Annual General Meeting - TODAY

CUASA Steering has been working hard on behalf of CUASA members, tackling a number of on-going issues of importance to the membership. For a review of the past year’s events and of on-going issues that remain to be resolved, please plan to attend the Annual General Meeting:

April 10, 2012 from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
5050 Minto Case

CUASA Representation

CUASA would like to remind its members that you have the right to CUASA representation at meetings with the employer regarding your employment. We strongly encourage you to consult with CUASA when it comes to any substantial career events such as sabbatical, retirement and tenure and promotion. Contact information is located at the bottom of this message.

You Are CUASA

For over 37 years, CUASA has been here for you. We bargain on your behalf. We represent you in grievances. We work with our affiliates to improve your working conditions. But people sometimes wonder who CUASA actually is and what we do. In this special edition of the CUASA Communiqué, we’re going to address these exact questions.

The fact is that you are CUASA. Yes, we have elected officials, committee members and staff, but CUASA is a membership driven professional association. That means that without your support, without your involvement, CUASA doesn’t function.

When you spend five minutes voting on a constitutional amendment or filling out a bargaining survey, you’re supporting the work of CUASA. When you attend one of our workshops or social events, you’re supporting the work of CUASA. And when you volunteer for a committee or elected position, you’re supporting the work of CUASA.

We’re Your Representative

CUASA negotiates the Collective Agreements that outline the terms and conditions of your employment at Carleton. From 2000-2010, this means that academic staff salaries (excluding lump sum increases and CDIs) increased 32.94%. In that same period, there were also improvements to the Professional Expense Reimbursement and the benefits plans. Not only do we work to improve your salaries and benefits, we continually work hard to protect you from attempts by the administration to reduce the protections afforded to you by the Collective Agreement.

We’re Your Voice

CUASA works with our affiliates to improve post-secondary education in Ontario. CUASA is your voice on issues ranging from Navitas and CultureWorks to academic freedom and the quality of education. Our close relationship with the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Ontario Confederation of Faculty Associations means that we are frequently involved in advocating on provincial and national issues.

We’re Your Advocate

Dealing with issues relating to your employment can be time consuming and stressful. That’s why CUASA’s highly trained grievance officers and staff are present to help with any issue that you could face in the workplace. They are there for consultation, advice and to offer support.

CUASA recognizes the importance of participation and getting out to meet members, listen to their views and act on their suggestions. We’re working to communicate with you more effectively through our redesigned website and our Facebook and Twitter accounts. We’re also working to host more workshops and events, such as Academics by the Glass, to give you more opportunities to participate in the Association.

We Want to Hear From You

This edition of the Communique is all about what CUASA does on your behalf, but more importantly we would like to hear from you. Is there something we can do better? Is there something that we're not doing that you'd like to see us do - maybe a new event or a workshop?

Send your feedback to Daniel Draper, Member Services Officer at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!