Latest Posts

Bargaining update: Employer at UWindsor makes a second ultimatum

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

After weeks of aggressive tactics, the administration of the University of Windsor unilaterally imposed terms and conditions of employment on July 28, 2014. The administration had previously moved to impose terms on July 7th, but backed down in the face of opposition from the Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) and faculty associations across Canada.

Imposing terms and conditions of work on this scale is unprecedented in Ontario universities.

Below is a message to WUFA members from Anne Forrest, President of WUFA, sent on July 24th:

I was just informed by WUFA’s Negotiating Team that at 4 p.m. this afternoon, the Administration has effectively left the bargaining table.  

On July 15th, the Administration submitted a proposal that WUFA’s Team found unacceptable.  WUFA responded on July 18th with a counter-proposal that included significant movement on monetary proposals.  The Administration rejected this offer.

Rather than continuing to bargain at the table, the Administration announced this afternoon that it will unilaterally impose the terms and conditions of employment in their July 15th offer. These changes will be effective starting July 28th.

This is an extraordinary step on the part of the Administration.  In essence this means our employer is no longer willing to negotiate a collective agreement, but will impose its own terms and conditions.
WUFA’s Negotiating Team rejected the Administration’s July 15th offer because it insists on an unacceptable wage freeze and concessions, in particular:

  • there will be no scale increases in the first two years of the contract;
  • beginning in the second year of the contract, members who have worked at the University for more than 30 years will no longer qualify for PTR payments;
  • beginning in the third year of the agreement, members will be required to pay an additional 1% (for a total of 9%) of salary toward the money purchase component of the pension plan.

The Administration continues to demand a settlement that is sub-par in our sector without providing a clear basis for their position.

The WUFA Team has informed the Administration that they are available for 16 days of bargaining in August.  WUFA remains committed to negotiating a fair, competitive, and affordable agreement through the normal collective bargaining process.

Please contact WUFA if you have any questions.

Anne Forrest, President
Faculty Association, University of Windsor (WUFA)

 

Bargaining update: Settlement ratified at Nipissing, Brock in mediation, negotiations continue at Windsor

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

Contract faculty at Nipissing have ratified their settlement with the university administration. The new deal was reached through conciliation, and covers a two year term ending in April 2016. The contract faculty unit was able to secure an increase in the course stipend, and new language around lay-offs. There is now a process where the faculty association is included in the discussion prior to the issuance of any lay-off notices.

The Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA) has entered pre-conciliation mediation with Peter Simpson.

Despite the provocative moves of the university administration last week, bargaining continues at the University of Windsor. The Windsor University Faculty Association mobilized quickly and effectively in the face of administration threats, and helped push the employer away from their aggressive position. WUFA remains committed to negotiating a fair deal at the table.

What’s old is new again with the Ontario Budget

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

On Monday, July 14, the Liberal government introduced a new budget identical to the one that sparked the recent election. And with a majority in the legislature, this budget is certain to pass. So what does it mean for higher education in Ontario? In short, small funding increases in some areas, but a continued slide in the level of per-student funding for universities.

Over the next three years, operating funding is scheduled to increase by almost three per cent. However, taking account of inflation and enrolment growth, operating funding will actually decline.  For universities, there will be a real drop in total funding – something like 2.5 per cent. Funding per “eligible” student – those for whom universities receive provincial operating support – will fall 7.5 per cent over the next three years.  As OCUFA noted in its analysis of the 2014 Budget, real per student provincial funding has been falling since 2008-09, but this coming year it will be its lowest since the Liberals came to power in 2003. By the end of the current planning horizon, it would be its lowest since the higher education system began its expansion in the 1960s. All of this means that Ontario will remain in last place in operating funding per student compared to other Canadian provinces, and continue to have the highest student-to-faculty ratios in the country. We’re educating more students with less money than ever before.

