Members support Terezia

Jun Nogami PhD, FAAAS, P. Eng. Former VP Salary, Benefits, Pension and Workload, UTFA Council Representative for Constituency #402, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

I am very pleased to endorse Terezia Zorić for re-election as President of UTFA. As the former VP Salary Benefits Pension and Workload, I worked closely with her as co-chief negotiators for three years. The deals that we achieved included significant improvements in benefits, the maintenance of equal health benefits for retirees, and most recently a 7% increase in salary retroactive to July 1 2023. There is still more to be achieved, including addressing serious issues of increased workload that have affected all of our active members. There is no one better equipped to provide the leadership for UTFA to effectively advocate for our members. Her depth of knowledge about all aspects of policy and practice that affect all of our working lives is unparalleled. It was a privilege to have worked with her, and I learned an enormous amount in the process.

Deborah Cowen, Chair, UTFA Membership Committee, Professor, Geography & Planning (UofT), LeBoff Distinguished Visiting Scholar (NYU)

A vote for Terezia Zoric is a vote for a committed and effective leader, and an exceptional team. Over the course of my first year on the UTFA Executive and Negotiating Team, I have witnessed the passion and determination of Terezia and those who work with her, and I have been amazed by the results. Despite the significant obstacle of a deeply flawed MoA that puts a firm cap on the power of faculty and librarians in UofT governance, this hardworking leader and magical team work tirelessly and creatively to make vital change. Terezia and team deliver. Striving to improve compensation, benefits, workload, equity, academic freedom and member rights, they have made major gains for faculty and librarians while also helping to reinvigorate UofT’s significant esteem and responsibility in the world. I hope you will stand with ‘team Terezia’ for a strong future for our members and for UofT.

Arjumand Siddiqi, Chair, UTFA Equity Committee, Professor of Epidemiology and Canada Research Chair in Population Health Equity, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

I am delighted to endorse Professor Terezia Zoric for UTFA President. It is Terezia’s leadership that allowed UTFA to negotiate and win for its members a 10% increase in salary, when the administration was offering less than half of that, in an era of shocking increases in inflation. Terezia’s leadership has also guided UTFA to make gender and other forms of pay equity a top priority, and I have seen firsthand how she fights for our members who face systemic disadvantage. Terezia has also been a true leader on workload issues, particularly in the wake of demands on faculty associated with the COVID-19 era, rising rates of mental health issues amongst our students. Terezia’s deftness in navigating the challenges of the modern university environment so that all faculty and librarians can thrive is what drew me to get involved with UTFA. I couldn’t be more thrilled (or relieved) to think she could hold this office for another term.

Ariel Katz, UTFA VP Salary, Benefits, Pensions, and Workload, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law,

Last spring, UTFA’s nominations team asked me if I’d be willing to become UTFA’s Vice President, Salary, Benefits, Pensions, and Workload. I didn’t need much persuasion because I have followed Terezia’s work and leadership, previous accomplishments, and the smart, energetic, and hardworking team she assembled. I was delighted to become part of this team and work with Terezia to build our collective power and transform our relations with the UofT Administration.

My trust and appreciation of Terezia’s leadership has only strengthened since then. I wish every member could witness the amount of work she does, care she gives, depth of the knowledge and vastness of experience she brings to the negotiating table, sharpness of thinking she shows, ability and willingness to advocate for all of us, including calling out administrative BS when necessary. Leading a faculty association of a university like ours and at a time like the current, is no small matter. Terezia has the skill and the experience; the vision and the drive; the talent to assemble a brilliant team and keep it together to ensure that all faculty and librarians are fairly paid, treated with respect, and can defy gravity or gravitate in defiance, or do any other magical, wonderful, things that we’re here to do.

Sherri Helwig, UTFA VP Grievances, Department of Arts, Culture and Media, UTSC

UTFA represents the largest, most varied group of academics in Canada, and the person who leads UTFA well as President needs to be experienced and well-informed. The consequential work of defending and advancing the rights of these members must be somehow both tenacious and nuanced at once. This is work that Terezia Zorić is best positioned to lead.

Having worked closely with her since 2021, I can say without hesitation that no one understands the complexities of UTFA and its relationship with the Administration better than Terezia. More importantly, this knowledge allows her to know where and how to chip away at the limitations of our Memorandum and, despite all odds, co-lead UTFA’s Negotiating Team to considerable wins. (I was a member of the team that secured the significant salary increase last year and can tell you that this success – the largest in the higher education sector in the country! – could not have been possible without Terezia’s encyclopedic knowledge of past bargaining strategies, her unmatched skills of persuasion, and her dogged persistence.)

Terezia works harder than anyone I know; we are so fortunate that these tireless and selfless efforts – so highly respected by her contemporaries across the country – are in the service of initiatives that profoundly and directly benefit faculty and librarians across the university. It is essential that this work continue uninterrupted, and that we continue to build on strong foundations and developing momentum. I wholeheartedly endorse Terezia to continue to lead this work.

