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OCUFA hosts successful Queen’s Park lobby day and reception

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OCUFA hosted its annual Queen’s Park lobby day and reception on Wednesday, October 23. Faculty representatives from across the province were in Toronto for the day to meet with their local MPPs at the provincial legislature. Over the course of a busy day, representatives met with 27 MPPs who have a university in or near their ridings to discuss issues of concern to professors and academic librarians in Ontario.
 
Of the three major issues that were raised (a made-in-the-sector solution for the challenges facing university pension plans; an impartial research project looking at contract academic staff in Ontario; and the restoration of per-student funding for teacher training programs), discussions about teacher training seemed to have the most traction with the MPPs. But across the board, MPPs listened to what faculty had to say – particularly about their local experiences with each of these issues – and were open to the solutions OCUFA proposed. Many MPPs agreed to write letters of support and to raise our issues in caucus.
 
Faculty had another opportunity to speak with MPPs in a more informal setting at our reception at the end of the day. Over 100 people dropped by the OCUFA reception at the legislature, including 28 MPPs, several dozen political staff and interns, and OCUFA’s faculty representatives.

Photo: OCUFA President Kate Lawson, Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Brad Duguid, Speaker Dave Levac, and OCUFA Chair Constance Adamson. By Juris Kornets.

Bargaining Wire: Tentative settlement at St. Jerome’s, Conciliation at Brescia, UOIT, and Laurier

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The St. Jerome’s University Academic Staff Association (SJUASA) reached a tentative settlement on October 21st. The agreement was ratified by the Association, with 96 per cent voting in favour, on October 24, 2013.
 
The five-year deal includes annual ATB increases of 3% in the first two years, and for the following years, the higher of: University of Waterloo faculty scale (to be negotiated), CPI, or 1.5%. The Faculty of Association of the University of Waterloo is currently in the fourth year of a five-year agreement, in which ATB increases are 0%, 0%, 3%, 3% & 3%. On the non-monetary side, SJUASA secured financial exigency language. The association was also successfully in maintaining non-merit based progress-through-the-ranks increments. There are now teaching stream appointments in the agreement, capped at 10% of the bargaining unit (3 positions).
 
Brescia, which has been without a first contract for three years, is currently in conciliation. The UOIT teaching stream and WLU contract faculty are also in conciliation. The OCADU faculty association is heading into mediation in November. The Algoma contract faculty unit and Trent are currently in negotiations.
 
Associations at Brock, Carleton, Royal Military College, Guelph, King’s, Western and Windsor are currently preparing to bargain, as their agreements expire in 2014.

CAFA launches “Alberta’s Universities Support Everything” campaign

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The Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA) has launched a new campaign protesting recent university funding cuts in their province. The “Alberta’s Universities Support Everything” initiative argues that Alberta’s universities are the foundation of economic and social life, and that cuts put the province’s future in danger.

The Government of Alberta recent cut university funding by seven per cent, which has resulted in faculty reductions, program closures, increased class sizes, and a loss of research capacity. CAFA is calling for the lost funding to be restored, and for the government to begin renewed investment in its higher education institutions.

CAFA, a longtime partner of OCUFA, represents faculty from The Association of Academic Staff University of Alberta, Athabasca University Faculty Association, The Faculty Association of the University of Calgary and The University of Lethbridge Faculty Association.

Data check: Business investment in research continues to fall

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For a long time, OCUFA has been critical of Canadian business’ sluggish performance in R&D funding. New data reveals that their poor performance is only getting worse.
 
Business expenditures on research and development (R&D) in Canada have been decreasing for a few years, but the decline appears to be picking up steam. Statistics Canada estimates for 2013 show a three per cent decline from last year. If the rate of inflation in the economy is 1.3 per cent as bank economists expect, the real drop will be four per cent.
 
In the meantime, the economy continues to grow. As a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), the downward slope in business expenditures on R&D is even steeper. If real GDP grows by 1.7 per cent – the current forecast by bank economists – the intensity of business R&D will fall to 0.83 per cent for 2013. That will be its lowest point since 1993.
 
During the 1990-1991recession and the ensuing recovery, the intensity of business expenditures on R&D was on the upswing. Since 2006, it has been trending steadily downwards. It will be 25 per cent lower in 2013 than it was in 2006. Even if the collapse of Canada’s biggest R&D spender is taken into account (by subtracting the now-defunct Nortel’s estimated expenditures) the drop in intensity is still 13 per cent.
 