Funding in other areas of university operations will also be increased but fall short of need.  There will be an additional $500 million over 10 years for deferred maintenance.  This is still a long way from the average $380 million per year the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) estimates is required simply to maintain the existing infrastructure.  Research infrastructure will receive $250 million over three years, and there will be some new funding for specific research initiatives, such as the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo and for the Trillium Advanced Manufacturing Network at Western.

Universities create jobs, train students for success in future careers, conduct economy-boosting research, and help build a more equitable society. We can’t afford to let this under-funding continue.

Bargaining update: Negotiations continue at Guelph; Tentative settlements at Algoma, Nipissing, and King’s

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

In light of developments at the bargaining table, the University of Guelph Faculty Association (UGFA) is cautiously optimistic that the outstanding issues may be resolved. As such, they have decided to suspend the strike vote planned for Wednesday, July 9th. Should progress not occur, UGFA is ready to reschedule the vote.

Part-time faculty at Algoma and Nipissing, and full-time faculty at King’s, have reached tentative settlements. Ratification votes are now underway or pending at all of these associations. We will publish more details of the settlements once they are ratified.

The Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA) reports that they have entered conciliation with Peter Simpson.

University of Windsor administrators play politics with negotiations

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

Administrators at the University of Windsor have taken a heavy-handed, provocative approach to negotiations with the Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA). As well as damaging its relationship with professors and academic librarians, the admin’s actions are a dangerous distraction from the important work of negotiating a fair agreement.

As previously reported in OCUFA Report, the University of Windsor administration unilaterally requested a “no-board” report, despite continued negotiations with WUFA. This put the university admin in a legal lockout position as of July 3, 2014. WUFA did not take a strike vote, choosing instead to proceed with ongoing negotiations. The admin did not lock out faculty on July 3rd, but instead sent a highly inflammatory letter to WUFA members, threatening the cessation of pension payments, benefits, arbitration and grievance processes, and the collection of union dues if an agreement was not reached by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, July 7th.

This aggressive tactic was met with condemnation from faculty associations in Ontario and across Canada. Faced with the mobilization of WUFA members and supporters, the admin backed away from their threat. Bargaining is scheduled to continue.

The most important thing for both WUFA and the university admin is the negotiation of a new collective agreement. The use of aggressive and threatening tactics is an obstacle to this essential work, and not a productive way forward. The admin may have thought they were stealing a march on WUFA, when they were in fact making negotiations far more difficult than necessary. Hopefully, the admin has learned a lesson and will re-focus their efforts on bargaining.

Bargaining update: Employer requests “no board” at Windsor, settlement ratified at Trent

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

Despite ongoing negotiations, the administration at the University of Windsor has requested and received a “no board” report.This puts the university in a legal lockout position as of July 3, 2014. The Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) has not taken a strike vote, and has no current plans to do so.

“The administration’s actions are interesting, given that progress is being made at the bargaining table,” said Brian E. Brown, President of WUFA. “All of this is an unfortunate distraction from the important work of negotiating a fair agreement.”

The Trent University Faculty Association (TUFA) has ratified its new agreement. The three-year deal runs until June 30, 2016. It contains parity-based raises, enhancements to the professional expense fund, and a variety of improvements to the benefits plan. TUFA also pushed back against the employer’s request for new teaching-only positions, arguing that no new categories of TUFA employees could be created without firm commitments to maintaining and renewing the existing tenure stream.

TVO’s The Agenda hosts discussion on precarious faculty

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

On June 23, 2014, The Agenda hosted a discussion on “hidden academics,” looking at the rise of precarious work within Ontario’s universities. The participants provided an insightful look into the challenges faced by precarious faculty, and into the potential implications of precarious faculty work for the university sector.

OCUFA believes that all academic jobs should be good jobs. This means secure employment, fair wages and benefits, and the resources needed to excel in teaching and research. Ontario’s precarious faculty are excellent teachers and researchers, but they are not given the support they need to do their work. Ontario owes these individuals – and the students they teach – more.