Jeffrey Ansloos, Ph.D., C.Psych. Canada Research Chair, Critical Studies in Indigenous Health and Social Action on Suicide, Assistant Professor, Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development

I am pleased to endorse Terezia Zoric for re-election as president of UTFA. In my experience, Terezia stands out as one of the most effective leaders and advocates working across Canadian faculty associations. Her dedication to improving our university community is unwavering, and I wholeheartedly support her continued leadership. Terezia has consistently demonstrated her responsiveness to the concerns of faculty and librarians, at every stage of career. She excels at building strong teams, fostering an environment where every voice is heard and valued, and where members can trust her to take action. Her commitment to advocating for the academic, labor, and human rights of UTFA members is evident in her record. She is strategic and effective in holding our administration accountable and achieving improved working conditions for all university staff. As we navigate dwindling governmental support for public education, Terezia's leadership is more crucial than ever. I am confident that she will fearlessly defend our interests and advocate for fairer conditions for all UTFA members.

Max Mishler, Chair, UTFA Appointments Committee, Assistant Professor, Department of History

I enthusiastically endorse Terezia Zoric for UTFA President. It is especially important that we have a President who will fiercely advocate on behalf of UTFA members when it comes to our salaries and benefits, the problem of housing affordability, workload, and protecting our defined pension plan. We need a serious leader who understands the challenge of bargaining within an outdated model of labor relations and who has a vision for how to build the broadest possible coalition of faculty and librarians so that we can ensure that the University of Toronto’s well-earned academic prestige does not come at our expense. As a member of UTFA Council, Chair of UTFA Appointments Committee, and member of the Bargaining Team, I have witnessed first-hand Terezia’s unique ability to enunciate strong positions while remaining flexible and open to collaboration with the administration when it serves our membership and the broader public mission of the University. Terezia listens carefully when colleagues express divergent viewpoints and is perfectly willing to amend organizational strategy in response to suggestions from UTFA members, even junior faculty members like me who are still relatively new to the University. Ultimately, re-electing a seasoned, experienced labor leader like Terezia as President of UTFA is a no-brainer.

Thembela Kepe, Professor and Chair, Department of Human Geography, UTSC

I add my strongest endorsement for the re-election of Terezia as UTFA President. Her leadership during the difficult last couple of years of the pandemic and other challenges, speaks loudly. Her work needs to continue.

Harriet M. Sonne de Torrens, Academic Librarian, Chair of the UTFA Librarians Committee

I fully endorse Terezia Zorić for another term as President of UTFA. I have worked with Terezia for several years. She is a committed, progressive and a tenacious advocate who seeks to obtain the very best for UTFA members. Terezia has pro-actively promoted academic freedom and advocated for equity and greater transparency in our policies for faculty and librarians.

Throughout our six years of negotiations with the UofT Administration, Terezia has supported and backed librarians’ efforts to modernize their policies. It is due to her sense of social justice that UTFA has pursued improvements in our bargaining terms with Administration, salary parity and equity. It has been during her term as president that teaching stream and librarians can now become principal investigators and the process for applying and receiving grants is the same offered to tenured faculty. UTFA and Administration have agreed to remove previous filters and restrictions. This is a substantial benefit for not just UTFA members, it also supports our institution’s mission ‘to foster an academic community in which the learning and scholarship of every member may flourish’.

Chandni Desai, UTFA Council Representative, New College; Innis College; Transitional Year Program

I fully endorse Terezia Zoric for President as her commitments to academic freedom, equity, health and safety, and justice are unwavering. Terezia's dedication to advocate for the needs of faculty and librarians at all ranks is remarkable. Her commitment, hard work and deep care to negotiate for UTFA’s membership is beyond a doubt what makes her an outstanding leader. Her leadership has created space for expansive membership and consideration for a diversity of voices to be heard, including junior faculty, racialized faculty and librarians and women and gender non-conforming faculty and librarians.

Terezia’s depth of knowledge, experience, and extraordinary advocacy skills are impressive as they enabled the UTFA negotiating team to achieve significant wins for UTFA’s members, including a salary increase of 7% retroactive July 1, 2003 and improvements to health benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Terezia has also fought for members that have faced systemic disadvantages and has advocated for changes in workload as well as forms of gender pay equity.

I have worked with Terezia for the past two years and her courage is what UTFA needs during these difficult times as academic freedom is under attack globally, inflation has skyrocketed, housing is unaffordable in Toronto particularly for new and junior faculty, and mental health issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic still loom. She truly is our best chance to carry out the needs of UTFAs membership at this critical time.

Joseph H. Carens, FRSC, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Member, UTFA Pensions Committee and UTFA Retired Members Committee

I enthusiastically support Terezia Zorić’s re-election as President of UTFA. I have had interactions with Terezia over the past few years on a number of issues. As a retiree I have been particularly appreciative of Terezia’s longstanding and deep commitment to protect retiree benefits against the explicit efforts of the university administration to reduce or eliminate these benefits. We should not take that sort of commitment for granted.

