SWF and Spring Memo Work
It has come to the attention of the Local that members are being issued both Spring Memos and SWFs. There are duties such as “attend program meetings, update course outlines” being seen on the Spring Memos and it is the union’s position that such workload should be noted on a faculty’s SWF, not on a Spring Memo as per the Collective Agreement (CA).
It has also been noted that curriculum review/curriculum development time has been allotted on SWFs that may be inadequate for course outlines that may not have been discussed with you by your manager (for example being assigned 1.25 hours per week on your SWF for 6 course outlines).
Article 11.01 D 3 (ix) addresses the appropriate amount of time that should be assigned. If a member is not in agreement with the workload noted on their SWF, then faculty can refer it to the Workload Monitoring Group (WMG) and are encouraged to reach out to the union.
SWFs were issued on Thursday, March 16, and if not in agreement, you have five days to refer your workload to WMG, which is on or before Thursday, March 23 by 5:00 pm. Faculty are also reminded “the College shall allow each teacher at least 10 working days of professional development in each academic year” (CA, Article 11.01 H 1) and “unless otherwise agreed between the teacher and the supervisor, the allowance of ten days] shall include one period of at least five consecutive working days for professional development” (CA, Article 11. 01 H 2).
In addition, during non-teaching periods, the following provision in the collective agreement applies: CA, Article 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.
CA, Article 11.01D 3 (ix) – Hours for curriculum review or course development assigned to a teacher on an ongoing basis, in lieu of teaching or in a non-teaching period, shall be attributed on an hour for hour basis and recorded on the SWF.
If you have any questions about your spring SWF and/or memo, please send them to Chief Steward Charlene Di Danieli at chiefsteward@opseu354.ca. Any concerns you have will be kept confidential.
Professional Development Equity
Following recent conversations at the Academic Union College Committee (AUCC), the local was informed that all funds for professional development activities are now held centrally by the college and approved by senior management after reviewing the submissions from each associate or executive dean in your Faculty. This is a change from the previous allocation of PD funds directly to each Faculty.
We passed along member concerns about the equitable granting of these funds and were told that nearly all PD fund requests passed along by the associate or executive deans are granted, and that there are usually surplus funds each year.
However, the new centralized PD fund does not provide for the cost of travel, meals and accommodation. Those funds are still allocated within each Faculty and come from that Faculty’s budget.
We were told this is a more limited fund and a conversation with your supervisor is needed to grant coverage of those costs. This is where members have expressed the most frustration to us, in that event fees may be granted for PD, but members are not provided with funds to cover the actual cost of attending.
As noted earlier in this newsletter, Article 11.01 of your collective agreement (CA) does grant a minimum of 10 working days for PD, five of which shall be consecutive. And while the CA states that PD leave may not be unreasonably withheld, it only states that costs for attending PD events “may be” reimbursed pending supervisor approval and budget availability.
If you feel you have been unreasonably denied PD please reach out to your union representative.
Upcoming GMM Elections
Please mark your calendar and RSVP for our special spring General Membership Meeting (GMM) on Thursday, April 27th at 6:30 p.m. With our current president Kevin Griffin leaving for greener pastures, we are holding an interim election to fill his position for a year until we hold our regular two-year term elections next spring. Depending on who is elected as interim president, there may also be other openings on the executive.
At the moment, Local Secretary Phil Raby has indicated an interest in filling the interim position. According to the OPSEU Constitution, only locally elected stewards are able to run for officer positions. If there are any nomination forms received for new stewards before the election, we will hold that election first before the election for president. If a further election is needed after that selection, it will be held immediately afterwards.
If you can attend the GMM, please RSVP to office@opseu354.ca and a Zoom link and agenda will be sent out before the meeting date. If you wish to nominate someone for a steward or officer position, you can find the nomination forms here.
Partial Load Updates
Important changes are coming for Partial Load Faculty. Management has informed us that the Partial Load Registry notice will now be issued in April of each year, giving those members an earlier chance to indicate the number of hours they would like to teach the following year. Previously, Partial Load Faculty waited until October 30th to register their interest in retaining their partial load status. The Registry, as outlined in Article 26.10 D of the CA, also tracks the courses previously taught by Partial Load faculty and can give them a hiring priority over those same courses.
Management also advised us this week that Partial Load Faculty can expect to receive an update soon about bridging health benefits over the summer period. The cost of the coverage will vary based on the coverage being continued and the amount to be paid is borne 100% by the employee. No changes to the coverage are permitted for the bridging period.
Sad faculty news
Local 354 joins with our colleagues in Whitby and elsewhere in mourning the loss of Electrical Professor and Technologist Stephen Fielding. Stephen is a long-time faculty member who was well respected and greatly admired by his colleagues. Sadly, Stephen was just about to start his retirement and a new chapter in life this spring. The local will be sending condolences from the membership and making a donation in his name as soon as details of his service are available.