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OCUFA meets with Ontario’s Gender Wage Gap Steering Committee

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On Friday, February 12th representatives from four OCUFA member associations met with the provincial government’s Gender Wage Gap Steering Committee to discuss measures that have been taken in the university sector to address the gender wage gap. This meeting built on the written brief that OCUFA submitted to the committee on January 15th.

The Gender Wage Gap Steering Committee was struck in April 2015 and tasked with undertaking broad public consultations and developing recommendations to create a strategy to close the gender wage gap in Ontario. The Steering Committee put out a call for written submissions, has hosted public town hall meetings across the province, and has been meeting with key stakeholders to hear about the specific challenges and successes that organizations have faced in addressing the gender wage gap in their workplaces.

On January 15, OCUFA submitted a written brief to the Gender Wage Gap Steering Committee. The submission noted that while the gender wage gap among university faculty has been slowly shrinking over the past thirty years, women nonetheless continue to earn around 90 per cent of what their male colleagues earn. Moreover, women are overrepresented in the ranks of poorly paid, precariously employed contract faculty members. The OCUFA submission also highlights the salary anomaly review process, which exists at many but not all universities across the province. This process has been key to addressing the gender wage gap in the university sector.

Experiences from five salary review processes reviewed in the submission suggest that the availability of central administration funding (rather than funding from the departmental or faculty level) is crucial for ensuring that salary reviews are effective in addressing the gender wage gap. Transparency in the salary review process, through a model that allows for joint employer/faculty oversight, is also key, as is the role of faculty associations in advocating for these kinds of reviews. Based on the experience from the university sector, the report outlines promising directions for the government to consider in addressing the gender wage gap. These include government support for the expansion of the salary review process and improving the terms and conditions of employment for contract faculty, among others.

In the meeting on February 12, faculty association representatives focused on their university’s experience with the salary review process and its effect on the gender wage gap. The discussion ranged from technical details of model specification, to challenges in accessing data, to the importance of joint faculty/employer oversight of the process. Of particular interest were the importance of ensuring transparency in starting salaries. This would allow the salary review process to address the gender wage gap in an enduring way, by providing university administrations with a clear model for determining starting salaries based on the regression calculations from previous anomaly reviews.

OCUFA welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the steering committee’s consultations and looks forward to reading their recommendations for how Ontario can eliminate the gender wage gap.

Show your support for contract faculty by signing the We Teach Ontario pledge

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On February 11, 2016, OCUFA launched an online pledge where faculty, students, and members of the community can show their support for fairness for contract faculty. The pledge is the latest version of OCUFA’s We Teach Ontario campaign, which has been drawing public attention to the issue of precarious academic work.

In less than 24 hours after its launch, the pledge had already garnered over 250 signatures from across the province and beyond.

Precarious academic work – characterized by unfair pay, poor access to benefits, and little job security – is on the rise at Ontario universities. These working conditions trap talented teachers and researchers in stressful and unsustainable jobs, with serious consequences for their students, their families, and their health.

The pledge was launched alongside a new OCUFA public opinion poll that showed Ontarians are overwhelmingly in favour of better working conditions for contract faculty. Nearly all Ontarians – 85 per cent – believe that contract faculty should receive fair pay, while 84 per cent think they should have equal access to benefits. The poll also found that 94 per cent of Ontarians expect universities to be model employers and bring good jobs into their communities.

So what are universities waiting for? Time to give them a little push to make every academic job a good job- sign the We Teach Ontario pledge today!

Laurentian faculty concerned by closure of Barrie campus

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On February 12, 2016, Laurentian University announced it was closing its campus in Barrie, part of the University Partnership Centre at Georgian College. The Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) released this statement on the closure:

The Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) is concerned by the decision to close the Barrie campus and its impact on faculty members and students in Simcoe County.

“Our members are dedicated and make important contributions to their community. We greatly value the dedication and professionalism of all of our faculty colleagues at Barrie, and the importance of the programs they provide to students,” said LUFA President James Ketchen.

The Board of Governors of Laurentian University announced today the closure of the Barrie campus. This decision was based on a report produced for the Ontario Government and will affect more than 70 members of LUFA in that area.

“It is unfortunate that the plan the Ontario Government was seeking to impose for the future of higher education in Simcoe County has led to this announcement by the administration of Laurentian University,” he added. “That plan would have seen unprecedented government interference into the university sector. Universities must have the freedom to determine and decide about the best options for program choice and how these should be delivered.”

“The approach of this government over the last 10 years has been a real fiasco but LUFA is fully committed to upholding the rights and protecting the interests of our members at the Barrie campus.” Ketchen said.