Also, I have been enormously impressed by Terezia’s intelligence and her willingness to consider different views. UTFA deals with a wide range of issues, some of them primarily involving the economic and career interests of faculty members and some of them involving much broader concerns. She cares about all of these issues. Terezia is a person of principle, and she is dedicated to her work at UTFA. She is also someone who pays attention to the needs of the individual members of UTFA and to the staff of UTFA. Terezia is willing to work constructively with the university administration where it is possible to do so and is prepared to challenge the administration when that is necessary, as it is in a number of contexts. In short, Terezia is a very knowledgeable and effective leader, and that is precisely what UTFA needs at this difficult time.

Judith Taylor, UTFA Council Rep for Constituency 101, Anthropology; Sociology; Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies, Associate Professor, Sociology/ WGSI

Unequivocally, I support Terezia Zoric for UTFA president. I'm a professor with 20 years’ experience advocating for faculty power at UofT, 4 years with UTFA executive and 6 years as an associate chair. I served on UTFA Council under 4 different presidents. Terezia Zoric's combination of knowledge, compassion, and determination are unparalleled by any other leader.

Whether it is understanding the needs of all three streams, grievances, external relations and work with CAUT and OCUFA and other pivotal organizations, labour law, city, provincial, federal, and campus relations and regulations, understanding research excellence and equity, and negotiations-- Terezia is top notch. Terezia is exceptionally networked across our three campuses, and calls on us to advise, to strategize, and to represent our colleagues based on our expertise.

The executive team working with Terezia is the strongest I have seen in my career at UofT and a vote for Terezia is also a vote for all of them. At this critical juncture in our negotiations with administration, Terezia and her team’s strength of purpose brings better outcomes in negotiations, and this next cycle will prove very important to addressing ongoing bargaining and negotiation dilemmas. Let's let this leadership team finish the important work they have begun.

Jeff Bale, UTFA VP, University and External Affairs, Associate Professor, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning

Since 2020, Terezia Zorić has demonstrated not only her commitment to, but also her remarkable talent in carrying out the principle that the strongest faculty associations are the ones with the most engaged members.

In practice, this has meant organizing town-hall meetings on bargaining, academic continuity and showing solidarity to sibling unions during their own contract fights, and standing up for science in the darkest days of COVID pandemic. It has meant regularly surveying UTFA members for the widest possible input on our bargaining priorities. It has meant encouraging UTFA members to take action to support other campus organizations when they have asked for our support. It has meant steadfast efforts to make Council meetings more engaging and productive, for example, by inviting guest speakers to address pressing issues facing our association. It has meant organizing perhaps the largest AGM in UTFA’s history last year, with well over 400 participants.

The only way for UTFA to overcome the serious structural constraints of our current MOA with the University is with an active, organized, and educated membership. Terezia’s leadership on this front is needed now more than ever.

Girish Daswani, UTFA Council Representative for Constituency #302, Associate Professor, Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough

I am writing to give my full support to Terezia Zorić in this upcoming election. During my time in UTFA, I have seen Terezia expand and further democratize our membership outreach and participation on all three campuses, work hard to get us our work salary increases and improved benefits, and demonstrate valuable knowledge of how the university and UTFA work. Importantly, Terezia spends time listening to UTFA members and engages with them personally and collectively. She knows how to be in conversation and work with university administration while still protecting and defending the rights of all UTFA members. These are all qualities to be desired in an UTFA President, and all qualities Terezia possesses. Her deep commitment to working with and alongside others, and her steadfast support for the principals of equity and academic freedom give her my vote.

Kim MacKinnon, UTFA Council Rep for OISE, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning

Terezia has the experience and the fortitude to lead the University of Toronto Faculty Association as a collective, at a critical time in which there are great imbalances of power that currently threaten the very foundations required for our University to flourish as a truly democratic space.

If the University is going to keep its world class status of excellence, now and into the future, it must continue to protect democratic principles and academic freedom, beginning with its own operations as an organization.

Terezia understands this, and has an unwavering commitment to ensuring that all faculty and librarians who undertake such important intellectual and humanitarian work in the academy, are empowered to do so without fear of reprisal, whether explicitly imposed or simply left ‘baked’ into an existing system that continues to uphold imbalanced structures of access and decision-making.

Adria Giacca, UTFA Council Constituency Representative #505, Professor, Departments of Physiology and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine

I am delighted to endorse Terezia Zorić for re-election to UFTA President. Terezia has an amazing record of accomplishments in negotiating salary and pensions, as well as in health and safety policy negotiations, both as Vice-President and as President of UFTA. During her first term as President, she pressured the Administration to pay out PTR and obtained significant improvements of the benefits package of UFTA members. During her second term as President, she was the driving force leading to our successful 2022-2023 arbitration award. She led the campaign for a safer University during COVID-19. As past Vice-President, Grievances, she was the chief UFTA negotiator in our Asbestos Group Grievance and, as one of the Grievers, I can testify that it was thanks to her wholehearted commitment to our cause that we obtained important improvements for the safety of Faculty and Librarians. She is and will be a knowledgeable, energetic, and effective President.

