The Fall 2014 issue of Academic Matters is now live at academicmatters.ca . The latest issue of OCUFA’s flagship publication commemorates the 50th anniversary of OCUFA and looks at the future of faculty associations in Ontario and beyond. The issue features articles by Herbert Pimlott on building solidarity with contract faculty ; Trish Hennessey on the staying power of unions ; and Larry Savage and […]
OCUFA and its member associations are saddened by the recent passing of Nelson Heapy.Nelson was a long-time member of OCUFA’s Board of Directors, and was an active and valued member of the organization. He will be greatly missed. In addition to his work at OCUFA, Nelson was a Professor of Psychology at Huron for 30 […]
OCUFA is pleased to release its Policy Statement of University Differentiation in Ontario and its Strategic Mandate Agreements 2014-17: Summary of Observations document. These reports were designed to assist our members in understanding and responding to the Government of Ontario’s “Differentiation Framework” and Strategic Mandate Agreements (SMAs) with university administrations. The reports have been available to our members for some time, but this is the first time they have […]
A recent report from the Conference Board of Canada argues that postsecondary education in Canada is a “growth industry”. It indicates that every dollar spent on postsecondary education delivers $1.36 for the Canadian economy. As a result, colleges and universities generate over $55 billion in economic activity once their $40 billion in direct spending and its multiplier effect is considered. According to the […]
OCUFA has been granted intervener status to participate in an Ontario Human Rights Tribunal case pertaining to a secondary school teacher who has been denied benefits by his employer because he is over the age of 65. Following the elimination of mandatory retirement in Ontario in 2006, the protection of benefits for employees who are […]
The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association’s negotiating team has reached a tentative new faculty collective agreement with the university administration. The tentative deal was reached on Wednesday, November 12 after five days of conciliation. The ratification vote will take place this week. Details of the deal will be published here and at the UWOFA website when available.
“If you understand what is happening in society, you understand what is happening in our universities”. Wayne Lewchuk opened the forum about the changing nature of academic labour with a powerful statement that in every part of our economy, including our universities, there is a growing number of precarious jobs. A recent study, which he […]
New data from the Times Higher Education explores the impact of austerity on European universities. Their analysis of finances and student numbers from 2008-2013 paints a fascinating picture of the different paths taken by countries struggling with the need to accommodate increased student demand and the long hangover of the Great Recession. In all nine countries surveyed, student numbers continue to expand. However, […]
This past weekend, representatives of Ontario’s faculty associations met in Toronto at the OCUFA Board of Directors meeting. The OCUFA Board meets three times a year to discuss emerging issues in Ontario’s higher education sector, and to chart the organization’s direction for the coming months. Highlights of this meeting included a special presentation of the […]
On October 29th, CUPE 3902 and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is hosting a town hall and panel discussion on the breakdown of the traditional model of academic employment and the rise of precarious academic labour. The event will be moderated by Michael Valpy and the panelists include Winnie Ng, Wayne Lewchuk and Ira Basen from CBC Radio. The […]
On October 24th, OCUFA held the Faculty Associations in the 21st Century: Learning from the past – Shaping the future conference. Held to mark the organization’s 50th anniversary, the conference sought to review the history and explore the future of faculty associations in Ontario and beyond. Speakers included labour scholars, faculty association leaders, and higher education experts. The agenda kicked off with a special presentation on OCUFA’s history, made […]
The Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) has ratified its new collective agreement with the employer. The new three year deal will expire in 2017. Full details of the new agreement have not yet been released, but we hope to provide more information soon. In the meantime, check the WUFA website for the latest news.
Strategic mandate agreements grabbed some headlines this week: The Globe and Mail cites unnamed university administrators to suggest that attempts to reform Ontario’s university sector through the Strategic Mandate Agreements has so far been a slow process . The article features criticism from Harvey Weingarten, President of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), that the SMAs lack sufficient incentives […]
Faculty at the University of Guelph have ratified their new agreement with the university administration. The three-year deal, which will run until 2016, contains yearly aggregate average salary increases of 2.46, 2.88, and 3.77 per cent. Faculty negotiators were also able to preserve the existing lay off language in the collective agreement. Faculty at Laurentian […]
Only a few spots remain for OCUFA’s 50th Anniversary Conference, “Faculty Associations in the 21st Century.” The event will take place in Toronto on October 24, 2014. The conference will examine the evolution of OCUFA and university faculty associations over the past 50 years, consider what they have accomplished, and then explore how faculty associations […]