Yesterday, Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government announced they intend to cancel recently introduced fair work laws, including the $15 minimum wage, paid sick days, equal pay for equal work, enhanced bargaining unit consolidation provisions, and fairer rules for joining a union. This rollback legislation seeks to take away basic protections from those who need them […]
An increasing number of teachers at Canada’s colleges and universities are trapped in precarious contract and part-time work. Contract and part-time work has quietly gone from a short-term stepping stone to a career-long condition where many earn less than a living wage. This week, faculty associations across the country are organizing events to recognize the […]
Fair Employment Week is an annual event organized by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), which provides a great opportunity to raise awareness about precarious contract working conditions on university campuses. Across Canada, faculty associations will be showing their support for fairness for contract faculty and advocating for universities to provide good jobs that […]
In an effort to build stronger relationships with new and re-elected MPPs, OCUFA will be holding its annual Advocacy Day in the fall rather than the spring this year. On November 13, professors and academic librarians from across Ontario will converge on Queen’s Park to share their priorities for the province’s universities. Over the next […]
On Saturday, June 16, 2018, a contingent from faculty associations across Ontario joined thousands who gathered in front of the Ministry of Labour at 400 University Ave . in downtown Toronto and marched to Queen’s Park. Themed as “WE the people”, the rally delivered a strong message to the incoming Doug Ford government to keep its hands off […]
On Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13, OCUFA held its final Board of Directors meeting of the 2017-18 academic year. During the weekend, board members discussed the organization’s current priorities – good jobs and vibrant universities, university funding, and capacity building – with a focus on the postsecondary issues that were likely to receive […]
On June 16, the Fight for $15 & Fairness and Ontario Federation of Labour are hosting a rally for decent work. OCUFA is organizing a faculty contingent for the rally. No matter who wins this provincial election, it is crucial that faculty continue to defend decent work and keep the pressure on government to deliver fairness for contract faculty through the implementation of new […]
On May 31, the Trent University Faculty Association (TUFA), CUPE 3908 (representing contract faculty and student academic workers at Trent University), and the Peterborough and District Labour Council hosted an All-Candidates Meeting. The event was moderated by Marcus Harvey, Executive Director of TUFA, and Hanah Howlett McFarlane, a Vice-President of CUPE 3908. Questions focused on […]
On May 16, faculty worked with campus partners to host an all-candidates debate in Waterloo. Attended by over 150 members of the community, the debate focused exclusively on postsecondary education issues. Local candidates from all major parties participated in the debate, including incumbent Catherine Fife (NDP), Dorothy McCabe (Liberal), Dan Weber (PC), and Zdravko Gunjevic […]
Faculty associations across the province have been busy hosting election-related events that are putting postsecondary education on the agenda in their local ridings. A lot is at stake for higher education when voters go to the polls on June 7. Commitments to strong public funding, faculty renewal, and fairness for contract faculty are needed to […]
At this year’s Worldviews Lecture, Professor Sigal Ben-Porath addressed the increasingly heightened debate around free speech on campus. Her lecture was followed by a panel discussion that explored challenges for democratic values and minority rights in academia and beyond. Video of the entire lecture, including the panel discussion, can be viewed online here. In her lecture, Professor Ben-Porath reflected on campus free speech controversies of recent years – from […]
Each year, dozens of faculty from universities across Ontario travel to Toronto to participate in OCUFA’s Advocacy Day. The event provides an opportunity for faculty to meet with their local Members of Provincial Parliament and brief them about faculty priorities for Ontario’s universities. In addition to local MPPs, OCUFA representatives also met with Minister of […]
Today, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations and the Centre for the Study of Canadian and International Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto are hosting the fourth annual Worldviews Lecture on Media and Higher Education. Professor Sigal Ben-Porath will deliver a lecture title “Free speech on campus: […]
OCUFA’s Contract Faculty and Faculty Complement Committee has been busy since December. Members have been identifying ways to mobilize their members in the lead-up to June’s provincial election. With the momentum generated by Bill 148, there has never been a better time to fight for fairness for contract faculty and keep postsecondary issues on the […]
This year’s Social Media Day of Action in support of fairness for contract faculty and other precariously employed campus workers was a huge success! On Wednesday, February 28th, OCUFA and allies from across Canada tweeted and shared posts on Facebook raising awareness about precarious work on our campuses and asked Ontario MPP’s how they plan […]
