The Executive has identified pensions as a priority area for OCUFA this academic year. In order to support all faculty associations in their pension needs, OCUFA staff monitor pension regulations, solvency reviews, and related government initiatives to update OCUFA members about the implications of these changes. In addition, OCUFA is working closely with legal and […]
The latest issue of Academic Matters – now available online – examines issues of sexual violence on campus, with a focus on the Government of Ontario’s action plan to stop sexual violence and harassment. Set to go into effect in January, 2017, new legislation will require all colleges and universities in the province to adopt a sexual violence […]
OCUFA and the Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) congratulates Professor Brian E. Brown on being awarded the Charles E. Brooks Labour Community Service Award, presented by the Windsor District Labour Council in recognition of outstanding contributions in the area of volunteer community service. Prof. Brown, who is a past president of WUFA and the current […]
As students return to campuses and classes get underway, OCUFA will be working on a variety of initiatives important to professors and academic librarians. Here’s what to look out for in 2016-17: The Government of Ontario’s reform of the university funding model. For the past year and a half, the government has been examining ways […]
The Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) has successfully challenged the neutrality of their pension plan’s actuary in a significant arbitration decision. The following is a message from WUFA President Jeff Noonan concerning this result: Colleagues, On August 24th Arbitrator Pamela Picher issued her ruling in our policy grievance against the administration in the matter of […]
The government-appointed Special Advisors of the Changing Workplaces Review released an Interim Report today . It details options for responding to the changing nature of work in the province, including the rise of precarious work. The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) hopes the report will serve as a starting point for a bold plan to address precarious work […]
CUPE 926, which represents all regular workers within Wilfrid Laurier University’s Department of Physical Resources, is currently in difficult negotiations with the university administration. The employer is seeking to outsource cleaning work on campus, replacing good full-time custodial positions with low-paying precarious jobs. The employer also set a deadline after which they would impose terms […]
The latest issue of Academic Matters – now available online – takes a critical look at university governance from the perspective of professors and academic librarians. Recent controversies at UBC, Carleton, Western, and others have shone a harsh public light on serious failings in how our universities are run. The issue features incisive examinations of these issues, including: […]
On May 7, 2016 in Toronto, OCUFA held its third and final Board meeting of the year. It was an opportunity to review progress made on the organization’s key priorities – faculty pensions, contract faculty and faculty complement, and university governance. It was also an opportunity to recognize those who have made important contributions to […]
On Monday, April 4, 2016, OCUFA submitted a series of recommendations to the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (MTCU) on a proposed international education strategy. The recommendations are a response to a discussion paper issued by MTCU. The impetus for a new international strategy for Ontario’s colleges and universities appears to be to increase recruitment of international students, and building the […]
Bill 132, the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act, passed on March 8, 2016. It will require universities to have campus policies addressing sexual violence, consider student input on those policies, and share information regarding sexual harassment and violence on campus with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Bill 132 also expands employer […]
On March 8, 2016, over 20 representatives of Ontario’s faculty associations met with MPPs and Cabinet Ministers as part of OCUFA’s annual Advocacy Day at Queen’s Park. In all, 30 meetings were held, each a chance to discuss OCUFA’s priorities for 2016: faculty hiring and good academic jobs; better data on Ontario’s higher education sector; […]
From February 20-21, 2016, OCUFA held the 148th meeting of its Board of Directors in Toronto. While the meeting was an opportunity to review progress on OCUFA’s priority areas –university governance and funding; options for university pension plans; and contract faculty and faculty complement – the meeting provided an excellent opportunity to discuss growing concerns […]
Today in Toronto, students, faculty, journalists and policymakers will gather at the “Challenging precarious academic work” conference, organized by OCUFA. This two-day event features international speakers and provides a forum for sharing experiences and developing solutions to the alarming rise of part-time, insecure work at universities. Speakers include: Karen Foster, Canada Research Chair in Sustainable […]
The new issue of Academic Matters, Higher Education and Leviathan , is now live online and arriving in mailboxes across Canada. It examines the changing relationship between universities and the state, and features important commentary by an insightful group of writers. Starting here in Ontario, Sue Herbert writes about the rationale for the provincial government’s review of the university funding model , and provides some initial thoughts on what has been learned through […]
