NEWSLETTER
October 2003
Announcements
NEW THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT RATIFIED!!
On September 23 USFA members ratified a new three-year collective agreement. Details can be found in this edition of the newsletter and on the USFA website (http://www.usask.ca/)
NEW MEMBER FORUM
October 8, 2003
3:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Faculty Club, Windows Room
Informal reception for new USFA members that will include short presentations about the USFA, collegial processes and negotiated benefits. Please RSVP to Johanne at the USFA office (5610 or johanne.brassard@usask.ca).
LANCASTER HOUSE AUDIO CONFERENCES
Lancaster House, labour, employment and human rights law publisher, now offers interactive audio conferences that provide 90-minute sessions on key issues in labour and employment law. Please contact the USFA office if you are interested in participating any of the following upcoming audio conferences:
October 9, 2003 - Non-Disciplinary Terminations: Exploring the Changing Rules
October 30, 2003 - Employee Screening and the Right to Privacy: Walking a Fine Line
November 27, 2003 - Disciplinary Investigations: Getting It Right
December 11, 2003 - The Insolvency Crunch: Navigating the Employment Issues
CHAIR'S REMARKS
Hello everyone. My remarks for this edition of our Newsletter are centered around collective bargaining, but before I get into that, I would like to thank Gordon Kent, Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering, for accepting an appointment to the Executive Committee for a one-year term. We now have only one vacancy on the Executive in Category A (Instructor, Lecturer, Special Lecturer, Extension Specialist I, II, or III, Librarian I, II, or III, Assistant Professor) for a one-year term.
I am happy to say that both parties have now ratified the tentative agreement reached at the end of August. The only outstanding matter is finalizing the details for the tuition scholarship and we'll get that information out as soon as we can.
A summary of the Collective Agreement changes appears later in the Newsletter. However, it is as important for USFA members to know what aspects of the Collective Agreement did not change as it is for you to know those that did.
There were a number of issues that the USFA brought to the table in this last round of bargaining. As in the last round of negotiations, a predominant concern was workload. USFA members feel overloaded. Increased responsibilities, particularly administrative tasks, reduce the quality of education and take time from members' research. We are also concerned about the quality of the education experience when a large portion of students' courses are not taught by the professoriate. We proposed changes to Article 10.8 that would place an onus on the University to increase the number of full-time faculty to share the workload. The employer however was unwilling to even discuss addressing faculty complement.
Equity issues were another matter that the USFA raised at negotiations. Here too we have to say no improvements were made. We were unable to negotiate stronger language on Pay Equity, but the Memorandum of Agreement on Pay Equity was revised to make the date for reporting recommendations from the joint committee December 31, 2004. We were also unable to gain a firm commitment to the completion of an employment systems review. Diversity is obscuring their ability to see our needs and/or desires.
We were successful in negotiating changes with respect to Article 18. Librarians now hold "tenure" instead of "permanent status". However, we were not able to replace the Library Committee on the Assignment and Reassignment of Duties (LCARD) and the Library Search Committee structures with processes comparable to those for faculty.
We must also say that a major disappointment for us in this round was that we were unable to clarify that fathers are eligible for the 21-week salary top-up that is available to birth mothers and adoptive fathers. We continue to be burdened with the costs associated with giving any improved benefit to CUPE and ASPA members.
These issues are not going to vanish and they will only be compounded if not addressed. We need to make sure that the University understands their importance and that they cannot be ignored. We need to be vigilant in ensuring that there is not an undermining of the strength of our Collective Agreement.
Equally important is the need for us to be aware of the issues that the Employer brought to the table. The most notable of which was to increase the number of actions defined to be disciplinary, although the employer has had difficulty in properly exercising their rights according to the current collective agreement, which provides for two actions as discipline. The proposal included revisions that would allow deans to discipline faculty and it included unacceptable behaviour as something that is justifiable for disciplinary action.
Another issue that the Employer brought was trying to remove the search process from being a departmental responsibility. They proposed that the dean would be responsible for appointing a small search committee of appropriate persons who would make the recommendation to the Appointments Committee.
The University also proposed changes that would reduce the protection for and the independence of the Employee Assistance Program.
In preparation for the next round of negotiations we will be working on a strategy to approach these and other issues raised by USFA members. We welcome your input and involvement.
Bob Gander
PROVOST'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON GAY, LESBIAN,
BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER ISSUES
From time to time the USFA Executive receives requests from U of S administration to appoint representatives to Advisory Committees or Councils. Although the Executive is concerned as to whether these are effective ways to properly address issues, and some have proven to be ineffective, we feel that participation is a way to ensure we have information on issues of importance to our members.
