RAAS Report
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Ann Dennis, Editor
PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
It feels like summer, and I hope you are all finding time to spend in your gardens, at your cottages, at a beach, or outside somewhere, even as the work goes on.
Rather than filling the page with news from our sector, for this month's “President’s Report,” I want to express a personal note of gratitude and sadness as we bid farewell to two of our colleagues at the end of June.
Daniel Bratton has been a fixture at Renison forever (or so it seems), and his contributions to our institution and academic community have been many. Not only has he contributed through interesting courses and excellent teaching, but he also brought a depth of experience to department meetings, Academic Council, and various committees and took on service responsibilities, even before service was something Lecturers were required to do or compensated for. Since I’ve known him, Daniel also has organized, participated in, and promoted literary and other cultural events too – in the community and sometimes via Renison – not because it’s been his job to do so but because of his passion and dedication as a scholar and an impulse to share the work we do to the world outside the academy. I got to work with Daniel most closely as a member of RAAS’s first negotiating team, to which he contributed prescient analysis, a CLS and a Lecturer’s perspective, and a great deal of good humour and comradery. The end of his contract is a loss of RAAS and Renison. We will miss you, Daniel.
We are also losing Jason Blokhuis as he begins retirement on July 1. In case anyone has forgotten, Jason was one of the driving forces behind the formation of RAAS and our certification as a union, a member of the team that researched and negotiated our first Collective Agreement, the designer of our grievance policy and our first Grievance Officer, our website designer, the founding editor of RAAS Reports, chief cook, and bottle washer. He also designed some very popular and stimulating courses as a part of SDS, and he is well known to be an excellent instructor, a prolific and influential scholar and a dedicated and fearless colleague. He put his heart into RAAS, SDS and Renison in general, taking on some extremely time-consuming and challenging roles, from Faculty Representative on the Board of Governors to a long stretch on the UW Faculty of Arts Examinations & Standing Committee to a term as Interim Associate Dean. I am both sad to see Jason leave Renison (and RAAS) and very happy for him as he begins a whole new chapter.
RAAS Reports will be taking a break until September, but please watch for our Negotiation Bulletin for updates on our collective bargaining efforts over the summer. Negotiation Bulletin will be emailed and posted on our website here.
Rob Case
RAAS President
NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
We are approaching our 19th half-day negotiation session, and we still have some major items to work through before introducing our compensation proposal. Negotiations will slow down for the summer. We anticipate sorting through the remaining articles at sporadically-scheduled negotiation sessions in July and August, hoping to conclude negotiations in the early fall.
In the meantime, until we ratify a new one, the terms of our 2020-23 collective agreement stay in force. Annual salary increases, which we normally receive in May, will be delayed until we have an agreement but will be made retroactive to May 1, 2023.
The negotiations so far have not been without conflict, and we cannot assume that it will be easy to reach an agreement. While we have approached these negotiations with an open mind to clarifying language and maintaining existing provisions, we have fought to defend what we have now and keep some of our provisions consistent with those of UW (and St. Jerome’s).
The RAAS Negotiating Team, for instance, has been fighting hard to maintain our current workload ratios (40-40-20 and 80-20), to fend off efforts to add new restrictions to eligibility for sabbatical and reduce flexibility in how deferred sabbatical credits may be used, and to reduce access to course releases for research. The initial response to our proposals to loosen the “cap” on Continuing Lecturers' positions relative to tenure track appointments and to discard the 6-year time limit on consecutive DTL contracts has been negative. [Content amended July 19, 2023, for accuracy]: We are reminded quite regularly of the need for tight financial controls across the board at Renison in order to keep above our debt covenant. If we want a collective agreement that at least holds the line on what we have now and keeps our salaries close to our peers at UW, we must be ready to fight for it.
Last month I reported that the administration’s negotiation team declined to answer questions about salary trends among senior administrators at Renison, asking how the RAAS Team believed this information was relevant to our ongoing negotiations. Once I provided a rationale, Kristiina Montero (as Lead Negotiator of the administration’s negotiating team) provided a detailed response.
[The administration's response has been removed for public posting because of it includes information that is inappropriate for public viewing. RAAS members seeking this information are welcome to contact Rob Case for the details.]
Please watch for our “Negotiation Bulletin” for information and updates over the summer (new!). Whether it’s ratifying an agreement reached at the table, or a vote to reject what we are offered and to push for something better, we will have some serious decisions to make together in the fall.
Rob Case
Lead Negotiator
BOARD UPDATE
The last board meeting of the year will be hybrid and will take place on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. The meeting agenda and approved minutes will be made available here.
The next board meeting will be in-person and will take place on Wednesday, September 27, 2023.
Respectfully submitted,
Edwin Ng and Tracy Peressini
Faculty Board Representatives
RAAS LECTURERS COMMITTEE (LC) UPDATE
1. Membership engagement and communications efforts
Sam Clarke and both of the LC co-chairs attended a meeting of the RAAS Communications & Strategy Group with OCUFA representatives. The objectives of the meeting included discussing the status of the bargaining at RUC as well as communication strategies with the membership and different methods of member engagement to prevent an impasse in the negotiations.
In addition to that, informal communications about making the path to ongoing employment for definite-term lecturers more parallel to that for tenure track faculty took place between the RAAS President, the LC co-chairs, and other lecturers. These communications are likely to continue.
2. LC spring-term meeting
At the beginning of June, LC held a meeting to discuss the bargaining developments and the need for member engagement in support of the Negotiation Team. The RAAS President attended the meeting and covered the status of the negotiations regarding the RAAS as a whole and the lecturer-related issues. The Q&A followed.
