Laurier contract faculty vote yes to strong strike mandate With 95 per cent support from contract faculty in a recent strike vote, the Wilfrid Laurier Faculty Association (WLUFA) has a strong mandate to strike if a deal is not reached. Pressure is mounting in bargaining to address three key issues: job security, access to benefits […]
contract faculty
On September 14, 2016, the Government of Canada announced that it was re-activating the University and College Academic Staff Survey (UCASS) . This Statistics Canada program is a vital source of information on professors across the country. UCASS was cancelled in 2012, as a result of federal budget cuts. This cancellation deprived policymakers from useful data on university and college faculty, and removed information […]
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 […]
A new report by the Centre for Study of Canadian and International Higher Education (CIHE) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) has revealed important new information on contract faculty in Ontario. Written by Glen Jones and Cynthia Field, A survey of sessional faculty in Ontario publicly funded universities makes an important contribution to understanding who contract faculty are and, more importantly, what they want. The report surveyed contract faculty at 12 […]
In the spring of 2015, the Government of Ontario launched the Changing Workplaces Review – a comprehensive review of employment and labour law to address the rise of precarious work. Faculty associations have been actively engaged in this process, which has been led by two Special Advisors appointed by the government. OCUFA made a submission and thirteen faculty […]
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 […]
University professors and academic librarians are joining in a day of action for $15 & Fairness across Ontario today. Workers from a range of workplaces and sectors will be taking part – all of whom are facing common challenges such as unpredictable scheduling, job insecurity, poor access to benefits, and unfair pay. “The idea that […]
On February 11, 2016, OCUFA launched an online pledge where faculty, students, and members of the community can show their support for fairness for contract faculty. The pledge is the latest version of OCUFA’s We Teach Ontario campaign, which has been drawing public attention to the issue of precarious academic work. In less than 24 hours after its […]
Today, OCUFA is launching an online Pledge , where students, faculty, and citizens can demonstrate their commitment to fairness for contract faculty. Part of the We Teach Ontario initiative, the pledge is open to individuals and organizations who believe in fair pay, benefits, predictable scheduling, and job security for contract faculty members. The pledge reads: Professors are at the […]
Today, OCUFA released the results of a public opinion poll examining attitudes to precarious work in Ontario’s universities – the first of its kind in the province. This new research demonstrates a strong level of support for good working conditions in our universities. Highlights from the poll include: 94 per cent of Ontarians think universities should be model employers and support good jobs in their communities. 88 per cent […]
Faculty, staff, and students are coming together to challenge the rise of precarious work at universities and colleges across Ontario. An online day of action will unite contract faculty in their call for good academic jobs. “Thousands of talented teachers are stuck in precarious academic jobs with unfair pay, lack of access to benefits, and […]
OCUFA’s contract faculty committee is planning a day of action on Feb. 11, 2016, to call attention to the growing issue of precarious academic work in Ontario. Contract academics from across the province will be tweeting pictures of themselves on campus to call attention to the important work they do, often in the face of […]
Registration is almost full for OCUFA’s upcoming “ Confronting Precarious Academic Work ” conference to be held February 11-12, 2016 in Toronto. Individuals interested in attending should register now to ensure they have a spot at this important gathering. The growing number of university faculty hired on a contract basis – and the insecure working conditions they face – […]
Last week, OCUFA staff members Graeme Stewart and Brynne Sinclair-Waters wrote an article for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Ontario (CCPA-ON) on the need for more full-time faculty in Ontario’s universities. The piece is part of the CCPA-ON’s ongoing series on the provincial budget. Stewart and Sinclair-Waters argue that hiring of full-time faculty has lagged well behind increases in enrolment, with serious implications for […]
From October 24-25, 2015, OCUFA’s Board of Directors met for its first meeting of the 2015-16 academic year. The focus was on setting priorities for the upcoming year and developing strategies for addressing the challenges facing professors and academic librarians in the months ahead. A key objective of the fall Board meeting is to identify […]