OCUFA recognizes exceptional faculty with OCUFA service awards

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

On May 9, 2014, OCUFA held a special lunch ceremony to recognize winners of its 2014 Service Awards. This award was created to honour individuals who have done, or continue to do, exceptional work on behalf of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations and its members.

This year’s winners are:

  • Katherine Creber, Royal Military College
  • John Holmes, Queen’s University
  • Susan Wurtele, Trent Univ

OCUFA congratulates these exceptional faculty leaders, and thanks them for their work to protect the rights and advance the interests of professors and academic librarians across Ontario.

Bargaining update: Settlements at Trent, St. Jerome’s

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

Faculty at Trent University have reached a tentative settlement with their employer. Details of the agreement are still confidential pending a ratification vote. On June 5, 2014, Contract Academic Staff at St. Jerome’s ratified a new agreement alongside the Board of Governors. The new agreement runs until April 2018.

A primary goal of the St. Jerome’s negotiation was increased job security for Contract Academic Staff.

The new agreement will provide all members with automatic seniority status (i.e. the right of first refusal) in courses taught in regular rotation within the life of the agreement.  A grandfather clause in the Memorandum of Settlement also grants immediate seniority status in courses taught by long-serving members.  Meanwhile other members retain, in courses already taught, seniority points that will influence selection and appointment.

Other monetary gains include course cancellation compensation, class overage (fee per student registered over the course cap) and grading assistance, and a travel allowance to teach at St Jerome’s.  An Academic Support Fund provides members with up to $1000 per year from a $15,000 fundfor conference fees and related expenses, and a Professional Expense Reimbursement Fund of $150 per course covers books, supplies and teaching related expenses.

Future bargaining goals will also include a more expansive definition of CAS members as full working academics, since the agreement nowhere makes mention of a provision for research and service.

What the 2014 election results mean for professors and academic librarians

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

The election of a majority Liberal government in the June 12, 2014 Ontario election has a number of important implications for professors and academic librarians in the province.

During the election, OCUFA analyzed the higher education platforms of the Liberal Party as well as those of the other main parties, posted the response of the parties to the OCUFA party questionnaire, and provided a platform report card.  All of this analysis can help us understand what the Liberal government might do next on the higher ed file.

It is likely that the newly-elected Liberal government’s direction for higher education will be a continuation of funding and policy initiatives already underway.  Those initiatives were reiterated in the 2014 Ontario Budget released prior to the election call.  Premier Wynne has stated her intention to recall the Legislature within the next 20 days, deliver a Throne Speech, and re-table the 2014 Budget.

The 2014 Budget contains a “road map” for government spending and policy directions in higher education and in other policy and program areas over the next few years.  In terms of university funding, there will be a continuation of a multi-year operating funding originally announced in the 2012 Budget.  The McGuinty and then Wynne governments have committed to increasing by 60,000 the number of  government-funded student places provided by Ontario colleges and universities by 2017-18. The figure for universities alone is 41,000.

Over the next three years, operating funding is scheduled to increase by almost three per cent.  Taking account of inflation and enrolment growth, however, operating funding will actually decline.  For universities, there will be a real drop in total funding, something like 2.5 per cent. Funding per “eligible” student – those for whom universities receive provincial operating support – will fall 7.5 per cent over the next three years.  As OCUFA noted in its analysis of the 2014 Budget, real per student provincial funding has been falling since 2008-09, but this coming year it will be its lowest since the Liberals came to power in 2003. By the end of the current planning horizon, it would be its lowest since the higher education expansion started in the sixties.  Funding reductions, originally announced in the 2012 Budget as “policy lever efficiencies”, the international student head tax, and cuts teacher education will also stay in place.  Ontario will continue to remain in last place in operating funding per student compared to other Canadian provinces, and continue to have the highest student/faculty ratios in the country.

