Faculty at Western University have ratified their new contract with the administration, with 93 per cent voting in favour of the deal. The four year deal will run into 2018.
A top priority this bargaining round for the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA) was contract faculty job security. The new deal includes many improvements for limited term (LT), including a “no end date” LT appointment for members with 14 or more years of continuous LT appointments. According to UWOFA President Alison Hearn, “We feel we have laid the groundwork for future rounds to achieve even better security for these members.”
The deal also includes yearly salary increases and lump sum payments totaling 2.16 per cent, 1.83 per cent, 1.83 per cent, and 1.65 per cent over the course of the deal. Part-time base salary increases by five per cent in the first year, and two per cent in each of the remaining three years of the deal.
The new contract also contains intellectual property and workload protections for members teaching online courses.