RAAS Report
RAAS REPORT
Friday, October 30, 2020
PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
It’s already the end of October. Please take good care of yourselves as the semester unfolds. I am very happy to note that 48 of 49 faculty are Members who provide direction and support to RAAS and to the Executive.
A few weeks ago, we approached the Administration with a request to jointly file for conciliation with the Ontario Labour Relations Board. We heard a few times from the Administration that we might reach an impasse on a narrow set of issues. Conciliation is a process whereby a third party works with the parties to help reach an agreement. The process is non-binding, meaning we may still not reach an agreement.
Conciliation services are provided for free by the Labour Board and can be applied for by either party or both parties jointly. Conciliation is a necessary step toward strike or lockout or for first contract interest arbitration. The latter is an option for unions attempting to reach their first ever agreement (as we are doing) and is offered by the Labour Board at a regulatory cost that is eligible for support from the CAUT Defence Fund (of which we are members).
We were clear in asking the Administration to file jointly that we do not want a strike or lockout at this time and that we believe conciliation will help us reach an agreement. (Legally, we must never foreclose the right of our Membership to make future decisions in that regard. A strike would require a majority vote by our Members.) We received word yesterday from the Administration that they do not wish to file jointly for conciliation. Their position is that private arbitration, although costly, will be more efficient because it is binding. It is now in the hands of our Negotiation Team to determine if they wish to file for conciliation. Should you wish to discuss this further please reach out to Rob Case.
In the course of our work with the Administration and with our counterparts at FAUW, OCUFA and CAUT, we represent our full membership. That does not mean that we are able to consult on all actions, even though we try to do so as often as possible. That said, we are very mindful of the diverse positions of our Members in all aspects of our work. We are working to ensure greater representation from and better communication with all programs and faculty groups. More soon on that front. In the meantime, should a matter arise that requires clarification or a fuller discussion please reach out to any member of the Executive or Negotiation Team. We are committed to strengthening our solidarity through honouring our diverse perspectives.
I would like to close by thanking the following Members for taking on or continuing in various service positions, in random order: Kathy Hogarth (Chair, RAAS Equity Committee and RAAS Rep, FAUW Equity Committee); Meg Gibson(RAAS Rep, FAUW Council of Representatives); Colleen McMillan (Grievance Committee Member); Craig Fortier (CAUT Defence Fund Trustee and Faculty Rep, Business Recovery Task Force); Julia Williams (Faculty Rep and RAAS Liaison, Health and Safety Committee); Aga Wolczuk (RAAS Rep, FAUW Lecturers Committee). And please note the farewell message from our newly-retired Librarian Tony Tin at the end of this issue.
Kristina Llewellyn
RAAS President
EQUITY UPDATE
RAAS, in consultation with the Chair of our Equity Committee, has written a letter of support to Kofi and Wendy in their desire to consider equitable representation throughout the institution and its decision-making entities. We all faced a dilemma in the recent vote at RUC, where the desire for faculty representation at the Senate, as it aligns with our need for collegial governance, unfolded in a way that conflicted with our stated commitment to equitable, inclusive opportunities for voices to be heard. We have asked that RAAS and our administration can work together to find ways to address this issue and other concerns, such as the overburdening of underrepresented bodies.
Trish van Katwyk
RAAS Secretary / Treasurer
NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
The RAAS Negotiation Team met with the Administration Team yesterday. The RAAS team made some compromises in order to get an agreement on a Librarian article, and the Admin team came around to agree to our wording of aManagement Rights article (a source of contention for months). We also reached agreement on Non-Disciplinary Terminations.
Of the five remaining articles, we are very close to agreement on Layoffs and Terminations, Program Redundancy, and Professional Expenses.
We also spent some time on the Financial Exigency article. We are inching towards agreement on specific provisions within that article, and have narrowed our differences down to core issues, including the question of whether or not the Board of Governors should be able to overrule the conclusions of duly constituted Financial Exigency Committee. We have also zeroed in on where our differences lie in relation to Compensation, and we discussed options for resolving our differences should we not come to agreement at the table.
Our next negotiation session will be on Friday, November 13. We hope to emerge from this session with agreement on a few more articles and a clear plan for resolving the remaining issues.
Rob Case
RAAS Lead Negotiator
BOARD UPDATE
Renison's AGM was held on October 11, 2020. Audited financial statements were received showing $42 million in assets against $19 million in liabilities ($23 million in net assets), and a $1.4 million deficit for the year ending April 30, 2020. Revenues for 2020-21 are projected to decline significantly compared with 2019-20.
Two new members were elected to the Board of Governors to replace Peter Roe (whose term limit had been reached), and Hanqing Wu (who declined nomination for an additional term). There will be an opportunity to honour the contributions of the outgoing board members at the November Board meeting.
In their place, two candidates nominated by faculty members were elected to the Board:
(Photo: uwaterloo.ca – public domain)
Asnake Meshesha Dabala (an SDS and SSW alum who also holds an MSW from Laurier, Asnake worked for the UNHCR in Kenya and is currently the Community Support Coordinator for the YW K-W, among other things).
(Photo: kcf.life – public domain)
Joseph Olubobokun (an accomplished program manager with experience in both private and non-profit sectors, Joseph is also an Instructor at Conestoga College, among other things).
