Spring SWFs and memos, fall planning, WebCOT changes, GMM postponed, health and safety, two-month suspension of local levies and more…
Dear Colleagues,
We know you are all working incredibly hard under extraordinary conditions. Your union recognizes your professional and personal sacrifice and is working hard to ensure our employer does as well. A number of critical issues have emerged in the rush to finish the winter semester online and the spring and fall terms are also presenting new challenges and frustrations for our members. Below is a summary update on some of these issues that your local executive is currently working on.
- Spring memos: Article 11.08 (p. 23) of the Collective Agreement (CA) covers spring memos, which are defined as a non-teaching period to be used for activities related to professional development and program quality. It is important to note that a spring memo is not a pseudo SWF and does not require a signature. Please speak with your dean if you have any concerns with the work being asked of you in this period. Your contract states that all work undertaken during this period should be by mutual consent and that scheduling of this work shall be at the discretion of the teacher.
- Spring SWFs: SWFs are signed and represent a contract for teaching hours in the spring. If faculty feel that their workload is unreasonable, they should speak with their dean and try to find an equitable resolution. Failing that, faculty should sign their SWF over to the workload monitoring group (WMG) as outlined in the CA. The WMG, comprised of representatives from your local union and management, continues to meet virtually in an attempt to settle workload disputes without the need for grievances.
- Fall SWFs: The information above also applies to fall SWFs. Discussions with your dean about this work should include any additional workload anticipated for alternative delivery, including learning new software, preparing new material for online lessons and dealing with the large increase in electronic communication from students. Your union is arguing for additional hours on SWFs to deal with these increased demands, but so far the college remains reluctant to recognize the extra burden being placed on faculty.
- Fall course delivery: The college is planning for online and alternative ( online) delivery in the fall with all courses open for enrolment. For classes that require labs, studios and shops, the suggestion from management is to push any face-face-face learning towards the end of the semester in the hope that hands-on work can be safely delivered then in some way. This is an additional stress for faculty and appears contrary to the messaging the college is putting out to the public about fall classes. Your union is pushing for clarity and honesty. Many colleges appear to be following the same path but at least one of our sister locals tells us they are still being told to prepare for F2F classes in the fall.
- Evaluation factors: WebCOT changes now allow faculty to select an evaluation type from a pull-down menu. Members should be very careful to choose the evaluation method that accurately reflects the work needed when revising outlines. Choosing the wrong factor could lead to an increased workload on your SWF. When reviewing your SWFs, please examine the evaluation factors to make sure they are correct. More information on evaluation factors can be found here on our website.
- Health and safety: Your union is keeping a close watch on the health and safety of our members despite being excluded from pandemic response planning by the college and this was the response at other sister locals. Mental health concerns remain a priority as well and your local executive, along with the divisional executive have pushed for reduced workloads, the suspension of ACR and more supports for faculty we continue to push for more flexibility and consideration as we work under this extreme stress. The local plans to send out a mental health survey shortly to help gauge how you are doing.
- Equipment and data needs: The union continues to push management for office and data support for faculty facing new demands on their personal home internet and spaces as they swtich to online course delivery.
- Retirement incentives: Currently, the college is saying they have no plans to offer new retirement incentive plans. Some colleges have offered incentives but given faculty very little time to decide.
- Vacation time: No changes are anticipated to summer vacation dates despite moves to do so at other colleges.
- Enrolment: Numbers are on target , but a clearer picture should emerge in June when students are required to submit deposits for enrolment. The local has been informed that the college continues to pursue international student enrolment in a broader number of countries. DC deferred the International student enrollment in May, but some other colleges did not. International students can now begin their program and complete 50% from their home country and 50% at Durham College and still qualify for an Ontario College diploma.
- To Zoom or not to Zoom: The college has released information regarding which online platform to use. Some faculty have expressed concerns with intellectual property rights using the recommended platforms and suggests faculty are within their rights to choose alternative platforms that suit their needs and protect their materials.
- Partial-load: Our Local 354 website has a new post about protections and financial assistance available for partial-load faculty. The post can be found here.
- Family accommodations: If you have family pressures at home that prevent you from fully performing your work you can apply for accommodations through your dean and human resources.
- Union levies suspended for two months: As a small gesture of support from your local executive, we have voted to suspend the collection of local levies for two months for all members. The local budget is able to accommodate this reduction from savings realized through the cancellation of the OPSEU conference and other union expenses that have been interrupted by the pandemic.
- General Membership Meeting Postponed: The spring GMM for our local has been postponed due to the state of emergency. Plans to hold the membership meeting virtually were being discussed but we have been advised by OPSEU head office that spring meetings should be postponed.
- We want you: More members have stepped forward to join the local and their expertise and assistance is greatly appreciated. However, we would still love to see more members step forward to help as stewards as we navigate these challenging times. Ideally, we would love to have multiple stewards from each school in the college. Please email the local or reach out to one of our stewards to find out how you can help.
- Communications: Your local continues to communicate regularly with the DC leadership team, other locals and our divisional counterparts at OSPEU to address the most critical needs of members. Please follow our social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook, and be sure to bookmark our local’s website (www.opseu354.ca) for regular updates.
On Behalf of the Local 354, thank-you and take care.
Pat Mongeon
President, Local 354