Laurentian had previously applied to have a standalone campus in Barrie under the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (MTCU) Major Capital Expansion policy framework. Their application was not approved.

 

Show your support for contract faculty – sign the We Teach Ontario pledge!

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Today, OCUFA is launching an online Pledge, where students, faculty, and citizens can demonstrate their commitment to fairness for contract faculty. Part of the We Teach Ontario initiative, the pledge is open to individuals and organizations who believe in fair pay, benefits, predictable scheduling, and job security for contract faculty members.

The pledge reads:

Professors are at the heart of our universities. They are the teachers and mentors that help students succeed. They do the research that improves the lives of Ontarians and drives our economy forward. Unfortunately, a growing number of instructors in Ontario are now precariously employed. They have low pay, poor job security, and often no benefits. These poor working conditions hurt students, institutions, and communities. Together, we can send a strong message to university administrators and government in Ontario: every academic job should be a good job.

Show your support for fairness for contract faculty. Sign the pledge today!

OCUFA releases first-ever public opinion poll on precarious academic work

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Today, OCUFA released the results of a public opinion poll examining attitudes to precarious work in Ontario’s universities – the first of its kind in the province. This new research demonstrates a strong level of support for good working conditions in our universities.

Highlights from the poll include:

  • 94 per cent of Ontarians think universities should be model employers and support good jobs in their communities.
  • 88 per cent want part-time professors to be converted into full-time positions.
  • 85 per cent want part-time professors to receive fair pay and 84 per cent believe part-time professors should have the same access to benefits as their full-time colleagues.
  • 64 per cent of Ontarians want to be taught by, or have their child taught by, a full-time professor with job security and benefits.
  • 60 per cent are in favour of more public funding for universities to promote long-term employment relationships with faculty

“The poll results clearly show that Ontarians want universities to employ full-time professors, and to treat their contract faculty with fairness and respect,” said Bates. “In other words, the people of Ontario want every academic job to be a good job.”

The complete poll results are available from OCUFA. The poll was conducted by Mission Research on behalf of OCUFA with a sample of 1000 individuals with results accurate to within +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Contract faculty unite for Day of Action across Ontario

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Faculty, staff, and students are coming together to challenge the rise of precarious work at universities and colleges across Ontario. An online day of action will unite contract faculty in their call for good academic jobs.

“Thousands of talented teachers are stuck in precarious academic jobs with unfair pay, lack of access to benefits, and poor job security,” said Fran Cachon, a contract faculty member at the University of Windsor. “This growing problem not only hurts individuals, their families, and their communities, but it also threatens the quality of education in Ontario.”

“This day of action is our way of putting a face on the issue of precarious academic work in our province. We won’t be invisible.”

At campuses across the province, contract faculty members will be coming together to share their experiences under the hashtag #precariousPSE. They will be sharing photos, stories, and support as they fight for fairness and better working conditions. We invite everyone to join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

OCUFA planning day of action around precarious academic work on Feb. 11

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OCUFA’s contract faculty committee is planning a day of action on Feb. 11, 2016, to call attention to the growing issue of precarious academic work in Ontario. Contract academics from across the province will be tweeting pictures of themselves on campus to call attention to the important work they do, often in the face of difficult working conditions. We welcome all contract faculty members to join us using the #precariousPSE and #CDNpse hastags.

OCUFA is planning a variety of activities to accompany the day of action. These include:

  • The “Confronting Precarious Academic Work” conference, to be held Feb. 11-12, 2016 in Toronto.
  • The release of new public opinion data on the issue of precarious academic work.
  • A press conference featuring Ontario and international speakers on the Day of Action and challenges faced by contract faculty, from 12:00 – 12:15 p.m. outside the Intercontinental Hotel on Bloor St.
  • Launch of a web pledge on http://www.weteachontario.ca where students, faculty, and the community can show their support for precarious academics.

The Day of Action is part of OCUFA’s We Teach Ontario campaign and our ongoing commitment to enhancing fairness for contract faculty.

Better data, more full-time hiring, increased investment: OCUFA’s 2016 provincial budget priorities

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On Feb. 1, 2016, OCUFA President Judy Bates presented OCUFA’s 2016 budget priorities to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. This committee is tasked with reviewing Ontario’s fiscal and economic policies, and makes recommendations to government on what should be contained within the provincial budget.

