Because of the need to consider ratification of the tentative collective agreement at the Special General Meeting on January 22, I decided to dispense with Chair's Remarks in which the Chair of the Association would normally report on matters that are of interest to the union membership. I have therefore prepared this report to be put up on the Association website.
The Executive Committee conducts the day-to-day operations of the Association. The present members are: Tim Quigley (Chair), Nurul Chowdhury (Vice-Chair), Cheryle Kelm (Treasurer), Deborah Cottreau (Secretary), Tracy Marchant (Grievance Officer), Bob Gander (Grievance Officer), Glenis Joyce, Debbie Haines, Dan Pennock, Martin Phillipson, and Kurt Wetzel. Regrettably, Priscilla Settee has resigned as Treasurer and from the Executive due to pressing work commitments. Thanks go to her for her participation and to Cheryle Kelm for agreeing to step in as Treasurer. Because Priscilla's term of office was for one year only, the Executive has decided not to appoint a replacement but to await the elections to the Executive in April.
Ours is a very active Executive, especially in terms of seeking more
participation and involvement by our members in the work of the Association.
The following are some of the matters that we are currently dealing with
in addition to the normal affairs of the Association:
1. Member Development:
A major concern for the Executive is the relative lack of involvement by our members in the activities of the Association. This is reflected by the poor turnout at some of the General Meetings but also by the difficulty we experience at times in finding members willing to serve on committees or as observers. If the membership of a union is not actively involved, it deprives the membership of valuable energy and ideas that could make the workplace better for all of us. Accordingly, the Executive has identified this area as one deserving of a great deal of attention and resources.
In December, we held an Executive Retreat to plan how we might improve member involvement. Out of that and other discussions, plus a timely expression of interest from some of our members, we have decided on several initiatives:
. Re-activation of the Faculty Association Representative (FAR) system. Each academic unit should have someone as a contact person and who can act as a conduit between the members of that unit and the Executive and vice-versa. An initial meeting with FARS was held on December 7. Those in attendance decided on several measures to increase the involvement of FARS and to improve communications. It was also decided that the work of FARS should be recognized by having the Executive write to a FAR's department head to point out the work engaged in by that person and asking that it be considered a part of the administrative workload as set out in Article 11.4(i) of the Collective Agreement;
. A series of fora on various issues of interest to the academic community. The Executive is pleased that Professors Michael Collins, Howard Woodhouse, and Len Findlay proposed this to us. The Executive therefore asked them to serve on an ad hoc committee to organize these fora. The Executive is contributing financial support, some staff time, and some participation by Executive members but the fora are at arm's length from the Executive. The topics promise to be controversial and are intended to stimulate discussion and debate about such issues as Corporatization of the University, Systemic Program Reviews, Academic Freedom, Student Tuition Levels. The first such session was held on November 21 while the second was held on January 23. Future events are planned as follows:
1. "Gouging the 'Customer'?: Perspectives on Tuition Fees"-3:30 to 5:30 pm, January 28, Place Riel Theatre;
2. "Co-operation, not Co-optation"-3:00 pm, February 6, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, Diefenbaker Centre;
3. "Academic Freedom, the Media, and the General Public"-March 1 and 2;
4. "Academic Freedom and Special Challenges in the Sciences"-March 22 and 23; You will receive notice of these fora with more details. As well, if you have suggestions or comments, please send them to us;
. Explore rejoining the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) in order to gain access to their services, particularly their training services which can be conducted on-site at the University and are free to members of CAUT. Kurt Wetzel has taken on the leadership in this area;
. A regular newsletter which would highlight member input, matters of interest to the membership, and foster a dialogue with the membership. This would supplement the periodic newsletters which are sent to the membership on particular issues;
. Re-institution of VOX as an arm's length independent periodical in which faculty could express their views on issues of interest to them. As was the case in the past, the Association would fund the publication of VOX but would establish an independent editorial board so that the Executive does not have editorial control or influence.
This is an ambitious plan but one well worth undertaking.
If you wish to be involved or have suggestions, please let us know.
2. Equity:
At the Executive retreat, it was decided that equity issues are a priority
for the Association. Such matters as employment equity, pay equity,
and harassment will be given serious attention in all of the various fora
and these issues will be highlighted in some issues of the newsletter.
3. Peer vs. Peer Disputes:
Peer vs. peer disputes are a matter of concern to the Executive and
were identified as a priority area. The Executive this year decided
to appoint two Grievance Officers specifically to deal with this issue.
As well, we plan to commission a study of our legal duties and responsibilities
as a union with recommendations on better ways of addressing these disputes.
