Although a strike has been averted and work-to-rule ended, management at the college is still ramping up workload on members, resulting in a number of immediate concerns and possible grievances regarding the spring period.
SWF Signbacks
As mentioned in yesterday’s mailing, SWFs should be signed back and sent to the Workload Monitoring Group (WMG) if you have any concerns about your spring teaching duties. Faculty only have five days to do this once a SWF is issued for review, so speed is of the essence if your SWF has already been received.
If you have time still for a discussion with your manager, then that is encouraged if you can reach a mutual agreement on your workload, as is required in Article 11.08 of our collective agreement. It is important to note that this article requiring mutual consent was adopted intact as part of the current Imposed Terms and Conditions, which are still in effect.
Spring Memos
Spring memos are issued for faculty who are not teaching in this period and do not require signing. However, any work assigned in this period must also be issued with mutual consent and agreement of faculty, again according to Article 11.08. It is recommended that faculty have a discussion with their managers about what activities they are engaging in during this this non-teaching period. Typical activities in this period include professional develeopment, curriculum review and planning for the next school year. Members are reminded that they are entitled to 10 days of professional development of their choosing each year, including one period of at least five consecutive working days if requested. Requests for PD must be approved by a manager but cannot be unreasonably withheld.
SWF Plus a Spring Memo
Some members are reporting that they are receiving both a SWF and a spring memo. This is not the normal practice and the union is actively investigating this new development. It is the union’s position that members should only be issued one or the other. If a SWF is issued, all work should be properlyy captured on that form and there should be no need for a spring memo as well. If members are receiving both they should ask their managers for a rationale.
Course Uploading to DC Connect
As reported yesterday, some members are being directed on their spring memos to use a DC Connect sandbox to upload “all weekly course materials, assessments, rubrics and course outlines” for their classes. The union sees no reason why this should be requested now instead of being uploaded in September as part of the normal course preparation. It also raises concerns of intellectual property. This work should not be part of a spring memo. If this work is included on a SWF, then it must be properly recorded with the required hours attributed.
Premature PLAR Assessment Requests
Some members are being directed this spring to creative pre-emptive PLAR assessments for their courses. The union’s position is that this request is contrary to the Durham College PLAR policy and procedure ACAD 121. Besides the policy contravention, we see no sense in developing these in the absence of a request and the requisite information from the applicant prior to commencing a PLAR. For these reasons, we believe members are unable to mutually consent to this work.
Hy-Flex (Flexible Delivery) Training
If you have been told you are “expected” to undertake Hy-Flex training and do not agree with this, members should respond to the request by saying they are not in mutual agreement with completing this training.
Coordinator Duties
As became very evident during the work-to-rule period, there is a lot of work asked of program coordinators that is not recorded properly on their SWFs. All coordinators are therefore encouraged to make sure they discuss all their spring duties with their manager and ensure they are properly noted attributed with sufficient hours on their SWF or spring memo.
Working Together
If you have any questions about your spring workload, please reach out to your local school steward. If you are unsure who to contact please email the local at office@opseu354.ca.
As well, stay tuned for future virtual drop-in sessions to be arranged soon for any workload concerns and questions.
In solidarity,
Your Local 354 Executive