The unfortunate reality is that because of workload demands, we do not always have faculty able to participate.
Recently we received a request from the Acting Provost and Vice-President Academic to appoint a representative to the Provost's Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Issues. We feel that these issues are important to the campus community and would ask that anyone interested in participating in this Advisory Committee please contact the USFA office.
COLLEGE AND UNIT LEVIES
Shortly before stepping down as Acting Vice-President Academic, Ken Coates distributed a memo dated July 30, 2003 to deans, and others, that proposes a levy on college budgets for 2003/04. As negotiated salary settlements were mentioned in the memo, we feel that it is important for our members to know what was said and our interpretation of the situation.
To quote from the memo:
The preliminary operating budget framework for 2003/04 had a projected deficit of $3.45 million. To balance the budget, a transfer of $1.0 million is required from federal funds received in support of the indirect costs of research, an increase in tuition revenue of $0.95 million is required from increased enrolments, and as noted above, a levy of $1.5 million is required on colleges and units. .
While a number of factors contributed to the preliminary projected deficit of $3.45 million, the major factor was that the actual and anticipated salary and benefit increases from negotiated settlements would exceed 2 percent per year. At 2 percent, the preliminary budget for 2003/04 would have been balanced. Colleges and units have been advised for a number of months that salary and benefit increases from negotiated settlements for all bargaining units in excess of 2 percent would have to be accommodated through college and unit budgets.
The amount of the levy for each college or unit is not certain (nor is the $1.5 million total levy). Whether it is higher or lower significantly depends on student enrollments. If applied "across the board", this amounts to a 1%, one-time reduction. However, the amount charged against a particular college may be higher or lower than this average.
From the preliminary information at our disposal, it appears that tuition revenue is down slightly rather than up.
In light of the provincial pattern of settlements, it seems extraordinary to us that the administration would not plan for settlements at or above that pattern. Once again bargaining units are being required to fund their own settlements. Since colleges and units have few sources of revenue, they will have to reduce expenses, which often means delaying the filling of vacant positions. Of course the memo does not elaborate on other costs that have increased such as utility costs or, more directly under the administration's control, the operating costs of new buildings.
Reports from the Budget Committee of Council indicate that there is a structural deficit in the operating costs of the university. Obviously difficult decisions will have to be made. It is remarkable that through the Integrated Planning process the university is embarking on a course of action that will likely increase the number of programs or activities on campus, when we are currently doing more than we can afford to maintain.
Thank you to everyone that responded to our Call for Participation.
You are an important part of the work of the USFA.
COPIES OF THE AGREEMENT
One of the changes to the Collective Agreement in this round of negotiations was to provide printed copies of the Agreement only to new members and members that request a printed copy. Although the recently ratified version is not yet available electronically, the Collective Agreement can be found on-line through the Human Resources Division (HRD) website (http://adminsrv.usask.ca/hrdivision/usfa.htm) as well as via a link to HRD's site from the USFA website. Do not hesitate to request a printed copy.
This is the first time that USFA members will not receive a paper copy of the new Collective Agreement and there is a fear that not all USFA members will be able to have easy access to the Agreement if it is not printed and mailed.
Please provide feedback to the Executive on this new provision.
SUMMARY OF CHANGES TO THE COLLECTIVE AGREEEMENT
Article: 7: Small gains with respect to equity language. Provides some context in the main body for Memoranda of Agreement on Pay and Employment Equity.
Article 10: Printed copies of the Collective Agreement will now be provided to new members and to existing members by request.
Article 12: USFA rep can provide a summary of confidential documents for collegial processes. Previously this was restricted to documents related to allegations only. Dean now has a time limit of 90 days to conduct an investigation into a serious allegation.
Article 13: Included librarians and extension specialists in several places (also in Article 15). Term appointments can be up to 5 years on first appointment. No extensions beyond 5 years. Search Committee has been expanded to include probationary faculty and voting is now by secret ballot. The search subcommittee in Medicine (and other clinical colleges or departments) may include clinicians who are not full-time employees of the university. This agreement also introduces a process for setting up a joint subcommittee that reports back to the search committees. Also, an internal candidate for department head can no longer meet with an external candidate and then discuss candidates with the search committee.
Article 15: Candidates can now withdraw from the tenure process any time up to one week following notification from CRC. The Renewals and Tenure Appeal Committee now has the power to recommend extension of probation up to 2 years. However an extension can only be awarded once.
Article 16: Candidate can withdraw from promotion process as per Article 15.
