What are you doing this Spring?
Your Union Wants You to Know What our Collective Agreement Says About our May/June Period as well as our Professional Development.
New Initiative for May/June by the College:
There is a new initiative for May/June work documentation that some of you have heard of, or may be hearing about in the next month.
The new initiative involves faculty being asked to meet individually with their Dean to discuss May/June activities and then an individualized Spring Memo will be provided to the faculty member. In the past all schools at the college have delivered a general Spring Memo to all teachers reflecting the non-teaching work to be completed in the May/June period.
Article 11.08 of our collective agreement specifies that work during the non-teaching period (may/June for many faculty) is “initiated by the teacher and by the college as part of the parties’ mutual commitment to professionalism, the quality of education and professional development”. No swf is issued during this period.
Here is article 11.08 in its entirety:
11.08 – In keeping with the professional responsibility of the teacher, non-teaching periods are used for activities initiated by the teacher and by the College as part of the parties’ mutual commitment to professionalism, the quality of education and professional development.
Such activities will be undertaken by mutual consent and agreement will not be unreasonably withheld.
No SWF will be issued but such activities may be documented. Where mutually agreed activities can be appropriately performed outside the College, scheduling shall be at the discretion of the teacher, subject to the requirement to meet appropriate deadlines.
If you are asked by your dean to teach this May/June please note the following:
- Any teaching assignment must be by mutual agreement between the teacher and the dean (article 11.02 A 1(a))
- If a teacher is in disagreement with the teaching assignment proposed by his/her dean, the teacher should sign back his/her SWF to Workload Monitoring Group (WMG) or refer the issue to WMG (please contact Judy Herbrick at extension 2449). WMG has binding decision making authority in respect of SWF assignment. Failing agreement by the WMG members or if a teacher is unhappy with the decision by WMG the teacher can refer his/her SWF to a Workload Resolution Arbitration (WRA) (articles 11.02 A 4 – 11.02 A 6 (a))
- A teacher can only be assigned to teach up to 36 weeks in a post-secondary program and up to 38 weeks in a non-post-secondary program (article 11.01 B 1)
- If a teacher has been SWF’d to invigilate in week 15 for one or both semesters that will reduce the number of weeks a teacher can teach in May/June.
PD Entitlement:
You are entitled to at least 10 days a year of PD with 5 days that are consecutive (articles 11.01 H1 – 11.01 H 3).
The teacher can ask for reimbursement for PD pursuant to article 11.01 H4. PD does not have to relate to any subject the teacher is or has taught.
Approval PD is not a “perk” to be provided at the discretion of your dean; 10 PD days are mandatory and approval by your dean cannot be unreasonably withheld.
PD does not have to take place during May/June or a non-teaching period – it may take place at any time including during teaching contact hours.
Please contact your union if you have any questions about your workload during the spring period or about PD.
Nicole Zwiers (co-chair of Workload Monitoring Group) – nicolefromdurham@gmail.com
Chris Harris (union side representative WMG) – chrisbut2fly@gmail.com
Bill Chilton (union side representative WMG) – wchilton@rogers.com
Deborah Tsagris (union side representative WMG – dtsagris@hotmail.com