Sources:
Re$earch Infosource Inc., Canada’s Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders List
Statistics Canada, Industrial Research and Development: Intentions 2013

Data check: American professors (still) make more than Canadian Faculty

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You may have seen some commentary recently suggesting that Canadian professors make more than their American counterparts. But according to new data, American faculty members make considerably more than their colleagues north of the border.

International comparisons always face the problem ensuring apples-to-apples comparisons. Without taking account of differences in the way in which the spectrum of university missions – teaching, research, and service – is funded in different countries, or the ways in which salaries are reported, for example, comparative statements about faculty or administrator salaries can be misleading.

Even with this caveat, the data shows a clear earning advantage for American professors. There are some differences between Canada’s National Household Survey (NHS) and the US Occupational Employment Statistics survey, but it is more like comparing Macintosh and Granny Smith apples. NHS data for Canadian university faculty and college and other vocational instructors are reported separately; they are combined in the US data. Both surveys include full-time and part-time employees. The weighted average salary for Canadians was nearly $65,000 in 2010. Ontario faculty fared a bit better and earned slightly more than $68,000. Their counterparts in the US earned about $76,000.

Assuming dollars at par, then, US post-secondary teachers earned about 17 per cent more than Canadians. Factoring in current exchange rates increases the difference to 21 per cent. If we consider Purchasing Power Parity – what one dollar buys you in one jurisdiction versus another – the differences become even more dramatic. Depending on which Purchasing Power Parity conversion rate is used to reflect national differences in prices, the relative earnings of American post-secondary teachers is actually 43 to 52 per cent higher than Canadians professors.

Sources:
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Purchasing Power Parities, OECD StatExtracts.

Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey: Data tables – Employment Income Statistics in 2010 (7), Sex (3), Work Activity in 2010 (3), Highest Certificate, Diploma or Degree (6) and Occupation – National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2011 (693) for the Population Aged 15 Years and Over in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, 2011 National Household Survey

US, Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics

Upcoming conferences and events: Conference Board of Canada’s Skills & Post-Secondary Education Summit 2013; Canadian Federation of Students’ Graduate Student Symposium

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From the Conference Board of Canada:
 
“The Conference Board of Canada would like to invite you to attend their upcoming Skills and Post-Secondary Education Summit 2013: Developing the Talent We Need for a Competitive Nation, being held on November 6 and 7 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  We are happy to extend an Exclusive Reduced Rate of $695 to members of OCUFA. 
 
The Skills & Post-Secondary Education Summit 2013 is exploring the future of higher education—including colleges, universities, apprenticeship and trades training—and how to address the advanced skills, education and competitiveness challenges facing Canada today.
 
This major two-day event is featuring a lineup of Canadian and international experts to share unique insights and world class practices to help organizations overcome skilled labour shortages. It will also explore how Canada post-secondary education system can be enhanced to better develop the educated, highly skilled populations urgently required by our businesses, economy and society.
 
It will also feature delegate consultation sessions on key issues related to the development of the Skills and PSE Strategy for Canada, and on a Labour Market Information Tool that will be created to help students, teachers, parents, guidance counsellors and career developers better understand labour market trends, select high demand occupations and careers, and identify effective and efficient education and training paths for success upon graduation.
 
The Summit features six major themes:

  • Overcoming Skills and Labour Shortages and Mismatches―How are skills shortages and mismatches affecting the economy? What best practices and potential solutions could address them?
  • Improving Canada’s Competitiveness—How would improving levels of education, training and skills enhance our national competitiveness?  
  • Canada and the World―Where does Canada rank on higher education compared to other leading countries?
  • Re-skilling and Up-skilling Target Populations—How can we engage more immigrants, Aboriginals, youth, mature workers, structurally unemployed individuals, people with disabilities, and women in advanced trades and training programs through PSE to increase the supply of workers in Canada?    
  • The Way Forward for the Post-Secondary Education (PSE) System―How can we build and maintain a world class PSE system that supplies the highly skilled and educated workforce we need?
  • Connecting Industry Needs, Educational Programs, and Skilled Talent―How can we better connect the key players to make PSE an engine of high performance for our people and economy?

To register at your exclusive rate of $695, please contact Tracie Jones at 613.526.3090 ext. 286 or by email: jones@conferenceboard.ca and mention that you are a member of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations.”
 