FAUW LECTURERS COMMITTEE (LC) UPDATE
1. Report on 2023 Lecturer Town Hall
The report on this year’s Lecturer Town Hall was prepared by the LC at the end of April and has just been posted on the committee’s website (2023 Lecturers' Town Hall Report).
2. Meetings with the FAUW Board and FAUW President and Past President
Following the recent mediation developments over the revision of Policy 76 & 77/P76-77 (Faculty Appointments & Tenure & Promotion of Faculty Members regarding teaching stream) and as a reaction to the grassroot movement of lecturers on campus, the LC members attended the FAUW board meeting last Thursday, June 8. Three different motions on actions regarding steps forward in the process of improving the UW lecturer working conditions were discussed and voted on. A few representatives of CAUT (including its past President) and OCUFA were in attendance. Different models of lecturer representation and governance were discussed.
This past Tuesday, June 13, the FAUW President David Porecca and the former President Mary Hardy attended the LC meeting to further discuss the communication strategies between the FAUW Board, LC, and lecturer membership as well as steps forward.
3. Resignation of the LC Chair
As a reaction to communication issues between the FAUW board and LC, the committee’s Chair, serving on the committee since its inception in 2014 and in the role of its Chair for almost four years now, submitted an official resignation.
Warmly,
Aga Wolczuk
RAAS Lecturers Committee Co-chair
Renison Representative on FAUW Lecturers’ Committee
SATIRE
Toronto Goodwill asking people to stop donating Leafs jerseys
June 5, 2023, Rob Ito, The Beaverton
The regional board of Goodwill Industries has taken to social media to ask residents of the GTA to please stop leaving Maple Leafs jerseys in their used clothing bins and donation centres, as they currently have more than they could ever want or need.
NOT SATIRE
Rent for student housing is out of control. Is there a fix?
June 12, 2023, Nisha Patel, CBC News
Students are being faced with higher rents and a shortage of supply and some experts say post-secondary institutions need to co-ordinate enrolment levels with the availability of housing.
CAUT NEWS
Keep up to date on the latest news from the CAUT Advocate here.
OCUFA NEWS
RAAS is a member of the Ontario Confederation of University CAUT Associations (OCUFA), a province-wide association of our peers.
Ontario unions to hold media conference on bill 124 appeal
June 16, 2023, The Financial Post
Ontario unions will hold a media conference on Bill 124 in front of the Court of Appeal, Osgoode Hall on Tuesday, June 20 at 9:00 a.m.
Université de Sudbury project: get it done says proponents
June 5, 2023, Heidi Ulrichsen, Sudbury.com
The provincial approval process has been a slow for a French-language university at the University of Sudbury.
SFU celebrates 11-year anniversary as Canada’s leading fair trade campus
May 31, 2023, Mark McLaughlin, The Peak
SFU is the only public university in Canada to achieve Fairtrade Gold Status recognized by Fairtrade Canada and Canadian Fairtrade Network.
Bill 124 retroactive pay costs Ontario government nearly $1B
May 31, 2023, Colin d’Mello, Global News
The Ford government has been forced to give health-care workers nearly a billion dollars in back pay after a court struck down the province’s controversial wage suppression legislation.
UW waives tuition for First Nations students whose traditional territory is on university grounds
May 25, 2023, Robert Williams, Waterloo Region Record
The University of Waterloo is waiving tuition for all qualifying students from First Nations communities on whose traditional territory the university is located.
Mark Your Calendars!!
Please make note of the following three items:
| Item | Key Date |
|---|---|
| Media conference on Bill 124 appeal | Tuesday, June 20 at 9:00 a.m., Osgoode Hall |
| Renison Board Meeting | Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 6:00pm |
| Tenure and promotion application | Member to notify VPAD in writing of their intention to apply for tenure or promotion on or before July 1. |
| OCUFA’s Policy Conference Funding Our Future: Keeping Universities Public | November 30-December 1, 2023, at Yorkville Royal Sonesta Hotel, Toronto. For more details, click here. |
THANK YOU
As we wrap up our last RAAS Report for this academic year, we want to offer a special thank you to all RAAS members. We wouldn’t be the strong union that we are today without the support, commitment, and collaboration from all of you. We have made great strides through the collective efforts of our various committees who have contributed to the protection of faculty rights and well-being. Countless hours have been spent engaging in meaningful discussions, attending training, and organizing meetings which have enriched RAAS’ mission and helped shape a brighter future for Renison faculty.
A special thank you to the committee representatives as well, who contribute to the RAAS Report each month. Your updates have added depth and shed light on various topics that keep our members engaged and connected to the RAAS community. Your input also helps frame the RAAS story and adds the finishing touches to our monthly newsletter.
ONE FINAL THOUGHT
Summertime is finally here,
Let’s toast this academic year.
Researching, marking, and teaching in class,
Advocating through our work with RAAS.
We reflect on our achievements, past and near,
MoUs, grievances, the message is clear,
Collegial governance is shining bright,
In support of what is just and right.
A new Exec is leading the way,
Listening to what we have to say,
Rob, Trish, Jason, Colleen,
Engaged, supportive and always keen.
Kristina’s returning, yet always been near,
And soon to be joined by colleague, Amir,
Our RAAS Executive, they will stand tall,
Supporting members, answering the call.
As the sun shines bright on hot summer days,
They plan, they organize, in countless ways,
Planning for the challenges that lie ahead,
Ensuring RAAS members are duly led.
In this season of warmth, we wish you all rest,
Enjoy the summer with fun and zest.
Curl up with a book, take a stroll down the beach,
So many memories are within your own reach.
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!!!