George Dei, Professor, Department of Social Justice, OISE

No one can deny that these are indeed difficult and challenging times for our communities, particularly in the coming years. We need someone with courage and foresight to lead a Faculty Association for an acclaimed university like ours. The assault on free speech, academic freedom with accountability requires UFTA to take bold stances to uphold just causes. I am more than pleased to endorse Terezia Zorić for a second term as UTFA President. Her work in the past four years has shown exemplary leadership and the courage to speak truth to power. She understands that to have a ‘village to raise the learner’ we must first work hard to create that village in the first place. As many can attest to, Terezia’s deep knowledge of university affairs, her stellar negotiation accomplishments with senior administration along with her team, and the unflinching commitment to faculty interests, and particularly to social justice causes have been inspiring. We can only look forward to more of such leadership in the next two years. 

Susan J. Wagner, UTFA Executive Committee Member-at-Large and Council Representative, Constituency #503 – Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences

I most enthusiastically and unreservedly support the nomination of Terezia Zorić for UTFA president. I continue to be impressed by the knowledge, wisdom, energy and dedication she brings to the role of President. Terezia believes deeply in the work of UTFA and focuses on advancing the teaching and learning landscape for all faculty at the university. Her many accomplishments, including her recent success in leading the negotiations for the cumulative 10% Across-the-Board pay increase, demonstrate her skill in advocating and driving change that really matters. I have worked with her during the past year as a Member-at-Large on the UTFA Executive Committee and on Council and her thoughtful, collaborative and welcoming approach efficiently steers UTFA forward. Terezia is personable, a good communicator and an experienced and effective leader who is well-qualified to continue UTFA’s important work and we would be lucky to have her do so.

Whitney Kemble, UTFA Council rep for constituency #801 Librarians., Liaison Librarian for Historical and Cultural Studies at UTSC

I am endorsing Terezia for UTFA President once again because she has been a knowledgeable and strong leader in her previous terms, applying her extensive UTFA experience and understanding of how the university works to advocate for UTFA members on many fronts. She has demonstrated commitment to achieving significant gains in salary and benefits, including working hard to win the recent arbitration award to catch up from Bill 124, and protecting equal health benefits for retirees.

As an UTFA Council member and former member of the UTFA Executive, I have worked closely with Terezia for many years and have benefitted from her mentorship and learned a lot from her about membership engagement and mobilization. And as a librarian and a member of the Policies for Librarians negotiating team, I appreciated her support for our work at the table to modernize policies that had not been updated in 40 years. Terezia works tirelessly to fight for productive solutions to the issues faced by members from all streams and appointments. I endorse Terezia to continue applying her experience and skills in advocating for faculty and librarians across the university as UTFA President.

James Scott, Member of the UTFA Central Health and Safety Committee, Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health & Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, environmental microbiologist, bioaerosol specialist

I enthusiastically endorse Terezia Zoric for UTFA President. It has been my honour and pleasure to serve with Terezia on the UTFA team at the Central Health and Safety Committee over the past few years.

Terezia has worked tirelessly to advocate on behalf of the concerns of University of Toronto faculty members, consistently promoting scientific evidence and transparency as priorities in health and safety decision making. Her approach has been consistently pragmatic and constructive, resolutely holding the central administration to account where their policies and responses have fallen short, and equally, challenging the administration to step back from uncoordinated or ill-considered efforts that merely waste time and money without positive effect.

Terezia’s record of accomplishments has been extraordinary and impressive, particularly so given the unprecedented challenges we’ve all faced over the past few years. She is an experienced and proven leader who delivers on promises, and for this reason, Terezia has my deep gratitude and emphatic support for re-election.

Abigail Bakan, Professor, OISE, University of Toronto

We are very fortunate to see Terezia Zorić standing for a renewed term as President of UTFA. Her tireless advocacy has seen real and substantive gains, winning increased support for faculty health and wellbeing in myriad ways – from benefits to safety to policy.

Terezia’s uncompromising commitments to equity and academic freedom, as well as a collaborative approach to leadership, will be invaluable assets in facing the challenges that lay ahead. I’ll be voting for Terezia Zorić and I hope every member of UTFA will join in this important movement.

Wagih Ghobriel PhD, UTFA Council rep for Constituency 204, Professor of Physics, Teaching Stream, UTM

It gives me pleasure to endorse Terezia Zorić for President of the University of Toronto Faculty Association UTFA. I can think of no one else to fill in this position, at least for the time being. She has been actively involved in various activities and sincerely served and cooperated with others in UTFA, over several years. Whether working individually or in a group, she is creative and is an excellent collaborator. Furthermore, she enjoys a good balance of autonomy and team-player attitude. Sometimes, in the spirit of free speech and democracy, I and some members may support some opposing ideas but, at the end, I appreciate her management, coordination, and leadership especially in difficult times and conflicting situations. She has enthusiasm, persistence, and willingness to work harder and harder on her various activities in UTFA. She has good self-confidence and can skillfully manage the available resources and guidelines. She is also well organized and able to analyze a situation and make an appropriate decision with excellent common sense. She has solid commitment based on mature values and a realistic view of the scope of the work she is doing. She is honest and trustworthy, dependable, and has a sense of responsibility. Therefore, I strongly endorse Terezia for her campaign for re-election as President of UTFA.

