Town hall meetings scheduled to discuss arbitration award and new contract

Dear colleagues,

We know many of you are keen to find out what improvements will be seen in our new collective agreement (CA) following the arbitration award recently released. To discuss those details, your CAAT-A bargaining team has organized two province-wide town halls for all members on Sept. 29th and October 3rd at 6:30 p.m.  

To register for one of those dates, please use a non-College e-mail address and the links below.  A link to the meeting will be sent to you at your personal email address after you are registered.

September 29th registration:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yCZUAwwPSYqbAegyjCLA6g
(French translation and ASL interpretation are confirmed for this meeting.)

October 3rd registration:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_on4X29aaTV6CCgPzkqoHfA
(French translation is confirmed for this meeting; ASL interpretation is not yet confirmed.)

If you wish to read the arbitration award beforehand, you can find a copy of it here: https://opseu.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/OPSEU-CEC-Award.pdf

In the meantime, the Bargaining Team has also provided some highlights from their analysis of the award.These gains were hard-won through 15 months of bargaining that included a strike vote, a forced offer from the CEC, imposed terms and conditions from the employer and the largest work-to-rule campaign in the history of Canadian postsecondary institutions (please use the link at the bottom of this email to provide your feedback on the work-to-rule action).

In the end, the bargaining team was able to reach an agreement that resulted in the current award with no loss of pay or disruption for our students. The wins included below may not be groundbreaking in all areas, but it’s equally important to note that the gains won are in addition to a successful pushback against ALL employer proposed concessions, including:

  • an increased number of teaching hours for certain programs
  • a 33% reduction of time attributed  for “assisted” evaluation/feedback
  • managerial approval required for all Professional Development activities
  • a limit of 130 “banked” sick days
  • and an explicit denial of the right of Partial-Load faculty to contracts with more than 7 teaching hours, under the partial load registry

Here’s what improvements the Kaplan award does include:

  • Wages and Benefits 
    • 1%/yr wage increase over 3 years (as constrained by Bill 124)
    • Language to reopen wage negotiations if Bill 124 is overturned or amended
    • Increases in benefits, to be determined following final calculation of the “remainder” of 1% total increase to total compensation not going to the 1% wage increase
  • Workload
    • Task Force
      • A neutral-led Workload Task Force specifically charged with reviewing the workload of full-time and partial-load faculty, including counsellors and librarians
        • Does not involve the government and cannot be cancelled by the government
        • Will produce a report with recommendations by February 1, 2024
      • Explicitly focuses on the workload impact of a) the mode of delivery (in-person, online, etc.) upon preparation and evaluation, and b) changing student needs
      • No programs are targeted for cuts to workload protections 
      • Cost of Union participation on task force covered by Colleges
  • Multi Mode Delivery
    • For workload assignments starting in the upcoming Winter semester, when a faculty member is directed to adapt a course to be taught in multiple modes, discussions are now required between the faculty member and supervisor regarding the amount of additional time that will be attributed on the SWF
    • One designated workload resolution arbitrator will hear all workload disputes province-wide related to the amount of time that needs to be attributed for this additional work
      • Faculty who have already adapted courses for multi-mode delivery retain the right to seek additional time for weekly preparation required in the delivery of those courses, through the Workload complaint process
  • Equity and Indigeneity Advancements
    • Inclusion of language to ensure that processes at each College and province-wide are equitable in nature and effect (moved from Letter of Understanding to a new Article 4.03)
    • Bereavement leave “of three or more days” to be extended to chosen family as well as biological family
    • Faculty who identify as Indigenous are entitled to have an Indigenous Elder / Traditional Knowledge Keeper at WMG and grievance meetings, with the College bearing reasonable expenses
    • WMG may now consider workload implications of “Indigenous land-based learning and/or traditional practices/customs”
    • Two Indigenous arbitrators to be added to the agreed-to list, with a designated process for identifying and selecting them
    • Indigenous Knowledge Qualifications are now taken into account when determining starting step of new Indigenous faculty whose “assigned duties are partially or entirely related to Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Being, and Doing” (to be defined by the parties within 6 months, with the assistance of an Indigenous Elder) 
    • Existing Indigenous faculty whose “assigned duties are partially or entirely related to Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Being, and Doing” are entitled to have current salary step reviewed, in light of Indigenous Knowledge Qualifications (to be defined by the parties within 6 months, with assistance of an Indigenous Elders) 
  • Job Security and Partial-Load Advancements
    • Where the College determines the need to hire PL, eligible PL faculty with seniority now have the right to be assigned the maximum number of hours (up to 12) that they inform the College they wish to teach
    • PL faculty members have the right to bridge benefits for gaps of up to 5 months between semesters, where there is a written commitment of employment (including e-mail)
    • PL faculty entitled to a written contract or e-mailed offer of employment, where the College anticipates re-employment within 5 months
    • Service credit for step increases and seniority on the PL registry to be provided to PL faculty for each month in which they teach 28 or more hours (reduced from 30)
    • Service credit for step increases and seniority on the PL registry to be provided to PL faculty when classes are scheduled on holidays
    • Eligible PL faculty now have seniority rights to teach courses they have previously taught as Part-Time or Sessional, as well as PL.
    • PL registry now applies to academic year, not calendar year – registration deadline now April 30
    • Union Local to receive a list of all classes taught by registered PL faculty, to help faculty ensure that their seniority rights are being respected
    • College can’t circumvent PL registry simply by changing course names or codes
    • Eligibility for PL registry not impacted by absences due to pregnancy / parental leave
    • Eligibility for PL registry ceases when faculty member is terminated for cause (subject to restoration through grievance)
  • Counsellors
    • Counsellor class definition updated, reflecting the breadth of work currently performed by counsellors
  • Coordinators
    • Coordinators are entitled to receive a specific list of duties reduced to writing prior to acceptance of position
  • Bargaining Unit Integrity and Intellectual Property 
    • Union and College Employer Council to commence discussions of Bargaining Unit Integrity at province-wide level
    • Union and College Employer Council to continue discussing Intellectual Property, at province-wide level

These gains could not have been achieved without the solidarity of our members, especially those who pushed back against management demands on our time during the work-to-rule campaign. But we know that not everyone found meaningful ways to participate in the action, which is why the Bargaining Team has created a survey so that we can reflect on our individual experiences and assess its strengths and weaknesses as a bargaining strategy. 

The survey results, along with data gained from interviews, will be compiled into a report and presented at the October, 2022 CAAT-A Divisional meeting. All data will be presented anonymously. To complete the survey please visit this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5WSL8Q3

In solidarity,

Your Local 354 executive