January 31, 2025
When Vicki Grieve was FSA President in 2013, she wrote an article for Words & Vision about the Late Rob Ford, then mayor of Toronto and brother to current Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and his increasingly erratic behaviour, wondering how Ford could remain in office despite “public displays of unsuitable and possibly illegal behaviour…” In Rob Ford’s time, Toronto city council lacked a mechanism for removing him as mayor but rather than lack of foresight, this spoke to a “default setting for most people (as being) one of honesty and integrity, and that most people, especially those who seek responsible positions involving public trust, will do the right thing. Nevertheless, operating under an assumption of default goodness, it becomes impossible to create rules that anticipate all forms of reprehensible behaviour or the chaos that dysfunctional, disordered personalities might bring about,” Vicki wrote in December 2013. Vicki was writing about the ability FSA members have to remove officers from their positions, if that became necessary. “Although I can't imagine ever having to invoke this provision, it's oddly comforting to know that it exists, because as D.H. Lawrence said ‘The future remains an infinite field for mistakes.’"
Vicki’s words could easily be applied to our current political landscape. In 2013, Vicki, who passed away on January 23 at the too-young age of 72, was mocking Ford as a form of entertainment, a reality show to distract and divert from everyday cares. Today’s situation is definitely a sideshow for what is going on in the background. The more things change, the more they stay much the same.
It’s strange to look back at what the FSA was doing longer than a decade ago. I was the communications person and status of women rep when Vicki, Upgrading & University Preparation faculty, was the president and chief negotiator. That was the time when rank and tenure was approved. Then Faculty VP John Carroll noted that “morale had never been lower,” as faculty were worried about class sizes and job security. The Federation of Post-Secondary Educators common table for bargaining wage increases was born. We secured 1% per year raise. “And if there is a more effective way to make a raise practically invisible, I'm not aware of it!” Vicki wrote in the February 2013 edition of Words & Vision. In 2014, the plight of sessional instructors was coming to light after the CBC published Most university undergrads now taught by poorly paid part timers. “It becomes more and more difficult to fully represent all our dues-paying members, when the only way to meet the needs of permanent employees is to turn a blind eye to the exploitation of temporary employees,” wrote Vicki in 2014. “The atmosphere in which we work is deteriorating as colleagues become over-burdened with too much work, too many students, or too many managers and administrators with perspectives too far removed from our own,” As sessionals struggled, budgets shrunk, staff lost jobs, and excluded employees prospered. “...(B)etween March 31, 2002 and March 31, 2012 at UFV, the total number of excluded employees increased from 24.02 FTE to 55.78 (132%). In 2002, 4 administrators earned over $100,000; in 2012, 28 did. Sometimes numbers, plain and simple, can tell a story,” wrote Vicki.
Vicki’s first months as FSA president were defined by how much of her time was taken up supporting members going through grievances, which likely means that some aspect of our contract had been violated. “None of us should ever underestimate the devastating effect of situations that lead to grievances,” Vicki wrote in October 2013. “Although I would not go as far to say that ‘we are what we do,’ a big part of our self-esteem and our sense of purpose and meaning is wrapped up in our working lives.”
Prior to her term as FSA president, Vicki served as FSA chief negotiator, 2012-2013, and later as agreements chair, 2015-2016. As chief negotiator in 2013, Vicki mused about a way for members to rate union executive performance – RateMyUnionExecutive.com, loosely based on RateMyProfessors.com, but “leaving out the best part – the chili-pepper hotness designations. We could just import the RateMyProfessors categories: “easiness (How easy is it to change our opinion on certain subjects? Are we too easy on our administrators?), “helpfulness” (Are we effective in helping you solve your individual problems?), “clarity” (Can we actually explain why we are doing the things we do?) and finally, “rater interest” (Are we able to make the business of managing labour-management relations here interesting and relevant to you?). Let me know what you think: hash-tag #BadIdeas.”
I hope to convey with these snapshots of Vicki’s writing her sense of humour and what a great writer and union leader she was. Vicki was born in Vancouver and grew up in Chilliwack, graduating from Chilliwack Senior Secondary in 1971. According to her obituary, Vicki was a graduate of SFU’s creative writing program, adapting one of her poems into a one-act play, showcased at UFV Theatre’s Director Festival (or D-Fest, for those who remember). What stands out for me was Vicki’s genuine manner, her warmth and ready wit. I remember walking through Canada Education Park halls at Halloween in 2014 and spotting Vicki walking by, dressed in a blood-spattered outfit, with mini cereal boxes attached. “I’m a cereal killer,” she said.
I hope Vicki had a good retirement in the seven years since she retired from this place.
Lisa Morry
VP Engagement