Funding in other areas of university operations will be increased but still fall short of need.  There will be additional $500 million over 10 years for deferred maintenance.  This is still a long way from the average $380 million per year the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) estimates is required simply to maintain the existing infrastructure.   Research infrastructure will receive $250 million over three years, and there will be some new funding for specific research initiatives, such as the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo and for the Trillium Advanced Manufacturing Network at Western.

In terms of the government funding implications for collective bargaining, while the government did not reiterate, as it has previously, its desire for 0% wage increases, it has stated that in the Broader Public Sector any increases in wages and salaries will have to come out of existing funds.  The government will not provide extra funding to cover those increases.  What that means specifically in practice for the university sector is yet to be determined but it will be no surprise that we are continuing an era of difficult bargaining and austerity funding.  And, Ontario’s universities will continue to lack the financial resources they need to address the shortage of faculty hiring and quality improvements they require.

On the pension front, the government has announced directions in some areas that OCUFA has supported.  In terms of pension asset pooling, it has stated any asset polling will be voluntary –that is, no pension plan will be forced to pool its assets in a larger plan.  OCUFA has always maintained that any asset pooling must be voluntary.  The 2014 Budget also announced it would create enabling legislation, necessary to allow single employer plans to be transferred to jointly sponsored pension plans.  OCUFA has called for this in order that faculty associations interested in pursuing a multi-employer JSPP for the university sector can create such a plan.  OCUFA has also supported the creation of an Ontario Retirement Pension Plan to complement the Canadian Pension Plan – to enhance the retirement security of those who don’t have workplace pensions.

The push for greater “differentiation” of Ontario universities will continue, underpinned by the government’s differentiation policy framework released in November  2013,  and the Strategic Mandate Agreements that all but two universities have recently signed.  It remains to be seen how specifically the government will use funding to promote greater  “differentiation”, but we know already that Strategic Mandate Agreements will guide new program approvals, as well as graduate space allocation.  Changes to the funding formula are also being considered – but how the formula will be changed, and the degree to which “differentiation” and “outcomes” will be built into the formula,  is unknown.  OCUFA will be calling for public consultations and stakeholder input in any changes to the university funding formula, and directly engaging the government on this concern, as well as continuing to engage the government on its entire “differentiation” agenda.

The government is committed to creating new satellite campuses, as part of its “Major Capital Expansion Policy Framework”, released in December 2013.  Requests for proposals are due in September 2014.   According to this policy, major expansion must support government priorities, including institutional differentiation, strategic enrolment management, and the need to address currently under-served areas of postsecondary demand.  There has been no funding announced for this initiative to date. We will be engaging closely with the government on implementation and funding decisions  to ensure that they support good outcomes for students and faculty. It will be important to strike the right balance between teaching and research at any new campus, and ensure that faculty who teach and research at them enjoy the same job security and working conditions as their colleagues on the main campus.

The government will continue its push to expand online education and credit transfer at universities and colleges.  In January, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities  announced the creation of the Ontario Online Centre of Excellence to promote and facilitate great offering of online university and college courses.  OCUFA’s online education ad hoc committee has met with the steering committee tasked with setting up Ontario Online, will be submitting a brief next week outlining faculty concerns, and will continue to engage with this initiative to ensure quality education and faculty rights are preserved.

The dynamics of a majority government are very different from those of a minority, as the Liberals now have a freer hand to introduce new initiatives. OCUFA will continue to advocate vigorously on behalf of faculty and academic librarians for the high quality, well-resourced, affordable and accessible university system that our students deserve and Ontario needs.

Ontario professors look forward to working with the Wynne Government

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are today looking forward to working with Premier Kathleen Wynne and her government to address Ontario’s higher education challenges.

“While Ontario’s colleges and universities were not a focus of the election campaign, they are among our most powerful tools for creating jobs, boosting the economy, and building a fairer society,” said Kate Lawson, President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). “We are hopeful that Premier Wynne will give this essential sector the attention it requires.”

