In a surprise announcement made at 6pm on Tuesday, October 23rd, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities declared they would no longer be funding three new university and college campuses. The expansion campuses being built by York University and Seneca College in Markham, Ryerson University and Sheridan College in Brampton, and Wilfrid Laurier University […]
Faculty across Ontario are pleased that legislation was passed today that will bring more fairness to workplaces. Ontario’s university faculty have long been advocating for improvements to provincial labour laws that would deliver fairness for contract faculty who face job insecurity, low pay, and lack access to benefits. New rules in Bill 148, Fair Workplaces, […]
Over 12,000 faculty at all 24 public colleges across the province represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) are currently bargaining for a better plan for Ontario colleges, including fairness for contract faculty, collegial governance, and academic freedom. OCUFA President Gyllian Phillips sent this letter of support to RM Kennedy, Chair of Ontario College […]
The letter below was sent to Premier Kathleen Wynne on September 27 from Dr. Frankie Cachon, a contract faculty member at the University of Windsor and Chair of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) Contract Faculty and Faculty Complement Committee. Dear Premier Wynne, I am a contract faculty member at the University of […]
On October 29 in Toronto, OCUFA held its first Board meeting of the 2016-17 academic year. Attended by OCUFA Directors and Faculty Association Presidents, the meeting was an opportunity to confirm the organization’s priorities for the upcoming year, hear from the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, and expand the mandate of OCUFA’s Status […]
Laurier contract faculty vote yes to strong strike mandate With 95 per cent support from contract faculty in a recent strike vote, the Wilfrid Laurier Faculty Association (WLUFA) has a strong mandate to strike if a deal is not reached. Pressure is mounting in bargaining to address three key issues: job security, access to benefits […]
In February of 2015, NDP MPP Peggy Sattler introduced a private member’s bill that would increase student access to work-integrated learning opportunities – particularly paid opportunities – and would provide for increased regulation and oversight of unpaid internships. This past October, the bill accomplished a rare feat for private members’ legislation – it made it to the next […]
Below is a letter from OCUFA to the Canadian Federation of Students National Chairperson , providing support for the National Day of Action on November 2, 2016 : Dear Bilan Arte, On behalf of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) and the 17,000 university professors and academic librarians we represent at 28 member associations across the province of Ontario, I am writing to express support for the Canadian Federation of Students’ National […]
TORONTO – University professors are calling for fairness for contract faculty across Ontario this week. Public events and outreach activities will aim to educate students and community members about working conditions for the growing number of professors working on contract who face job insecurity, unpredictable scheduling, unfair wages, and lack access to benefits. “We’re going […]
LONDON – An agreement ratified on October 12 at Brescia University College represents great strides by Canada’s only women’s university towards closing the gender wage gap for professors in Ontario. The deal reached between the Brescia Faculty Association and Brescia University College will bring pay for professors at Brescia – the majority of whom are […]
Contract faculty from across the province took part in the October 1 Rally for Decent Work. Thousands of workers from a wide range of sectors and workplaces gathered at Queen’s Park to call for improvements to employment and labour law that would address the rise of precarious work. For contract faculty, key issues include equal […]
There is an important rally for decent work on October 1, 2016 at Queen’s Park in Toronto. Faculty will be taking part to draw attention to the need for more fairness for contract faculty and to support all workers pushing back against the trend towards precarious jobs. The OCUFA Contract Faculty and Faculty Complement Committee is encouraging faculty associations to participate. […]
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) has made a written submission to the provincial government’s Changing Workplaces Review . It calls for government leadership to address the rise of precarious work at Ontario’s universities. OCUFA estimates that the number of contract faculty has nearly doubled since 2000. “Faculty see how this shift toward insecure, low-paid jobs […]
The latest release of research and development (R&D) statistics from Statistics Canada is further confirmation that business and federal government spending continues to decline. The data should raise some alarm bells in light of Rivka Carmi’s and Martha Crago’s timely op-ed about the importance of university-based basic research to the innovation agenda proposed by business and government. […]