Thom Dancer, UTFA Executive Committee Member-at-Large, Council rep for Constituency #108, Associate Professor, Department of English

I am proud to endorse Terezia Zorić’s re-election as UTFA President. Her successes over the past several years nearly speak for themselves, especially leading UTFA’s recent substantial gains in salary and benefits.

Terezia’s vision for UTFA is impressively and substantially democratic. Her advocacy around workload, librarians, precarious teaching staff, Indigenous faculty, student evaluations, and safety in the workplace are rooted in a belief that UTFA works best when it works for all of us. Terezia is the experienced, knowledgeable, and proven leader we need at this crucial time.

吴小燕 Helen Xiaoyan Wu, UTSC Department of Language Studies,

I endorse Professor Terezia Zorić’s reelection.

Under Terezia’s leadership, UTFA is more potent than four years ago and will continue to strengthen in the next two years.

We should be grateful that Terezia and her diverse teams won the best possible negotiations for all of us. With her bountiful experience and skills, UTFA is on the right track and is determined to bring us more victories.

Leslie Stewart Rose, former UTFA Appointments Committee Chair, UTFA Council Representative, OISE, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning

Terezia Zorić’s impact at UTFA has been nothing short of transformative. She has demonstrated what is needed: political and strategic acumen, deep history and knowledge, and effective leadership. I’ve witnessed her skillfully unite diverse voices, fostering collaboration and consensus. Terezia has an uncanny knack for identifying talent and providing unwavering support to her team. She understands that UTFA’s strength lies in the collective brilliance of its members. Whether it’s negotiating fair contracts, advocating for academic freedom, or championing equitable promotion policies, Terezia works for EVERY member and UTFA owes much of its recent victories to her foresight and dedication. During her tenure, we’ve become a force to be reckoned with—a powerhouse advocating for faculty and librarians. Terezia’s leadership has elevated our association, making it more influential than ever before. The job of UTFA President is not a stepping stone but a deep and wide responsibility requiring years of preparation by learning on the Executive Committee of Council. Terezia isn’t just running for re-election; she is running to continue important work that has been started, and she is running to ensure that UTFA remains a beacon of progress and advocacy.

Erica Kim, UTFA Council Representative, Member, UTFA Pension Committee, Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Design; Forestry

Having served on several committees with Terezia over the past few years, I support her re-election as President of UTFA. Her unwavering commitment to members—past, present, and future—can be seen in her work on salary increases, membership outreach, and responsible and ethical pension investment.

Patrick Keilty (he/ him), UTFA Council Representative #705, Associate Professor, Faculty of Information and Cinema Studies Institute

I am pleased to endorse Terezia Zorić for UTFA President. Having worked with Terezia in multiple contexts, I have been impressed with her dedication, diligence, work ethic, and thoughtfulness. .

During Terezia’s time as president, UTFA has achieved unprecedented gains to improve its members’ standard of living, including salaries and health benefits. In addition, I am humbled by her advocacy for equity, diversity, health and safety, and academic freedom. Terezia has always demonstrated a strong commitment to the well-being of faculty and librarians. Terezia’s impressive record of accomplishments continually strengthens my faith in her leadership. I support Terezia without reservation.

Kent Weaver, Past Vice-President, University and External Affairs; Past Chair, Retired Members Committee

I am pleased once again to endorse Terezia Zorić for UTFA President. During my time on the UTFA council, I have seen Terezia bring strong leadership and focus to a number of very important issues (like COVID-19 regulations, pay & benefits, workload, and anti-racism) that affect UTFA members. She has done so with clarity, collegiality and humanity. I am confident that UTFA is in very good hands with her as President.

Two years ago, I wrote the following when Terezia ran for a second Presidential term: “It is a unique privilege to serve on an UTFA Bargaining team. I had the opportunity to do so a few years ago. It is from that perspective and in those many, many hours of both preparation and bargaining with the University administration that I was able to witness Terezia’s commitment to all members of the Association; the depth of her preparation and command of the myriad items being negotiated; and her ability to engage, explain and advocate throughout the bargaining process.”

Terezia is running for a third term as UTFA President and I am writing to endorse her campaign. As a former Speaker of Council, it should not be surprising that I frequently look to UTFA’s constitutional documents and, in this instance, to Article 3: Terms of Reference for the President of the By-Laws. It reminds all of us of the wide range of responsibilities and authority which is assigned to this office. Honouring that mandate requires a combination of energy, experience, skills and abilities, including those outlined above. Terezia has and with your support will continue to bring all of these qualities to the UTFA Presidency.

Romin Tafarodi, Associate Professor of Psychology

I am pleased to endorse Terezia Zorić for a third term as UTFA President. Terezia has been a strong and consistent voice for academic freedom, equity, and diversity within our university community.

She is a proven leader with the courage and moral commitment to speak inconvenient truths that need to be heard, while also negotiating in good faith to narrow the differences that divide us. She has my vote once again!

