OCUFA is pleased to release its Policy Statement of University Differentiation in Ontario and its Strategic Mandate Agreements 2014-17: Summary of Observations document. These reports were designed to assist our members in understanding and responding to the Government of Ontario’s “Differentiation Framework” and Strategic Mandate Agreements (SMAs) with university administrations. The reports have been available to our members for some time, but this is the first time they have […]
A recent report from the Conference Board of Canada argues that postsecondary education in Canada is a “growth industry”. It indicates that every dollar spent on postsecondary education delivers $1.36 for the Canadian economy. As a result, colleges and universities generate over $55 billion in economic activity once their $40 billion in direct spending and its multiplier effect is considered. According to the […]
OCUFA has been granted intervener status to participate in an Ontario Human Rights Tribunal case pertaining to a secondary school teacher who has been denied benefits by his employer because he is over the age of 65. Following the elimination of mandatory retirement in Ontario in 2006, the protection of benefits for employees who are […]
The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association’s negotiating team has reached a tentative new faculty collective agreement with the university administration. The tentative deal was reached on Wednesday, November 12 after five days of conciliation. The ratification vote will take place this week. Details of the deal will be published here and at the UWOFA website when available.
The latest release of research and development (R&D) statistics from Statistics Canada is further confirmation that business and federal government spending continues to decline. The data should raise some alarm bells in light of Rivka Carmi’s and Martha Crago’s timely op-ed about the importance of university-based basic research to the innovation agenda proposed by business and government. […]
“If you understand what is happening in society, you understand what is happening in our universities”. Wayne Lewchuk opened the forum about the changing nature of academic labour with a powerful statement that in every part of our economy, including our universities, there is a growing number of precarious jobs. A recent study, which he […]
New data from the Times Higher Education explores the impact of austerity on European universities. Their analysis of finances and student numbers from 2008-2013 paints a fascinating picture of the different paths taken by countries struggling with the need to accommodate increased student demand and the long hangover of the Great Recession. In all nine countries surveyed, student numbers continue to expand. However, […]
The Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) has ratified its new collective agreement with the employer. The new three year deal will expire in 2017. Full details of the new agreement have not yet been released, but we hope to provide more information soon. In the meantime, check the WUFA website for the latest news.
Faculty at the University of Guelph have ratified their new agreement with the university administration. The three-year deal, which will run until 2016, contains yearly aggregate average salary increases of 2.46, 2.88, and 3.77 per cent. Faculty negotiators were also able to preserve the existing lay off language in the collective agreement. Faculty at Laurentian […]
Only a few spots remain for OCUFA’s 50th Anniversary Conference, “Faculty Associations in the 21st Century.” The event will take place in Toronto on October 24, 2014. The conference will examine the evolution of OCUFA and university faculty associations over the past 50 years, consider what they have accomplished, and then explore how faculty associations […]
There were a few news stories of particular interest to faculty this past week: The senate at OCAD University passed a motion of non-confidence in the chair of the committee tasked with determining whether President Sara Diamond’s contract should be renewed. The move highlighted ongoing tensions between faculty and the president. Charles Reeve, President of the Faculty Association, noted, ““Everyone […]
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (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. “We need universities to fuel the future, and you can’t have great […]
Last night, TVO’s The Agenda featured Kane Faucher, a contract faculty member at Western and Laurier, discussing the experience and challenges of precarious work . The segment was part of a program examining the rise of casual and part-time work in the Canadian economy. Precarious work is no longer just found in so-called low-skilled jobs- it now cuts across white collar and professional […]
In advance of a planned one-day strike action on September 15th, the Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) has sent a message to concerned students explaining what the action means and why it is happening. The message is reproduced in full below: The Faculty Association of the University of Windsor (WUFA) plans to take a one-day […]
Faculty at the University of Guelph have voted to authorize a strike if one becomes necessary, with 89 per cent voting in favor of the strike mandate. UGFA called the strike vote to secure gains already made at the bargaining table and to provide momentum to reach a fair settlement with the employer. UGFA had […]
