RAAS Report
RAAS REPORT
A biweekly newsletter from your
Association of Academic Staff
Friday, January 17, 2020
RAAS PRESIDENT'S UPDATE
I hope that all RAAS members were able to relax during our much-needed break. Happy new year!
On Friday, January 10, I represented RAAS in a teleconference with OCUFA members. The emergency meeting, which was over 3.5 hours long, was held to determine if OCUFA would join is a legal challenge to Bill 124. This bill, as you may recall from our last meeting, allows the government to interfere in collective bargaining between faculty associations and their employer in order to cap compensation rates at 1% for the next 3 years.
As a reminder, the provincial government is not our employer and does not provide the majority of funding to universities. Such a cap interferes in the rights of collective bargaining under the Charter. Furthermore, such a cap does not redirect funds back to the government, but rather will redirect funds to employers. OCUFA members, including RAAS, voted in favour of joining a legal challenge with other public sector unions to challenge Bill 124. Please see part of OCUFA's statement in the link provided below:
OCUFA News (January 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 of workers to free and fair collective bargaining. It threatens pay equity and benefits for contract faculty and other marginalized workers, and will erode the foundations of Ontario’s important public services – including our outstanding public education system. [FULL REPORT ATTACHED]
NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
The last negotiation session, on December 11, generated agreement on Health & Safety, Travel Accident Insurance, and Search Procedures. Negotiations broke down, however, over continuing disagreement on language concerningrecognition and Association rights. The negotiating team has been discussing next steps and strategy, and hopes negotiations will resume before the end of January.
BOARD UPDATE
The Board has not met since November. The next board meeting — the first meeting of the new board elected in October — will take place on January 29, 2020.
SATIRE
29 Things I’ve Learned from Being a Professor
J.A. Bernstein, McSweeney’s (January 11, 2019)
NOT SATIRE
The 15th Annual Strawberry Ceremony for MMIWG2S
Craig Fortier (January 13, 2020)
The 15th Annual Strawberry Ceremony with Elder Wanda Whitebird begins at 12:30 PM at Police HQ, 40 College Street, Toronto. Please leave your agency, institutional and organizational banners at home and instead make signs in honour of women, girls, trans and two-spirit people who have died violent and premature deaths.
Singers, song keepers and drummers please bring your drums for the ceremony. Drummers from the organizing committee, with the direction of Wanda, will be leading songs. Jingle dress dancers are also called to join on the march. Please contact us if you can participate so protocols can be observed: https://www.facebook.com/events/349475845922208/
OCUFA NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), a province-wide association of our peers.
Pay gap between men and women starts right out of the gate for college, university grads
Brandie Weikle, CBC News (January 14, 2020)
It pays to get a post-secondary education in Canada, but not nearly as much if you're a woman, a new analysis of tax filings and educational attainment has shown.
Tenured McGill prof resigns over university's refusal to divest from fossil fuels
Franca G. Mignacca, CBC News (January 14, 2020)
Frustrated by McGill University's refusal to divest itself of investments in fossil fuels, Gregory Mikkelson felt it would be immoral to stay on.
Canadian universities lead the OECD in delivering a skilled workforce
Suzanne Kresta, Toronto Star (January 13, 2020) [may require subscription]
According to the 2014 Education at a Glance report by the OECD, Canada has the highest percentage of population aged 25-64 with some form of tertiary (past high school) education. Canada sits at 53 per cent, versus the OECD average of 32 per cent.
Tuition and student fees going up at the University of Calgary
Lucie Edwardson, CBC News (January 10, 2020)
The sounds of students protesting outside could be heard Friday as the University of Calgary's board of governors approved tuition and fee increases for the 2020-21 school year.
Top UK universities commit to selling shares in fossil fuels
Eleanor Busby, The Independent (January 13, 2020)
Almost all of Britain's top universities have committed to selling their shares in fossil fuel companies after pressure from eco-conscious students who have occupied buildings and carried out hunger strikes.
CAUT NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), a nation-wide association of our peers.
Let’s be clear on TRANSPARENCY
CAUTBulletin 67 (1): 9 (January, 2020)
Decision-making powers are concentrated in the hands of a few, who act behind closed doors,
while the voices of academic staff and other key stakeholders are being weakened or silenced.
Collegiality — or SHARED GOVERNANCE — is at the heart of what a university is and should be.
That’s why the Canadian Association of University Teachers is working to OPEN UP BOARD MEETINGS.
FAUW NEWS
RAAS has a service agreement with the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW), a campus-wide association of our peers.
FAUW Lecturers Committee Meeting Synopsis
Aga Wolzcuk (January 13, 2020)
The Chair of the Lecturers Committee contacted OCUFA and obtained a spreadsheet with details about teaching dossier processes in universities across Ontario. This document might offer interesting comparisons of how lecturers are assessed at UW and at other universities, and it could be shared with Policy 76 Revisions Committee. The Committee also discussed specific pathways and actions to achieve goals set at the beginning of the academic year. The most immediate steps to take involve the following events:
Lecturers Town Hall– Tuesday, February 25, 1-2:30, DC 1302
Some topics to discuss could include the revisions of UW Policy 76 (Faculty Appointments), equitable salary structure, and FAUW Lecturers Committee’s goals. All lecturers are welcome to attend. The outgoing FAUW President, Bryan Tolson, and the incoming one, Dan Brown, have been invited as official guests. David Rose, the chair of Policy 76 Revisions Committee, will attend as an informal guest.
Lecturers at the Grad House – Wednesday, January 23, 3:30-5:30
This social is meant to contribute to building a lecturers’ community at UW. It will also be an opportunity to ask members of Lecturers Committee about their work or share the concerns or thoughts that lecturers across campus may have.
Full FAUW Events Calendar (Winter, 2020)
FAUW has a full slate of events posted on our website and open for registration, and we’ll be scheduling more, including our annual tenure workshop later in the term.