Sanda Munjic, PhD, UTFA Council representative for Constituency #109, Associate Professor, Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies

I am delighted to endorse wholeheartedly Terezia Zorić’s bid for re-election as President of UTFA. Under Terezia’s confident leadership, UTFA members received a salary increase of 10%, against the University of Toronto’s administration’s maximum offer of less than half of that amount. This important victory almost brings our salaries to pre-inflationary levels.

Speaking personally, this increase came at the last moment, helping my own family’s strained finances. I respect Terezia’s concern for the working conditions and benefits of research and teaching stream faculty, librarians, and retirees, and for the ever-larger numbers of colleagues hired to precarious working positions. In my experience of having worked with UTFA for just under two years, I noticed that Terezia possesses admirable knowledge of the University of Toronto’s labour, budgetary and administrative practices, of UTFA’s role in protecting its members and improving their working conditions, and of legal implications of the Association’s work.

Passionate, committed, collaborative and ethical – it is clear to me that Terezia is an ideal person to continue to lead the Association in its task of protecting academic freedoms, and of negotiating improvements to working conditions, compensation, and benefits of its active and retired members.

Ruth Marshall – UTFA Rep. Constituency #112, Associate Prof., Religion/Political Science

As UTFA Council member, I’m proud to express my enthusiastic support for Prof. Terezia Zorić’s re-election as UTFA President. Her visionary leadership, long experience, tenacity, equanimity and grace have seen faculty through extremely difficult times.

Today, Council is more diverse and inclusive than ever before, and membership outreach has been greatly enhanced in scope and transparency. Terezia’s team secured major salary advances, giving us a 10% increase in pay this November, as well as major gains in benefits and workload, in an extremely hostile bargaining environment.

Her principled commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion has marked everything she undertakes on Council, providing faculty, staff and students alike with a true champion of our fundamental principles of academic freedom, collegial governance, and anti-discrimination. In these uncertain times, we need Terezia Zorić’s experienced leadership more than ever.

Ted Kesik, Ph.D., P.Eng., Professor of Building Science, Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design

It is my pleasure and privilege to endorse Terezia Zorić in her bid for a third term as President of the University of Toronto Faculty Association. Over her previous two terms, Terezia has proven to be a dedicated and passionate leader who has successfully undertaken numerous initiatives that are critical for our members.

As we continue to grapple with an exploitive UofT administration that has no regard for work-life balance and is not interested in forging a collegial and collaborative relationship with faculty, we need a strong and experienced leader to stem the tide of relentless exploitation by Simcoe Hall. Terezia is a level headed and dauntless champion of our UTFA membership who has brokered many gainful negotiations. But there remain several key issues that need to be addressed and Terezia Zorić is our best chance to get a new deal done.

If you are sick and tired of the UofT administration's dismissive indifference towards the significant issues that need to be reconciled, then re-elect Terezia Zorić for a third term as UTFA President. She is our best chance to resolve the issues that continue to erode our quality of life and the quality of education at the University of Toronto.

Nasim Niknafs, UTFA Council member for constituency 701, Associate Dean, Research; Associate Professor, Music Education; Coordinator, Music Education, Faculty of Music

I am exceptionally pleased to endorse Terezia Zorić for the UTFA presidency. Nowhere else at the University of Toronto have I encountered such a strong, intelligent, committed, and attentive leader who has promoted constituents’ rights as her core mission.

Terezia carries a wealth of experience in community engagement and an outstanding portfolio as a former VP Salary, Benefits, Pensions, and Workload (SBPW), VP Grievances, and currently as UTFA President. Having served as a member of UTFA Council and UTFA Executive, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Terezia on matters related to health and safety, sexual harassment and sexual violence, racial and gendered salary gaps and workload, and members’ benefits. Terezia is a resilient and driven leader and a compassionate community builder with astute judgment. She managed to win multiple strongdeals with the University Administration during her presidency, including a significant salary increase (10% = 7% + 3%) through arbitration, crucial improvements in mental health, paramedical, vision and dental benefits, and the creation of several influential policy grievances, just to name a few examples.

Member outreach has tremendously increased during Terezia’s presidency, especially at the Faculty of Music when we needed so much support in terms of sexual violence and sexual harassment prevention and education, and health and safety issues. I have witnessed Terezia’s dedicated and continuous work on behalf of our members while working hand-in-hand with other unions, faculty associations, and student groups. I have great confidence in Terezia’s strong leadership, profound understanding of academic freedom and collegial governance, and deep grasp of labour relations. I enthusiastically endorse Terezia for the position of UTFA President and can see no one better suited to carry out the UTFA mission.

Mohammad Fadel, Faculty of Law

I've had the good fortune to work with, and benefit from, Terezia's courageous and determined leadership of UFTA for the past several years. I can think of no one better suited for this position than Terezia.

Lauren Bialystok, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Affiliated Faculty, Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies

I have worked with Terezia for 12 years and I know her to be an exceptionally capable and attuned leader who gets things done. She is committed to representing the UTFA membership and has a deep understanding of how the institution works. Remember the 7% across-the-board salary increase you received in November? That was Terezia. So was the salary increase for female librarians and tenure-stream women in 2021. We need Terezia's experience, integrity, and vision in these contentious times for university politics.