4. The Collective Agreement:
A new collective agreement covering the period from July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002 was arrived at in December and ratified at the January 22 Special General Meeting. Its terms include:
1. Salary: $2460 on scale for all members retroactive to
July 1, 2001;
2. Removal of the distinction between the ceiling of a rank and
the overlap ceiling. This will permit
appointment of faculty members in what was previously the overlap range;
3. Modifications to expedited procedures (Article 17.4.7) to expand
the ability to seek such special increases. As well as the previous
offer of employment elsewhere, a faculty member may seek an increase (a)
if higher salaries at comparable institutions risk the loss of the faculty
member or (b) if there is a salary anomaly arising out of placement on
the salary grid at the time of appointment.
4. Removal of employee premiums for the Dental Plan effective June
30, 2002;
5. Increase in paid parental leave from 17 to 21 weeks effective the
ratification date of the agreement;
6. Increase of $150 in the Professional Expense Allowance effective
June 30, 2002;
7. Vision Care Plan effective June 30, 2002;
8. Flexibility in probationary service in a variety of ways;
9. Changes in dates for collegial processes (renewal of probation,
tenure, promotion, salary review) to provide more time for departmental
and college decisions. These changes include clearer language on
the advice that a department head should give to a faculty member about
progress towards tenure, etc. and restricts the admissibility
of the form for this purpose to collegial and appeal committees after the
initial level.
Faculty can expect to see the salary increase in the March pay period and the retroactive pay in the April pay period. It is the intention of both the Association and the University to begin bargaining very soon in an attempt to reach a longer term agreement. If you have ideas for items for inclusion in collective bargaining, please pass them on to us.
5. Other Collective Bargaining Matters:
In addition to the main set of negotiations, we are involved in two other rounds of negotiations in the Colleges of Agriculture and Medicine.
In the College of Agriculture, there are some faculty who have had part-year appointments for many years. We are in the process of trying to negotiate more secure terms and conditions of employment and to enable those members to feel more integrated into their respective departments.
In July, 2000, the Labour Relations Board issued an order that placed
some 80 or more without-term faculty in scope of the Association's certification
order. This means that we must now bargain the terms and conditions
of employment of these members. One meeting was held in the early
fall but we have not met since due to the main collective bargaining.
Now, however, we expect to resume bargaining very soon on behalf of these
members.
6. Pension Reform:
As you will know, pension reform so as to split the pension plan into
a new Defined Benefit Plan and a new Money Purchase Plan has been ongoing
for some years. Earlier this year, we presented what we thought would
be the last required amendments to the Pension Plan to enable the creation
of the two new plans. (At the moment, there are actually two different
plans within the one pension plan.) Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
has, however, asked for some more technical amendments before the split
can occur. In addition, a Fund Manager and Trustee must be appointed.
Our members on the Academic Fringe Benefits Committee, which is overseeing
the pension reform process, are attempting to have these matters sorted
out with due dispatch. Our members are Arne Paus-Jenssen, George
Khachatourians, and Martha Smith-Norris.
7. Staffing of the Association Office:
Even before the Executive began to address the issue of member involvement,
it was clear that we are short-staffed. Indeed, most faculty associations
across Canada do not devote enough resources to staffing. Accordingly,
we advertised and conducted interviews for an additional person in our
office. In late November, Johanne Brassard was hired as an Administrative
Assistant on a half-time basis, although she will move to full-time in
February. Our Professional Officer, Carol McGibney, has now reduced
her employment to 4/5 time. Ardyss Johnston is our Administrative
Secretary. Our staff are indispensable to the functioning of the
Association and so we wish to thank them all for their valuable work on
our behalf.
8. Parking:
Under a Memorandum of Agreement to the 1998-2001 Collective Agreement and Article 26, parking and traffic issues are to be determined through a Joint Parking Committee. The Association has both its own advisory committee and its representatives on the Joint Parking Committee. Our current representatives are: Baljit Singh, Jaswant Singh, Rui Wang, Dan Ish, Tracy Marchant, and Carol McGibney. Because the shortage of parking is a perpetual issue on campus, the Joint Committee will be considering the availability of parking and whether changes to the present allocation of parking are called for. A survey of the membership will be taking place, likely in April, 2002.
9. Occupational Health and Safety:
Until now, the University has established occupational health and safety
committees for each building on campus. However, this does not comply
with The Occupational Health and Safety Act. Therefore, discussions
with all of the unions on campus have taken place about changing to one
committee for the entire University with representation from each of the
unions. The Faculty Association, CUPE 1975, CUPE 3287, ASPA, and
PAIRS are co-operating with each other in our position with the University.
Our members at these meetings are Tracy Marchant, Rosemary Venne, and John
Tuchek.
10: 25th Anniversary of Becoming a Certified Trade Union:
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Faculty Association becoming
certified by the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board as a trade union.
We were among the first faculty associations to take this step. We
hope to stage an event in celebration of the anniversary. If you
have suggestions for such an event, please pass them on to the Association
office.
This is only a brief review of the many activities of the Association.
We urge you to provide us with your comments or suggestions and to become
involved in any area that is of interest to you.
Tim Quigley
Chair, University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association
January 23, 2002