TORONTO, February 6, 2020 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is pleased to announce that Northern Ontario School of Medicine Associate Professor Geoffrey Hudson is the recipient of the 2019 Lorimer Award. This honour recognizes individuals who have worked to protect and promote the interests of Ontario’s academic staff through collective bargaining. […]
OCUFA has set out its priorities for the 2020 Ontario Budget in a written submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. OCUFA’s 2020 budget recommendations aim to preserve the accessibility and quality of postsecondary education in Ontario through stable, consistent, and adequate funding, as well as improved working conditions for university faculty. […]
There is more to Academic Matters than just the print issue. New articles are being added to the Academic Matters website every week. Here are some recent articles you might find interesting: Universities must open their archives and share their oppressive pasts By Evadne Kelly, University of Guelph and Carla Rice, University of Guelph “For the first time, a Canadian university — the University of […]
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is excited to announce the second annual $10,000 OCUFA Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism. In recent years, there has been a marked shortage of informed investigative reporting on Canadian higher education issues in the Canadian media. The OCUFA Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism is intended to help […]
Toronto, Jan. 13, 2020 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) has voted to join ten unions representing more than 250,000 Ontario workers to launch a coordinated Charter challenge against the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act – formerly Bill 124. This Ford government legislation unduly interferes with the rights […]
OCUFA stands in solidarity with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) educators and support staff as they stand up to Doug Ford and escalate their job actions this week. Ontario’s university faculty believe in the importance of a strong, publicly funded provincial education system – from […]
Do you read Academic Matters , OCUFA’s journal of higher education? As the Editor, I want to take a moment to encourage you to spend a few minutes filling out our reader survey . Given your interest in postsecondary issues, your feedback will meaningfully improve the Academic Matters magazine and website. The input you provide will help ensure Academic Matters […]
There is more to Academic Matters than just the print issue. New articles are being added to the Academic Matters website every week. Here are some recent articles you might find interesting: University strikes in the UK: Why they’re happening and what you need to know By Heather Connolly, University of Leicester “Eight days of strike action announced by academics will run November 25 until December 4. After that, […]
On Friday, November 22, faculty association staff from across Ontario came together for OCUFA’s 2019 Faculty Association Staff Workshop for a day of learning, sharing, and skills-development. The day was energized by robust discussion. Morning highlights included an opening plenary focused on the challenges facing faculty associations under the Ford government and a workshop on […]
On Friday, November 8, the annual OCUFA University Finance Workshop brought together faculty association members and staff from across Ontario who regularly review university financial statements. The day’s focus was on how the province’s new performance-funding framework could impact university finances. The morning featured a briefing on the latest developments in provincial funding and a […]
OSSTF, the union representing teachers and support staff at Ontario’s high school, has announced a one-day strike/walk-out on Wednesday, December 4 . OSSTF has spent much of the last year pushing back against the Ford government’s demands for increased class sizes and mandatory e-learning credits. If you have some time, please join a local picket line and show solidarity with Ontario’s […]
Several faculty associations reached new agreements with their employers in the recent weeks and months. Please find summaries of notable changes below. Trent University Faculty Association Trent faculty were able to successfully negotiate several changes to their pension plan, which will facilitate their work towards joining the jointly-sponsored University Pension Plan. The faculty association has […]
Under new legislation passed by the Ontario government, Doug Ford is attempting to cap wage increases across the public sector at one per cent each year. Introduced in June, Bill 124 was passed on November 7, 2019. Before it was passed, the bill saw some minor amendments summarized here and in an updated FAQ on the OCUFA website. […]
Toronto, Nov. 22, 2019 – Ontario faculty are pleased to see that the Ontario Divisional Court has struck down the Ford government’s controversial “Student Choice Initiative” (SCI), finding the directive both unlawful and a violation of university autonomy. The Court found that Ford’s Cabinet and the then Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities overstepped their […]
Faculty at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) have now been on strike for almost two weeks. The UNBC Faculty Association has been working hard to negotiate a fair deal, but the university administration continues to demand unacceptable concessions on promotion and tenure and job protections for contract faculty, as well as an experimental […]