Fabian Parsch, UTFA Council Representative, UTSG Department of Mathematics

Terezia has been a very engaged and effective president and I'm happy to endorse her for another term. UTFA needs a president with vast expertise and experience, and a president that delivers results through negotiations and advocacy. Terezia has shown time and again that she is up for this task. We need leaders like her to continue achieving important improvements, like the recent salary increase of 10%. Terezia is excellent at getting a diverse range of our members involved. This allows her to work with a great team that is connected all over campus, in many different environments, and with a broad range of lived experiences. A vote for Terezia is also a vote for a great team.

Kathy Bickmore, Professor, OISE, Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning

I support Terezia Zoric for re-election as President of UTFA.

Based on my long association with her as faculty colleague at OISE and in her leadership roles in UTFA, I feel that Terezia has been a creative, committed, and effective leader who has stood up for concerns I care about.

I confidently endorse and plan to vote for her.

Liz Wijawa, Department of Visual Studies/Cinema Studies Institute, Director, Southeast Asian Seminar Series, Asian Institute, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

I will be voting again for Terezia Zorić for President of UTFA. In these difficult years, Terezia has shown tenacity and commitment in her work as the President of UTFA. I have trust in her vision, leadership, and advocacy and hope that she will be re-elected to continue the work that she has initiated.

Denise Gastaldo, UTFA Council Representative, Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

I strongly support Terezia Zorić’s re-election as UTFA president. Terezia’s track record shows her commitment, competence, and determination. Under Terezia’ leadership we achieved considerable progress on salaries and benefits, while maintaining equal health benefits for retirees.

As our president, Terezia has consistently considered the needs of academics and librarians in all three campuses, teaching and research stream, part time and full time, tenured or not, as well as the interests of those working in large and small faculties.

Her collaborative leadership has created the conditions for an outstanding executive committee to flourish and, as a consequence, UTFA has achieved major gains for its members. In sum, Terezia has delivered on her last campaign promises and I believe she will do it again in her third term as president.

A.W. Peet, Professor of Physics and Member, NSERC Committee on Equity Diversity and Inclusivity

It is a pleasure and a privilege to endorse Terezia Zorić for UTFA President. As a disabled and chronically ill faculty member, I deeply appreciate her outstanding leadership during the pandemic era. More broadly: she has excelled in bargaining with the Administration and along (a) Health and Safety and (b) EDI axes.

Her deep knowledge of the complexities of an institution as large as UofT, people skills, and openness to communication have been exemplary. Her commitment to academic collegiality and inclusivity is truly exceptional. Terezia is exactly the kind of leader UTFA needs right now.

Caroline Shenaz Hossein, Associate Professor of Global Development & Political Economy, and Canada Research Chair, UTSC

I want Terezia Zorić to be my UTFA President again because she is the most qualified candidate to build a strong democratic association, and she is committed to collective action and worker rights.

James Mason, UTFA Council Representative for Librarians

I would like to share with you my endorsement of Terezia Zorićc for her re-election as UTFA President.

During my time as a librarian representative on the council, I have been impressed with her compassion and leadership. I feel she best represents my constituents and the best interests of all council members. This was effectively demonstrated during difficult, yet quite successful negotiations with the administration.

Her response and leadership through very unusual and difficult times, specifically COVID-19 related work and safety issues, was exemplary. I believe that we will accomplish much more yet under Terezia’s continued leadership.

Raymond Kwong, Professor Emeritus, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Member of SBPW Bargaining Team, UTFA Council Representative for Retired Members

I am very pleased to endorse Terezia Zorić for re-election as UTFA President. She is an effective, passionate, and tenacious advocate for the rights and benefits of faculty and librarians. Over the past two years under her leadership, UTFA has achieved some major gains, notably the salary increase awarded last year through arbitration. Since last year, I have worked with Terezia as a member of the bargaining team on Salary, Benefits, Pension and Workload. I am greatly impressed by her knowledge of the issues, her skill in navigating through complex and challenging negotiations, and her tireless energy and commitment in promoting the welfare of faculty and librarians. I strongly support her candidacy for UTFA President.

Kyla Everall, User Services Librarian and Downsview Coordinator, Member of the UTFA Joint Librarians Systematic Bias Working Group

I am pleased to endorse Terezia Zorić for UTFA President. I have worked with Terezia on multiple UTFA projects over the years and am consistently impressed by her knowledge, skills, and commitment to equity. UTFA members benefit from her ability to see the big picture, while also attending to all the little details. Terezia is an excellent strategist and a tough negotiator, the results of which can be seen in the outcomes of our salary and benefits negotiations and arbitration. This level of experience cannot be easily replaced.

