Fairness and Changes to Con-Ed teaching
As expressed through our local’s recent survey of faculty, librarians, and counsellors at Durham College, the idea of fairness is a top priority of our members. Our local’s leadership was compelled to ask for fairness in discussions with management in regard to their decision to begin teaching in the evening hours at Durham (in addition to the Continuing Education currently taught in the evenings).
Specifically, faculty at Durham have traditionally enjoyed the benefit of not teaching in the evening hours. Management has recently informed us of their plan, beginning in September, 2013, to require some day time teaching in the evening hours. This is a new development, but management has always had the right to schedule evening classes. Also, our union local has traditionally allowed full time faculty to teach in the evening Con-Ed area for extra income. (not all colleges follow this practice.)
The changed teaching hours being implemented by management would have meant that some faculty who teach in the evening hours (through Con-Ed) would be earning extra income, while other faculty, perhaps teaching the same courses, at the same time, would be working without any extra income. This is a fairness issue which we discussed with management, however they were not in agreement with the Union’s concerns.
As a result, our local union leadership at Durham has informed management that we will no longer agree to this practice which has up to now allowed full time faculty to teach core courses in the evening for extra income. All evening teaching of credit and apprenticeship courses will be required to appear on faculty SWFs.
This will upset some full time faculty who have enjoyed extra income over many years through evening teaching in Con-Ed. However, your union representatives believe that this loss is over-balanced by the need for fair and equitable treatment of all union members. Implementation of this will occur immediately, with a January 2014 date of no further contracts with current full-time faculty already working in Con-Ed so that they may make plans for adjusted income.