OCUFA’s proposals are directed toward enhancing the quality and accessibility of university education in Ontario through increased government investment. Our recommendations include:

  1. Increase per-student public investment in Ontario’s universities to the rest of Canada average by 2020-21.
  2. Support universities to bring Ontario’s student-faculty ratio in line with the rest of Canada average by 2020-21 by hiring 8,510 new full-time faculty members.
  3. Ensure fairness for contract faculty by strengthening employment and labour law at the conclusion of the Changing Workplaces Review and supporting good jobs at Ontario universities.
  4. Establish a new higher education data agency mandated to collect, analyze, and disseminate key information on Ontario’s universities.
  5. The Government of Ontario should reject the use of “performance-based funding” as it seeks to modernize and reform its funding model. Such policies are inconsistent with the principles of publicly funded higher education and may do real harm to the quality of university education in the province.

All of OCUFA’s recommendations are contained in our written submission to the Standing Committee. Over the coming months, we will be working to ensure that higher education remains a priority in the provincial budget. While the budget date has not been announced, a recent report in the Toronto Star suggests it will fall on either March 3 or March 10. As in past years, we will be providing a full analysis of the budget on the OCUFA website and in OCUFA Report.

Data Check: Per-student funding at lowest point since the 1960s

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Fifty years ago, the Government of Ontario began to invest in the university sector, increasing the number of institutions and the spaces available to qualified students. This has allowed us to make huge gains in access and quality. But now, we’re on the precipice of undoing a half century of accomplishments.

Ontario’s per-student funding for universities is already the lowest in Canada. And it is getting worse. Even before inflation is taken into account, per student funding has been heading downward since 2010-11. After inflation, it is now at its lowest point since the government began building capacity and expanding access in the sixties. That’s right- we’re approaching a 50-year low in per-student investment in our universities.

Falling per-student funding means students are left to pick up the financial slack. Operating revenue from Ontario’s tuition fees – the highest in Canada – already surpassed government grants last year. The data from 2014-15 confirms this trend. Once scholarships paid from operating funds are taken into account (subtracted from student fees and total revenue), net operating revenue from students amounts to 50 per cent.

Unless the provincial government decides to reverse these trends now, and invest more money than it has proposed to date, the quality of Ontario universities will fall further behind and even more costs will be shifted onto students and their families. Think we can’t afford to invest in universities? Consider these alternatives.

Sources:
Council of Ontario Finance Officers, Financial Report of Ontario Universities
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, USER Data (University Statistical Enrolment Report)
Statistics Canada, Table 384-0039 Implicit price indexes, gross domestic product, provincial and territorial, annual (2007=100) [years before 1981 indexed to GDP inflation for Canada]

Ontario faculty support government action on sexual violence and harassment

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Professors and academic librarians are commending the Government of Ontario for taking action to address sexual violence and harassment in our communities, workplaces, and on university and college campuses across the province. Last week, legislation was before the Social Policy Committee at Queen’s Park that would require every university and college in Ontario to have a sexual violence policy in place, as well as collect and share data regarding sexual violence and harassment. If passed, Bill 132, Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act would also expand employer duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to include “workplace sexual harassment.”

OCUFA and CAUT submitted a joint written brief stating their support for these measures and making recommendations for improving the bill. In addition to the current requirement for student input in the development and review of campus sexual violence policies, we made the case that all campus groups affected by these policies must have the right and opportunity to provide input.

We also suggested that the bill provide separate definitions of sexual violence and sexual harassment in the Act that governs the newly required campus policies. Separate definitions would be more consistent with current legislation (Ontario Human Rights Code and the Occupational Health and Safety Act); would ensure that existing case law can be built upon; and recognize the distinct legal implications of sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The submission also noted that campus sexual violence and harassment policies must reference the centrality of academic freedom at the university, as well as guarantee that academic work related to issues of sexual violence and harassment not be hindered by these policies.

Overall, the measures in Bill 132 will help fill gaps in existing processes available for addressing sexual violence and harassment on campus, which is particularly urgent for students. We are also encouraged that it will support campus communities in providing better supports and services for victims or survivors and challenging the underlying attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate sexual harassment and sexual violence.

On January 22, OCUFA President Judy Bates presented OCUFA and CAUT’s recommendations to the Standing Committee on Social Policy. CAUT and OCUFA’s full submission can be read here.

Federal Liberals introduce union waiver requirements under Bill 377

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The Federal Government has waived the requirement for unions in Canada to track minute financial data introduced by the Conservatives in Bill 377. The waiver was announced on December 21, 2015, just 10 days before the new requirements came in effect.

Bill 377 required unions to disclose all transactions over $5,000, and to reveal the details of officers or senior staff who make more than $100,000. The requirements were criticized as imposing a huge administrative burden on unions, and were seen as a political attack on organized labour in Canada.

In introducing the waiver, the Federal Government noted that there are already federal and provincial rules in place requiring unions to be financially transparent with their members.