I can also speak to Terezia’s commitment to deepening member engagement at UTFA. She consistently works to bring in new voices, which is essential to ensure that UTFA can represent the broad and diverse membership needs. She organizes town halls, focus groups, and surveys to ensure that UTFA can hear and respond to members. Terezia’s support for librarians has been unwavering and under her leadership we achieved a 3.9% increase due to salary discrimination. She also supported the efforts to modernize the Policies for Librarians, which had remained untouched for 40 years. To me, this shows that Terezia values the contributions of all UTFA members.

Rena Helms-Park, UTFA Council Representative, UTSC: Humanities - Arts, Culture; & Media; Language Studies; English; Historical & Cultural Studies; Philosophy

Terezia is a woman who gets things done, and sometimes in miraculous ways. She gets things done because she has strong ideals, boundless inner strength, and a fervent desire to make this university a better place for all. Hers has frequently been a crushing workload, ofttimes compounded by distracting “noise” of the metaphorical kind, but without fail she has managed to rise to the occasion and exemplify the aphorism, “Courage is grace under pressure.” On a personal level, Terezia is excellent company and listens with a respectful ear. Terezia has worked wonders for our faculty, and we want many more years with her at the helm.

Elvino Sousa, past UTFA Council Representative for Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

I am a past member of the UTFA council who represented the constituency 403 for many years. I fully endorse Tereza Zoric's re-election for UTFA President. She has provided strong, principled, and pragmatic leadership including a positive working relationship with her colleagues. She fully deserves to be re-elected as UTFA President.

Beyhan Farhadi, Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership, Higher, and Adult Education, OISE

As a new faculty member, I felt immediately supported by UTFA. I experienced tangible gains in the first year of my work due to the advocacy of Terezia Zorić and her team. I trust her leadership to protect and improve workers' rights and working conditions.

Michael Attridge, Associate Director Graduate Programs, Toronto School of Theology and Associate Professor, University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto

I have worked with Terezia for more than 10 years on UTFA-related business. We were together on the Executive when I was Appointments Committee chair for two terms (2013-17) and I’ve worked closely with her since 2020 as an Executive Member-at-Large. She is tirelessly committed to the collective solidarity of all members as well as to the fundamental principles of collegial governance and academic freedom. She knows the national and provincial university labour sectors exceptionally well and her experience in the full-range of UTFA work – from dispute resolution to collective bargaining – is unparalleled. This will be essential as we continue to build a strong faculty association in the next two years.

Dr. David Fisman, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Toronto. He co-leads the Pandemic Readiness Stream at the University of Toronto's new Institute for Pandemics.

The recent pandemic was a very dark time, but it produced its share of heroes. For me, one of our heroes in Toronto was Terezia Zorić, who was absolutely steadfast in her advocacy for campus safety, and for the health of the university community. I have developed huge respect for her integrity, her intelligence, and her tenacity, and her willingness to speak truth to power.

As a teacher and researcher who believes that the prominence of our university reflects the work of faculty, staff and trainees, I'm pleased and grateful for Terezia's tireless advocacy work that resulted in long-overdue wage increases for faculty.

Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C., F. C.A.H.S., Professor Emerita, Departments of Physiology and Medicine

I am delighted to unreservedly endorse Terezia Zorić for another term as UTFA president. She has not only listened to my concerns but has acted upon them, and she has supported me with empathy, enthusiasm and energy. As we progressed through the never-ending era of COVID-19, she clearly demonstrated that she has the best interests of all her constituents at heart. And, equally importantly, during the first year of my retirement from UofT, she has supported me throughout numerous difficulties that have arisen. She is the champion of our interests and well-being!

Samin Aref, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

I firmly advocate for the re-election of Prof. Terezia Zorić as UTFA President, primarily due to the breadth and depth of her expertise in navigating the complex landscape of academia and unions. Her profound understanding of the issues facing U of T, coupled with her unwavering commitment to values such as integrity, fairness, and academic freedom, make her an indispensable leader for the UTFA. Terezia has guided UTFA through both challenges and triumphs, thereby earning the trust and respect of many U of T colleagues from all faculties and divisions as shown in these endorsements.

Her track record of accomplishments speaks volumes about her dedication and efficacy in driving positive change within our organization. From advocating for fair labor practices to championing diversity and inclusion initiatives, Terezia has consistently delivered tangible results that have improved the lives of faculty members and enriched the academic environment.

Furthermore, Terezia's clearly articulated goals and priorities reflect her deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of UTFA members. By prioritizing issues such as equitable compensation, professional development opportunities, and fostering a collaborative and supportive community, she has consistently demonstrated her commitment to enhancing the well-being and professional growth of faculty members.

Most importantly, Terezia's vision for UTFA is one that is not only vibrant and inclusive but also deeply rooted in democratic principles. She envisions an UTFA where every voice is heard, every perspective is valued, and every member is empowered to contribute meaningfully to the collective advancement of our academic community. Under her leadership, UTFA has the potential to become not just an effective union but also a beacon of social responsibility.

In summary, Terezia Zorić's re-election as UTFA President is crucial for the continued progress and prosperity of the U of T. Her combination of expertise, values, leadership skills, track record of achievements, stated goals, and visionary outlook makes her the ideal candidate to lead UTFA into a future of unparalleled success and fulfillment for all its members.