Ontario has great higher education institutions, but our universities and colleges face significant challenges. They receive the lowest per-student public funding in Canada, and have the highest tuition fees. They also do not have enough full-time faculty to cope with increasing student demand. All of this puts the quality of higher education in Ontario at risk, and may prevent universities from fulfilling their important economy-boosting and equity-building roles.

“Ontario’s universities have accomplished much, but more work needs to be done to ensure their future success,” said Lawson. “Professors and academic librarians are ready to offer their insight and expertise in the pursuit of real solutions—solutions that promote student success and respect academic freedom.”

“A fresh mandate is a time for both taking stock and moving boldly forward. We urge Premier Wynne to bring together all higher education stakeholders – students, faculty, and administrators – to begin a serious discussion on the future of higher education in Ontario.”

Ontario professors look forward to working with the Wynne Government

| By |

TORONTO – Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are today looking forward to working with Premier Kathleen Wynne and her government to address Ontario’s higher education challenges.

“While Ontario’s colleges and universities were not a focus of the election campaign, they are among our most powerful tools for creating jobs, boosting the economy, and building a fairer society,” said Kate Lawson, President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). “We are hopeful that Premier Wynne will give this essential sector the attention it requires.”

Ontario has great higher education institutions, but our universities and colleges face significant challenges. They receive the lowest per-student public funding in Canada, and have the highest tuition fees. They also do not have enough full-time faculty to cope with increasing student demand. All of this puts the quality of higher education in Ontario at risk, and may prevent universities from fulfilling their important economy-boosting and equity-building roles.

“Ontario’s universities have accomplished much, but more work needs to be done to ensure their future success,” said Lawson. “Professors and academic librarians are ready to offer their insight and expertise in the pursuit of real solutions—solutions that promote student success and respect academic freedom.”

“A fresh mandate is a time for both taking stock and moving boldly forward. We urge Premier Wynne to bring together all higher education stakeholders – students, faculty, and administrators – to begin a serious discussion on the future of higher education in Ontario.”

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty and academic librarians in 28 faculty associations across Ontario. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at http://www.ocufa.on.ca.

 

-30-

 

For more information, contact Graeme Stewart, Communications Manager at 416 306 6033 (office), 647 241 7011 (mobile), gstewart@ocufa.on.ca

Or

Mark Rosenfeld, Executive Director, 416 306 6030, mrosenfeld@ocufa.on.ca

Only 24 hours left to tell your candidates you support higher education

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

There are only 24 hours left until Ontario goes to the polls to choose its next government. In an election that was supposedly all about jobs and the economy, the leaders of the three major parties have said very little about our job creating and economy boosting universities. But you can remind them how important our higher education institutions are to Ontario’s future success.

Take a moment to visit OCUFA’s election page. In addition to analyses of the party platforms, expert commentary, and other useful resources, you can send an email to your local candidates telling them that higher education is important to you and to Ontario. One day may not be a lot of time, but it is time enough to remind our representatives of the economic, social, and democratic benefits of well-funded universities.

Of course, the most important thing you can do this election is vote. If you’re not sure where your polling station is, check out this handy poll locator from Elections Ontario.

Make your voice heard on June 12.

Editorial board endorsements reflect electoral confusion, disappointment

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

Over the weekend, the four major Toronto dailies endorsed their picks in the provincial election campaign. The National Post and the Toronto Sun threw their enthusiastic support behind Tim Hudak’s PC Party. The Toronto Star endorsed Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals, while the editorial board of the Globe and Mail all but threw up their hands in exasperation at the dearth of electoral options, and begrudgingly endorsed a PC government – but only if they are restrained by “the short leash of a minority” parliament.

The assessment of the current political situation was consistent across all four endorsements: the Ontario Liberals have been in power for a long time and are getting stale; they’ve enjoyed a long history of governing, and despite a change in leadership are dragging around all of the baggage that accompanies that history. But the solution proposed in response to this situation varies quite significantly.

For the Sun and the Post, the answer is quite simply to turf the Liberals. The Globe and the Star, however, take a more nuanced view, acknowledging that none of the available political options presents an ideal solution for the future of the province.

