Earlier this month, the Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa (APUO) joined the ranks of faculty associations that have successfully negotiated wage reopeners following the court judgement dismissing Bill 124 as unconstitutional. The salary adjustments will apply retroactively, adding 1.25 per cent to members’ salaries on May 1, 2021, two per cent on May 1, […]
OCUFA’s Equity and Social Justice Committee (ESJC) began the 2023-2024 year with events signalling its commitment to a greater action orientation and engagement with current issues impacting members at the committee’s annual Equity Training Workshop and its first meeting of the year this fall. At a session called “Organizing for social justice and equity: Learning […]
TORONTO, October 18, 2023 – University faculty and academic librarians stand against violence and hate, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and racism in all its forms on Ontario campuses. OCUFA and its member organizations also strongly support academic freedom, and the importance of universities as spaces of safety, scholarship, and civil rights. In the wake of the tragic […]
TORONTO, October 3, 2023 – Ontario faculty are deeply concerned about recent and sudden news that Western University will close Brescia University College and merge the institution under Western’s umbrella. This decision was made without consultation with the Brescia Faculty Association (BFA) or the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA)—in violation of collegial governance […]
The University of Toronto Faculty Association ( UTFA ) has achieved a seven per cent pay increase, retroactive to July 1, 2022, for the third year of their 2020-2023 agreement. The seven per cent is in addition to the one per cent already awarded for each year of the agreement, resulting in a compounded total of […]
In the latest issue of Educated Solutions on the theme of technology in postsecondary education, OCUFA President Nigmendra Narain made the case for why faculty expertise must be integrated into university decision-making around technology and artificial intelligence, now and in the future. “Students should expect a transformative experience in a classroom. And it’s our faculty who […]
OCUFA President Nigmendra Narain spoke to media about the issue of campus safety, following the tragic attack at University of Waterloo in June 2023. In several interviews, he offered recommendations for universities and the provincial government to improve safety for all members of the campus community. Funding universities properly is an important part of […]
As a separate process from bargaining, members of the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association ( WLUFA ) and the Executive have ratified a tentative agreement that provides consent under the Pension Benefits Act to convert the Wilfrid Laurier Pension Plan to the University Pension Plan (UPP). WLUFA’s primary interest in entering negotiations over conversion to […]
TORONTO, September 13, 2023 – Faculty and academic librarians are calling for more clarity and bold solutions from the Minister of Colleges and Universities after a recent announcement that the Ministry will host consultations on the student housing crisis this fall. The Minister announced the start of roundtable meetings that include representatives from municipalities, private […]
OCUFA’s new President Nigmendra Narain, a Lecturer in Political Science at Western University, started his two-year term in July 2023. In recognition of Labour Day, he talks about the labour issues faculty and academic librarians face today, and how we can work collaboratively to improve working conditions for all workers across our campuses and […]
In the Spring, OCUFA’s Collective Bargaining Committee hosted two sessions on the challenges and gains made in the hiring and support of Indigenous faculty. Participants heard from Jean Teillet, Senior Counsel with Pape Salter Teillet, and author of the influential 2022 report to the University of Saskatchewan on Indigenous identity fraud. Jean Teillet spoke about importance of establishing Indigenous […]
In early July, members of the Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA) ratified a three-year collective agreement ending June 30, 2025. With strong member engagement reflected in a historic strike mandate (97 percent in favour), members made gains on their priorities of fair and reasonable compensation, job security for limited-term faculty, equity, supports for research, scholarship, […]
Members of the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) Full-Time faculty unit ratified a new three-year agreement that made significant gains on their priorities of workload, working conditions, and increasing compensation to make up for caps imposed by Bill 124 as well as inflation. The agreement was reached over three weeks of concentrated bargaining in […]
TORONTO, July 20, 2023 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) recognized ten members of the academic community for teaching, librarianship, journalism, scholarship, and service to their faculty associations. “The 2022-2023 recipients of the OCUFA Awards of Distinction showcase the great innovation, advocacy, and dedication found on our public university campuses and in […]
TORONTO, June 30, 2023 – Nigmendra Narain, faculty member at Western University, will be the 35th President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) starting July 1, 2023, for a two-year term. “Ontario’s world-class, publicly funded universities offer unparalleled value to our communities, province and economy, and faculty and academic librarians are vital […]