Auditor General pushes for greater research commercialization at Ontario universities

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In her annual report, Ontario’s Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk has recommended that the government develop a strategy to address barriers to the commercialization of research at the province’s universities. The report, released on December 2, 2015, points out that the Ministry of Research and Innovation does not track total investments in research across ministries and agencies, nor does the government share in the revenue generated from the intellectual property developed through its funding.

The report is broadly critical of the processes used by universities and government to track funding for commercialization. However, it does not explain how these processes operate as “barriers” to greater commercialization. While Lysyk recommends an action plan with timelines for implementation and monitoring progress, the report is short on what specific actions could be taken to remove the purported barriers.

OCUFA met with Lysyk on October 29, 2015 and communicated the views of Ontario’s professors and academic librarians on the commercialization issue. OCUFA continues to assert that discovery-based research must be encouraged and allowed to thrive at Ontario universities, and is concerned that these findings are part of a broader shift towards understanding the value of research according only in terms of its market value.

Only a few spots remaining for the “Confronting precarious academic work” conference

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Registration is almost full for OCUFA’s upcoming “Confronting Precarious Academic Work” conference to be held February 11-12, 2016 in Toronto. Individuals interested in attending should register now to ensure they have a spot at this important gathering.

The growing number of university faculty hired on a contract basis – and the insecure working conditions they face – has far reaching implications for everyone who works and learns in our universities.  With an estimated one-third of faculty now employed on a precarious basis, what does the future hold for academic employment?  Can the trend toward precarious academic work be reversed, and if so, how?  What can be learned from the experience of those currently confronting the realities of precarious work in Canada and other countries?  How can we re-imagine a better and more secure future for all faculty?

Join us for two days of insightful presentations and engaging discussion aimed at addressing these urgent questions.  with speakers and participants from universities, research institutes, unions, and government in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Speakers include:

  • Karen Foster, Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Rural futures for Atlantic Canada, Dalhousie University
  • Guy Standing, University of London, author of The Precariat – The New Dangerous Class (2011) and A Precariat Charter: From Denizens to Citizens (2014)
  • Robyn May, University of Melbourne, researcher on the Gender and Employment Equity: Strategies for advancement in Australian universities project
  • Maria Maisto, New Faculty Majority, USA
  • Jonathan White, Policy Officer, Universities and Colleges Union, UK
  • Glen Jones, Professor of Higher Education at OISE/University of Toronto
  • Plus many more!

OCUFA will also be releasing new public polling data on perceptions of precarious academic works at a special conference session.

The regular registration fee is $400.00; and $375.00 for OCUFA members, which includes continental breakfasts, lunch, refreshments, an evening reception, and all materials.  The rate for contract faculty and students is $150.00.

Exciting speakers headline the “Confronting precarious academic work” conference

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OCUFA is pleased to announce an exciting roster of speakers for its upcoming Confronting precarious academic work conference, to be held from February 11-12, 2016. Experts from across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia will meet to discuss the rise of precarious academic work and effective strategies for promoting good academic jobs.

Speakers include:

  • Karen Foster, Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Rural futures for Atlantic Canada, Dalhousie University
  • Guy Standing, University of London, author of The Precariat – The New Dangerous Class (2011) and A Precariat Charter: From Denizens to Citizens (2014)
  • Robyn May, University of Melbourne, researcher on the Gender and Employment Equity: Strategies for advancement in Australian universities project
  • Maria Maisto, New Faculty Majority, USA
  • Jonathan White, Policy Officer, Universities and Colleges Union, UK
  • Plus, many more!

At the conference, OCUFA will also be releasing new public opinion data on precarious academic work in Ontario’s universities in a special morning session.

Spaces are going fast for the conference, so potential participants are encouraged to secure their places soon. Click here for more information and to register.

Faculty, students fight closed-door governance at Carleton

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Students and faculty are mobilizing to push back against proposals that will severely limit the openness and transparency of Carleton University’s Board of Governors. Following on the Board’s controversial move to bar community members from attending Board meetings, the new policies will prevent Board members from disseminating information about Board proceedings and will ban union office holders from sitting on the Board.

In response, six campus organizations have issued a series of recommendations to democratize how the Board conducts its business. The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is also investigating whether Carleton should be blacklisted for the proposed closed-door, uncollegial governance practices.

Carleton is the latest example of the challenges facing good governance at Ontario universities. Increasingly, administrators and Boards of Governors are subverting collegial governance and proper academic decision making in favour of a more corporate, top-down style. This type of governance is at odds with the principles of collegiality and collaboration at the heart of our universities.