Carleton University Academic Staff Association The Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA) has reached a four-year agreement with their university administration. CUASA achieved across-the-board salary and career development increases competitive with other faculty associations, along with a lump sum payment upon ratifying the agreement. A territorial acknowledgment will also be placed at the front of […]
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) strongly condemns the tabling of back-to-work legislation by the new Ontario government aimed at the striking members of Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903 (CUPE 3903). We firmly support the rights of all academic workers to fair negotiations and good-faith collective bargaining, and are concerned with […]
A recent arbitration award between the Ryerson Faculty Association and Ryerson University has established an important precedent for faculty associations, and lends support to others who have been arguing that student questionnaires are deeply problematic instruments for the purpose of evaluating faculty members’ teaching effectiveness. It is telling that “student evaluations of teaching” or SETs, as the arbitrator […]
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 […]
OCUFA was pleased to join the College CAAT-A contract faculty and Fight for $15 & Fairness on June 12, 2018, for an event entitled “Equal Pay for Equal Work Now: Equal Pay for Contract Faculty under Bill 148”. Approximately 100 Ontario contract faculty and college faculty union representatives attended this event to discuss the new […]
Ontario’s public postsecondary education system has been evolving for over a century. Core to its development has been a foundation of robust public funding delivered primarily through the provincial government. The government’s approach to university funding has profound implications for the student experience and research contributions. A government that makes university funding a priority and […]
On June 7, the Ontario voters elected a Progressive Conservative majority government led by Doug Ford. This election outcome has a number of important implications for professors and academic librarians in the province and will pose several challenges and opportunities for the university sector over the next four years. During the election, OCUFA analyzed the […]
In 2006, the Ontario Human Rights Code was amended to prohibit mandatory retirement. However, this change was accompanied by new provisions that permitted employers to reduce or stop providing certain group benefits for workers when they turn 65. In 2012, Wayne Talos, a high school teacher at the Grand Erie District School Board, commenced a […]
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 […]
A lot is at stake for postsecondary education in this election. There are some important differences in how the major parties plan to address issues that matter for Ontario university faculty. Evaluating statements made in party platforms and OCUFA’s questionnaire on postsecondary issues, we have produced a report card that grades each parties commitments to […]
TORONTO – According to a new poll commissioned by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), 68 per cent of Ontarians oppose universities hiring more contract faculty on short-term contracts instead of full-time professors with better pay and access to benefits. Potential voters for all political parties disagree with the current hiring approach, including […]
On May 26, the Ontario Liberals released their platform online. This was followed by the Progressive Conservative platform release on May 30. OCUFA has taken a look at both documents and provided analysis on how they address issues that are important to faculty, including re-investing in universities, supporting faculty renewal, and delivering fairness for contract […]
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 […]