For the Toronto Sun, the primary concern is with getting government spending under control. As such, their endorsement unequivocally supports Tim Hudak’s proposed program of public sector cuts and corporate tax breaks. The National Post endorsement condemns what it sees as a Liberal track record of scandal and fiscal mismanagement, while insisting on the province’s desperate need for fiscal austerity and cheering Tim Hudak’s proposed war with broader public sector unions, lower corporate taxes and less regulation as the solution that will save the province from certain economic doom.

The Star, by contrast, throws its support behind the Liberals on the merit of Kathleen Wynne’s leadership over the last 16 months. Despite the Liberal Party’s baggage, they are presented as the only political option that can hold off the austerity agenda proposed by Tim Hudak’s PC Party and provide “a reasonable and balanced way forward for the province.”

The Globe and Mail endorsement is perhaps the most interesting (and perhaps confusing), insofar as it would be a stretch to even call it an endorsement. The Globe editorial board expresses its dissatisfaction with all of the parties – “to vote somebody out of office, you have to vote somebody else in. And the alternatives aren’t ideal.” The PC Party and its leader are presented as a barely-viable alternative to the Liberals, “running on a platform of simplistic slogans” and requiring significant maturation and moderation. The only way the Globe editorial could bring themselves to endorse a PC government was to specify that it would have to be a PC minority (a qualification that voters can’t actually act on at the ballot box).

The endorsements that come out in favour of the PC Party are all fixated on the need to adopt austerity measures in order to balance the budget and reduce the provincial debt, which is perceived as an impediment to economic growth. But the logic behind this kind of austerity has been debunked. Moreover, the PC Party endorsements fail to consider that despite their proposed program of corporate tax cuts, decreased regulation and public sector cuts would be economically devastating. Removing 100,000 good middle class jobs from the economy would harm economic recovery while harming public services.

Overall, the major endorsements are a response to the particular character of the election itself: low on substance, given to partisan mudslinging, dominated by glib slogans, and absent of important issues like health care and education. The endorsements are all over the map because the parties have either failed to articulate a clear vision for Ontario’s future, or presented a future so grim as to be unpalatable. Truly, a time for picking the least bad option.

Ontario Election 2014 Update (June 1-6): A Clear Front-Runner? That is Debatable.

| By | Be the first to leave a comment

The leaders of each of the three major parties had the chance to debate platform issues on Tuesday evening. The topics at the centre of the debate were jobs and the economy as well as financial mismanagement and accountability. The opposition leaders pointed to the gas plants, e-health and ORNGE debacles as evidence of the Liberal party being unfit to govern the province. Tim Hudak had to answer for the mathematical errors contained in his “Million Jobs Plan” and explain how this plan was different from former Premier Mike Harris’ plan in the 1990s – the same economists are alleged to have worked on both. Other salient issues discussed by the leaders included plans for transit and improving transportation networks, pensions and improving the economic climate in Ontario; notably, health and post-secondary education were not discussed.

There is no clear agreement on the winner of the debate, though a survey conducted by Forum Research directly following the debate found that 33 per cent of respondents believed Hudak had the best performance, followed by Wynne at 28 per cent and the NDP at 20 per cent of the vote.

Polling data do not point to a clear front-runner, with results swinging between the Liberals and PCs from one poll to the next. An Ipsos poll released late last week showed that the PCs enjoyed a significant lead over the Liberals among likely voters. Earlier this week, an EKOS poll showed the Liberals with a strong lead among likely voters. In an EKOS poll released today, however, the PCs had closed the gap with the Liberals among eligible voters, but the Liberals still had a slight lead among likely voters.

As of today, ThreeHundredEight is projecting a Liberal win, with the projected Liberal seat count at 53 (hovering just below the 54 seats needed to win a majority). The projection puts the PC seat count at 40 (up 3 seats from their count before the election) and the NDP seat count at 14 (down 7 seats).