within UTFA's organization. Reforms are necessary to ensure transparency and accountability. Every member should be concerned about how a toxic work environment at UTFA contributed to almost every full-time staffer leaving the organization over the past two years including the Executive Director and the Business Officer, at least eight staff attorneys. I recently learned that one former employee has consulted attorneys about a possible lawsuit against the association. A well-respected and long-serving Vice President - Grievances also abruptly left UTFA.

 

A veil of secrecy surrounded the legal team's departures. First, UTFA's President refused to inform Council about the departures that only became apparent after Council members saw that the names had disappeared from the website.  After relenting, the President failed to warn Council that every staff attorney had already provided notice of quitting (at the time of the meeting, one attorney was still employed by UTFA). UTFA's Executives never disclosed to membership how the absence of experienced staff attorneys affects our budget, or the association’s ability to effectively advocate for its members. Rebuilding our legal team is an essential task over the next two years.

 

Several years ago, a press release informed UTFA's membership that several of our colleagues filed an OHRT complaint against the current president over antisemitic comments she made during an on-line forum. Months later, Professor Zorić issued an apology for those comments, before walking back the apology while seeking re-election in 2022.  Last year, Council learned of another OHRT complaint against the association stemming from a harassment complaint that UTFA failed to take any action to address (you can read the publicly available filings from that case by downloading this PDF).  I recently learned that at least one former employee spoke to legal counsel about a potential lawsuit against the association. UTFA has no functioning harassment policy, produces budgets absent crucial detailed items, and fails to bring potential conflicts of interest to Council’s attention.

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If you have already voted and would like to let me know of your support, I would love to hear from you!

If you would like to speak to one of my supporters, I will be happy to put you in touch if you send me an email.