From the Canadian Federation of Students:
 
“Interested in matters affecting graduate studies in Ontario? Issues like student-supervisor relationships, student and worker rights on campus, childcare, rising domestic and international student tuition fees, mental health, and academic freedom?
 
Come join graduate students from all across Ontario to find out more about how these issues impact graduate studies, share our skills on how to effectively promote and share our research and have a unique opportunity to network with other graduate students.
 
DATE: November 1 to 3, 2013
LOCATION: Hamilton, ON
COST: Travel, accommodations and meals will be covered, but a $50 deposit is required to secure your place at the Symposium. The deposit will be returned to participants at the Symposium. Childcare subsidies are also available upon request.
 
The Ontario Graduate Student Symposium is organized by the Ontario Graduate Caucus (OGC) of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. The OGC unites over 50,000 graduate students in the province of Ontario, gathering data, publishing research, lobbying government and stakeholders, as well as mobilizing students on a wide variety of graduate issues.”

OCUFA’s action plan on faculty pensions

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Like many Ontario pension plans, some Ontario university pension plans currently have a funding shortfall, brought on in part by the financial crisis and almost 5 years of historically low interest rates. Problems with faculty pension plans existed before the financial crisis, but the fallout has worsened the situation.
 
Unions and employers in the Ontario university sector, with the help of government, are working to find solutions that provide good retirement incomes, at an affordable cost, through pension plans that are secure and sustainable. OCUFA is at the forefront of this effort.
 
Pension issues are complex and multi-faceted, and many questions need to be explored before a solution can be crafted.  As university employees, you may have questions about your own plan, and whether your retirement plans are on track.
 
OCUFA has developed an action plan to help you and your faculty associations reach the best possible decision about the future of your pension. Working with the other unions,  and several experts in the field (including a dedicated lawyer and actuary), we are undertaking a research project aimed at identifying underlying problems in the plans, and outlining possible solutions.  We will be coming to your campus to explain your pension situation, and where appropriate, discuss alternatives you may want to consider.
 
It is essential that individual faculty members play a role in crafting a pension solution. Over this academic year, OCUFA will provide you with all the help and resources you need to understand the fundamental pension principles we are working to preserve, protect, and advance
 
As a first step we have prepared two easy to follow pension webcasts (for OCUFA members only) that explain how pension plans work, as well as some of the changes the government is looking for in our plans. As mentioned, we will also be touring campuses and producing a range of information resources.
 
OCUFA Report will continue the conversation with regular updates on our activities, and articulation of our shared pension goals and principles. Please stay tuned for more pension-related content in the coming weeks and months.

Data Check: New research shows positive impact of faculty associations

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Faculty unionization has a positive impact on students and universities, according to a new American study. The Impact of Unionization on University Performance: A Cross-Sectional Time Series Analysis, written by Mark Cassell, shows that unionization leads to a more efficient and effective institution, while promoting student success.
 
The paper’s primary findings include:

  • Unionized institutions show lower costs and expenses than non-unionized institutions, even when controlling for the previous year’s budget;
  • The rate of cost increase is lower in unionized institutions; and
  • Unionization is positively linked to higher graduation rates, and a higher number of completion and degrees.

While it is not clear why  unionization promotes these outcomes, Cassell suggests that unionization has a “statistically significant impact on the budgetary mix between administration and instruction.” In other words, unionized faculty play a stronger role in the management of an institution, and tend to keep expenditures more focused on teaching and learning. Indeed, “unionized schools consistently devote a much higher proportion of their budget to instruction than non-unionized schools.”

This research concerns American universities, and care should be taken when generalizing these results to the Canadian context. However, findings of this sort are apt to make uncomfortable those who attempt to blame faculty for rising university costs. 

Greyson and Loubani released from Egyptian prison

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Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are happy and relieved to learn that John Greyson and Tarek Loubani have been released from an Egpytian prison. The two faculty members had been held –without charge or justification – for 50 days.

On September 28, 2013, OCUFA’s Board of Directors passed a unanimous motion calling for “immediate, strong, and decisive action” to secure John and Tarek’s immediate release. OCUFA also sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper requesting strong action, which followed a previous letter to Minister of Foreigh Affairs John Baird.

Greyson is a respected filmmaker and a professor at York University, and Loubani is an emergency room physician and a professor at Western University. The pair was arrested by Egyptian police on August 16th, while en route to a hospital in Gaza. They were held in unsanitary and cramped conditions, and held a two-week hunger strike protesting their imprisonment.

