Vol. CXXXVIII, No. 6 October 16, 2017 thevarsity.ca —— University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
HUDSON LAWSUIT SETTLED Two-year lawsuit settled out of court 11 days before trial was set to begin
Jack O. Denton News Editor
Former UTSU Executive Director Sandra Hudson settled out of court with the UTSU on October 12, putting an end to the drawn-out lawsuit between the union and three former staff members and executives. “Ms. Hudson has voluntarily agreed to repay a portion of the overtime payments which were approved by members of a prior executive committee,” reads an October 12 press release from the UTSU. The union acknowledges in the release that “allegations of fraud and theft against Ms. Hudson were not proven.” The amount that Hudson agreed to repay was not disclosed. Former Engineering Director Andrew Sweeny, who was present at a meeting to approve the settlement, has criticized the settlement, telling The Varsity that “it was a poor deal.” “I don’t think we pushed hard enough. I think we could have pushed for a better settlement,” Sweeny said. “Or at worst, we still would have done better in court.”
Hudson, according to the UTSU’s release, acknowledges that the UTSU believes it had a reasonable basis to start a lawsuit. Moreover, the statement says that “all parties believe that the lawsuit was not racially motivated” and “regret the acrimonious nature of these proceedings and inflammatory public comments made in and about them.” The UTSU launched its lawsuit against Hudson, former UTSU President Yolen Bollo-Kamara, and former UTSU Vice-President Internal and Services Cameron Wathey in September 2015, alleging civil fraud. BolloKamara settled with the union in January 2016, with Wathey settling in May that year. The UTSU sought $277,726.40 from Hudson — given to her in a compensation package when her contract with the union was terminated — in addition to $200,000 in punitive damages. The $277,726.40 compensation package represented approximately 10 per cent of the union’s operating budget at the time. The UTSU’s case hinged on the allegation that Hudson’s dismissal was without legal
grounds and was orchestrated by Hudson, Bollo-Kamara, and Wathey. The details of Bollo-Kamara and Wathey’s settlements remain confidential. In the wake of Wathey’s settlement, then-UTSU President Ben Coleman said that “the testimony received from Wathey… helps our case” against Hudson. The UTSU had alleged that Bollo-Kamara and Wathey “breached their fiduciary duty” by signing off on 2,589.5 hours of overtime for Hudson, which was included in the severance package when her contract was terminated. Of those 2,589.5 overtime hours, 1,974.5 were logged in a single entry on April 1, 2015. Hudson countersued the UTSU for $300,000 in November 2015. In addition to denying the union’s allegations, Hudson’s counterclaim alleged that she was “subject to inappropriate conduct and unwelcome comments from UTSU directors. Some of the comments were in relation to [her] perceived sexual orientation, gender and race.” UTSU President Mathias Memmel released a statement to The Varsity following the press release. “We’re very pleased–this is an objec-
tively positive resolution for the UTSU. 95% of civil cases end in confidential settlements, so this was always the most likely outcome. Scepticism is justified, but I ask anyone who’s sceptical to trust that this board and these executives would only do what’s best for students, and would only have accepted the best possible offer.” Emergency meeting to approve the settlement The UTSU’s press release reveals that its Board of Directors approved the settlement in an emergency meeting on October 10. A confidential recommendation, which was the only initial item on the October 10 agenda, garnered 17 votes in favour, four opposed, and one abstention. “While the vote wasn’t unanimous, I have no doubt that every director did what they thought was best for the UTSU,” Memmel wrote, “and acted as their conscience required–I couldn’t have asked for anything more.” Notably, Vice-President External Anne Lawsuit, page 3
Faculty at Centennial, Sheridan go on strike Strike impacts UTM, UTSC joint program students Jillian Schuler Varsity Staff
As of Monday, October 16, students enrolled in joint programs at UTSC with Centennial College and UTM with Sheridan College have their college classes cancelled as faculty go on strike indefinitely. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) represents 12,000 faculty members at colleges across the province, including those working at Centennial and Sheridan colleges. Following failed negotiations between the union and the bargaining
teams of the 24 colleges where the faculty work, OPSEU 556 set a strike date for 12:01am on October 16. OPSEU works to ensure fair say for its 12,000 faculty members. Key proposals include having an even ratio of full-time to contract faculty, increased job security for partial load faculty, and academic freedom that will give faculty a stronger voice in academic decisions. Faculty from three joint programs at Centennial College — Paramedicine, Journalism, and New Media Studies — are going on strike. There are 170 students enrolled in
these programs, however, less than half will be affected by the strike as they are currently at UTSC, according to Mark Toljagic, Communications Officer at Centennial College. At UTM, there are about 1,000 students enrolled in joint UTM–Sheridan College programs, including those in the Communication, Culture, Information & Technology program, as well as the Art & Art History, and Theatre & Drama Studies program. Centennial College libraries, athletic facilities and child care centres, among other basic amenities, will continue to function normally despite daytime classes being cancelled. As
well, all students have been supplied with information on properly crossing picket lines if the event were to arise on campus. At Sheridan, there are similar plans to keep services open, with all non-faculty based operations, such as the student health centre and food services, still for open for students at the college. UTM has also posted an FAQ page specifically for students in the Sheridan CollegeUTM joint programs that will be updated as more information about the ongoing strike becomes available.