Article 18: There is a change in terminology. Professional Librarian has been changed to Librarian and permanent status has been changed to tenure. With the change to tenure, there is no need for much of Article 18. However, LCARD and the search committee structure were not changed.
Article 20: For librarians there is now immediate entitlement to 6 weeks of vacation. However, there is no carry forward.
Article 22: Paternity leave extended to 35 weeks to allow for access to EI benefits
Memoranda of Agreement: We have inserted ourselves into discussions on Saskatchewan Academic Health Sciences Network. There is a new joint committee to examine market supplements. A number of Memoranda of Agreement and Letters of Understanding have been incorporated into the main body of the Agreement and a number were deleted.
Housekeeping: Some wording changes have also been made for consistency and to update terminology. Salary Continuance Plan has been changed to Academic Long Term Disability Plan. Intersession and Summer School has been changed to Spring and Summer Session. Faculty member has been changed to employee. Continuing status (in CDC) is now just continuing status.
Monetary aspects of the package are:
Dept Heads/Asst Deans: (effective 03/07/01)
Base salary increase is now 0.2 CDI per year served
In addition there is a stipend (paid immediately but only while head/asst dean) similar to previous stipend.
Benefits:
Scholarship fund!! $250K/year for tuition reimbursement for family members (effective 2004-05)
Moving expenses up to $6K (effective on date of signing)
23.10.1 change "nominal" to "reasonable" on recreation fees
APEA goes to $1850/year (effective 03/07/01)
Raised the cap on Extended Health premiums by $22/month (effective 04/01/01)
Increase Group Life coverage to 2 times annual salary (effective 04/07/01)
Salaries:
3% 02/07/01
3% 03/07/01
CDI flip (removal of one increment at the floor of each rank and the addition of one increment at the ceiling) 04/07/01
Adjust CDI size for assistant professors to make it equal to associate professors and change grid for assistant professors to 12 full CDIs (and no partials). (effective 04/07/01)
Thank you to our Collective Negotiating Committee members for all of their work on achieving this agreement.
Employee Assistance Program Fact Sheet
(First in a series about Employee Assistance Program services)
By Norm Biram, EAP Director
What is the Employee Assistance Program?
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is the confidential counselling service provided by the University for all employees and their immediate dependents. It offers help with personal problems (depression, anxiety), compulsive and addictive behavior (alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling), family and adult relationship concerns (marital problems, divorce and separation, child-rearing issues), the personal effects of work-related problems (stresses related to workload, teaching, research, conflicts), and a variety of other "life transition" issues (eldercare, spousal care, aging, retirement, mid-life worries), which we all face at some point. Since the University has a large localized employee population, it is efficient and practical to offer an on-site office on Campus staffed with a professional therapist.
How do I access EAP services?
Contact the EAP by phone (966-4300) or by e-mail (eap@usask.ca) to request an appointment, or to discuss your concerns. You can remain anonymous and simply ask for information about how to manage a problem over the phone. However most callers wish to speak with a therapist in person. You will be asked some brief questions on the phone to ascertain the general area of your concern and the urgency. You will be offered an appointment within 3-5 days, earlier if this is assessed as an emergency. The EAP also offers "non-clinical" services - information about community resources, or advice about how to understand problematical behaviour or to manage a psychological problem presented by a staff member, colleague, co-worker, student, etc.
Every year, the EAP office is in touch with over 10% of the University workforce of 4,500 people
What happens when I see the EAP therapist?
The EAP is structured on an "assessment and referral" model. You will be given clear information about the protection of confidentiality. The "assessment" interview is a very fast-paced discussion of the problems you identify, what might be contributing to them, what else you are juggling in life, and how you might "reframe" or understand what is happening. You will be offered the opportunity to be referred to a therapist outside the University if you want to continue in psychotherapy. In consultation with you, the EAP interviewer recommends a therapist whose specialization and experience match your need. The EAP pays for five sessions of therapy with the external therapist. The EAP formally contracts with five agencies (about twenty-five therapists in total) to provide this service. If you choose to be referred, the EAP office continues to follow up with you on the success of the therapy, and for any other needs that may arise. About sixty percent of our clients choose this route.
Some clients find that the single assessment interview, or perhaps one more, is enough to meet their needs, and are not referred beyond the EAP office on campus. A few clients become longer-term clients of the EAP therapist, and are also not referred.
Coming Next:
How is confidentiality protected?
What is the role of the EAP Board?
For further information or for a confidential inquiry, contact:
Employee Assistance Program
Rooms 1013-1018 Education Building
Phone: 966-4300
Email: eap@usask.ca