OCUFA’s letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper can be found here. For more the latest news and developments, please visit www.tarekandjohn.com.

Ontario professors and librarians urge new efforts to free Greyson and Loubani

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Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are calling for “immediate, strong, and decisive action” to free John Greyson and Tarek Loubani from arbitrary detention in Egpyt. Faculty association leaders made their call in a unanimous motion passed at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).

“John and Tarek have been unjustly detained by a foreign government, and are suffering in appalling conditions,” said Kate Lawson, President of OCUFA. “We are calling upon the Prime Minister to take every possible action to secure their timely release and return to Canada.”

Greyson is a respected filmmaker and a professor at York University, and Loubani is an emergency room physician and a professor at Western University. The pair was arrested by Egyptian police on August 16th, while en route to a hospital in Gaza. Since that time, they have been held in overcrowded, vermin infested, and unsanitary prison cells for 46 days without charge. For nearly two weeks Greyson and Loubani have been on a hunger strike protesting their imprisonment. On September 29th, Egyptian authorities announced that the two Canadians would be held for at least an additional 45 days.

“The time for routine diplomacy is over,” said Lawson. “Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are united in their call for stronger measures to free John and Tarek. Prime Minister Harper should immediately begin examining economic and political actions that will force the Egyptian government to release these valued colleagues, inspirational humanitarians, and Canadian citizens.”

Our letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper is available here. For more information on how to help John and Tarek, please visit www.tarekandjohn.com.

OCUFA concerned over leaked “Differentiation Policy Framework”

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On Sept. 18, 2013, a “confidential” proposed policy framework for the differentiation of Ontario’s universities was leaked to stakeholder groups and the media. OCUFA is concerned that the policy framework may lead to government intrusion into academic decision making, and could have damaging funding consequences for Ontario’s higher education institutions.
 
The proposed framework suggests that Ontario’s universities should differentiate according to eight “components”: Teaching and learning; student population (with an emphasis on under-represented groups); jobs, innovation, and economic development; strategic enrolment; research; program offerings; institutional collaboration; and sustainability. In each area, institutions will be asked to focus on their strengths, the needs of their communities, and the priorities of government. The proposed framework suggests “metrics” for evaluating each component, and asks institutions to suggest additional measurement indicators. Although the framework is vague on funding implications, there is a suggestion that failure to meet the government’s objectives will have financial consequences. Administrators have been given until October 11th to provide feedback on the framework.
 
OCUFA has yet to be invited to comment on the proposed framework, which is worrying. Any reforms to Ontario’s universities – particularly those with funding implications – must be determined collaboratively by all stakeholders. The timelines for commentary are also extremely short, which makes meaningful collaboration almost impossible.
 
OCUFA will oppose any policy framework that allows government to interfere in academic decision making, properly the responsibility of university senates. We will also oppose any attempt to create an artificial hierarchy of institutions, with “winners” and “losers” determined by government. Such policies ultimately hurt students and local communities, outcomes at odds with Ontario’s desire for high quality and accessible universities. 

Ontario professors and librarians urge new efforts to free Greyson and Loubani

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TORONTO – Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are calling for “immediate, strong, and decisive action” to free John Greyson and Tarek Loubani from arbitrary detention in Egpyt. Faculty association leaders made their call in a unanimous motion passed at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).

“John and Tarek have been unjustly detained by a foreign government, and are suffering in appalling conditions,” said Kate Lawson, President of OCUFA. “We are calling upon the Prime Minister to take every possible action to secure their timely release and return to Canada.”

Greyson is a respected filmmaker and a professor at York University, and Loubani is an emergency room physician and a professor at Western University. The pair was arrested by Egyptian police on August 16th, while en route to a hospital in Gaza. Since that time, they have been held in overcrowded, vermin infested, and unsanitary prison cells for 46 days without charge. For nearly two weeks Greyson and Loubani have been on a hunger strike protesting their imprisonment. On September 29th, Egyptian authorities announced that the two Canadians would be held for at least an additional 45 days.

“The time for routine diplomacy is over,” said Lawson. “Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are united in their call for stronger measures to free John and Tarek. Prime Minister Harper should immediately begin examining economic and political actions that will force the Egyptian government to release these valued colleagues, inspirational humanitarians, and Canadian citizens.”

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty and academic librarians in 27 faculty associations across Ontario. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at http://www.ocufa.on.ca. For more information on how to help John and Tarek, please visit www.tarekandjohn.com.