The process for nominating and electing a faculty representative on the Board has been restarted due to irregularities in the process last month. Consider putting yourself or a colleague forward, and please watch for an email from Wendy calling for nominations in the coming weeks. There has been no discussion at the Board regarding the Academic Council proposal to increase faculty representation on the Board.
Rob Case
Faculty Board Representative
SATIRE
Study: 90% of Canadians unable to say Fabricland without immediately repeating it faster and louder
Luke Gordon Field, The Beaverton (October 27, 2020)
A new study by the University of Toronto has found that, thanks to radio and TV jingles, the vast majority of Canadians are unable to say the name of cloth merchant Fabricland without repeating it faster and much louder.
NOT SATIRE
Dalhousie board, faculty avert work stoppage by opting for conciliation
CTV Atlantic (October 28, 2020)
There will be no strike or lockout at Dalhousie University as the school's Board of Governors and Faculty Association have agreed to ask the Minister of Labour to appoint a conciliation board to work out a new collective agreement. The conciliation board will include people from the board and faculty.
CAUT NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), a nation-wide association of our peers.
CAUT will seek to intervene in Supreme Court decision to hear copyright appeals
CAUT News (October 16, 2020)
Following this week’s announcement by the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) to hear appeals in protracted copyright litigation between York University and collective licencing agency Access Copyright, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) will seek to intervene to voice concerns of post-secondary teachers, researchers and students.
OCUFA NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), a province-wide association of our peers.
‘Leaked’ financial info on Charles McVety’s college jolts Ford government
Robert Benzie, The Star (October 29, 2020) [may require subscription]
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath noted Thursday the college’s application to the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB) was changed to remove internal financial information about McVety and his family. “This disappearing document reappeared yesterday on the internet but without 91 of the original pages that were first put on the internet, including statements that clearly show that Mr. McVety took loans of more than half a million dollars from the college,” said Horwath. “That information is now redacted. [...] Another edited passage said his son, Ryan McVety, the college’s vice-president and general counsel, received a loan of $280,000 to relocate to Whitby.
Professors blast Ford over Charles McVety’s bid for university status
Robert Benzie, Muskoka Region (October 28, 2020)
Professors from Ontario universities are flooding the mailbox of Colleges and Universities Minister Ross Romano to protest Charles McVety’s bid to have Canada Christian College grant bachelor degrees.
Students condemn Ford’s attempt to secretly endorse bigotry and hate
CFC Ontario (October 26, 2020)
Canada Christian College’s leadership, departments and programs have a well-documented and longstanding history of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia and more. In 1983, under a Conservative government, the institution was stripped of its ability to grant degrees following a number of scandals.
Michaëlle Jean Is New Chancellor of St. Paul’s University College
St Paul’s University College (October 28, 2020)
St. Paul’s University College is very proud to announce the appointment of the Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean, 27th Governor General of Canada, as Chancellor, for a three-year term starting immediately. “We are delighted to have someone of Mme. Jean’s talent and stature take on the role of Chancellor,” said Brad Siim, incoming Board Chair. “Her interests and values align beautifully with those of our College.”
Report sheds new light on harmful impacts of student questionnaire feedback
OCUFA Updates (October 20, 2020)
In recent years there has been mounting evidence of the dubious validity and inherent bias in student questionnaires on courses and teaching (SQCTs)…
National survey about workplace harassment and violence launches
Kate Dubinski, CBC News (October 21, 2020)
Stories of workplace sexual harassment have started conversations about the impact of such experiences on workers, but researchers now want to put hard data behind the narratives to push for meaningful policy change.
Cash-starved Canadian universities shift burden to students
The Bay Observer (October 18, 2020)
Shrinking government funding is behind higher university tuition fees. Government funding of Canadian universities in 1982 comprised 82.7 per cent of university operating revenues; by 2012, that percentage went down to 54.9 per cent. By 2019, in Ontario, universities’ receipt of government grants represented a paltry 24 per cent of total university revenues.
FAUW NEWS
RAAS has a service agreement with the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW), a campus-wide association of our peers
A more equitable approach to lecturer career progression
Aga Wolczuk, FAUW Blog (October 29, 2020)
Policy 76 – Faculty Appointments refers to continuing lecturers as “unusual.” This might have been justified in 2011, when the policy was last updated, but we now have two-and-a-half times the number of lecturers we did then. Lecturers are a critical component of the Waterloo faculty, and we need an updated policy to ensure lecturer career progression and allow lecturers to reach their full potential as valued members of the UW community…
A FAREWELL MESSAGE FROM TONY TIN
I can’t believe I am retiring from Renison after seven years of service. I want to bid farewell to you all. I have always enjoyed working with you. Thank you for brightening my time at Renison. Our smiles, interactions and project collaboration always enriched my day, contributing to making my time at Renison all the better.
It is with mixed feelings that I leave Renison. On the one hand, I know I will miss everyone I have enjoyed working with. On the other hand, I have to do what is best for my life. I want to express my gratitude for RAAS’s support and guidance. With many of you, I shared a unique camaraderie which I hope will continue in the years to come, even though I shall not be there with you and RAAS. I hope that RAAS will continue to grow and our paths will cross again.
Thanks again for everything! I wish you all the best.
Tony
(Photo: tonytin.com)