Ontario’s professors concerned about new report’s projected rise in tuition and ancillary fees

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OCUFA, as a member of the Ontario University and College Coalition, a coalition of student, staff and faculty organizations, is deeply concerned about the findings of a new report, released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, which projects that the average cost of university tuition and other compulsory fees in Ontario will reach nearly $10,000 per student, per year by 2016-17. The report also shows that Ontario is one of the least affordable provinces in which to study for low- and middle-income families.

The report, “Degrees of Uncertainty: Navigating the Changing Terrain of University Finance,” looks at how funding for universities has moved away from public sources towards a reliance on private funding through tuition fees.  In Ontario, the government provides about 46 per cent of university operating funding, while students provide 41 per cent.  This represents a significant change from 20 years ago, when government funding accounted for 66 per cent of university operating funding and tuition fees accounted for 25 per cent.

“Rather than shifting the cost of higher education onto students and their families, the provincial government must increase public investment in our universities and control tuition fees in order to ensure affordability,” says OCUFA President, Kate Lawson. “Investing in universities is good public policy; universities educate students, create jobs and economic growth, and help build a strong democratic society.”

The report also points out that provincial responses to declining affordability have been “muted.” Most provinces, including Ontario, have introduced complex and unpredictable financial aid measures such as the Ontario Tuition Grant instead of universal measures to address affordability concerns.

“Students have been sounding the alarm about how high fees are pricing them out of a university education in Ontario,” says Alastair Woods, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. “This report confirms that even when the Ontario Tuition Grant is taken into account, the Liberal government’s policy of year over year tuition fee increases has eroded the affordability of university education in Ontario.”

The Ontario University and College Coalition has long called on the provincial government to increase funding to reduce tuition fees; hire more faculty and provide adequate funds dedicated to support staff who ensure a successful academic career for students.

The Ontario University and College Coalition is a coalition of student, staff and faculty associations that aims to promote a high-quality and affordable system of post-secondary education in Ontario. The coalition is composed of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario, Confederation of Ontario University Associations and Unions, Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, Ontario Federation of Labour, Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, Public Service Alliance of Canada, UNIFOR and United Steelworkers.

Data Check: Federal funding for science and technology slumps

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The latest Federal Scientific Activities report from Statistics Canada indicates that Canada’s federal government expenditures on science and technology for 2013-14 will decline 3.3 per cent from the previous year. The reduction will not only harm government agencies like Statistics Canada and the National Research Council, but will also reduce funding to research “performers” like universities.
 
If inflation forecasts are correct, real spending by the federal government will actually fall 4.6 per cent. This decrease adds to a funding drop of almost 17 per cent from the peak year of 2010-11. Even if the Knowledge Infrastructure Across Canada program, a government initiative designed to revitalize higher education facilities, is taken into account, the real decline is still 5.3 per cent.
 
If we compare current funding to levels in the early 2000s, things look slightly better. Still, as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, current expenditures are down by 1.9 per cent from the start of the 21st century. Compared to the single best year of federal funding post-2000, the drop off is more than 20 per cent.
 
Canada, Department of Finance, June 2013: Department of Finance Private Sector Survey; Budget 2012, Annex 2, Table 2.9
Statistics Canada, Federal Scientific Activities 2013/2014; CANSIM Table 380-0064 Gross domestic product, expenditure-based

OCUFA announces winners of the 2012-2013 Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards

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OCUFA is pleased to announce the winners of its prestigious Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards. Since 1973, these awards have recognized exceptional contributions made by professors and librarians to the quality of higher education in Ontario.

“Every day, Ontario’s professors make incredible things happen in our classrooms and labs,” said OCUFA President Kate Lawson. “This year’s winners exemplify the commitment, passion, and dedication to student success that produce outstanding learning across the province.”
 
The 2012-2013 Teaching Award recipients are:

  • Catherine Bruce, Associate Professor in the School of Education and Professional Learning, Trent University
  • Richard Caron, Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Windsor
  • Brent E. Faught, Professor of Epidemiology in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University
  • Lorraine Janzen Kooistra, Professor of English in the Faculty of Arts, Ryerson University
  • Stephen G.A. Pitel, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law, Western University
  • Susan Vajoczki, Professor in the School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University. This is a posthumous award

The 2012-2013 Academic Librarianship Award recipient is:

  • Corinne Laverty, Head, Education Library, Queen’s University

The 40th annual awards ceremony will take place at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto on September 28, 2013.