The Communiqué – August 2, 2019
August 2, 2019
In this issue:
CUASA Concerned About Cuts to Campus Medical Services
CUASA wishes to inform its membership that discussions at the JCAA level have already begun on the issue of cutting campus medical services to faculty members and retirees. To date, the University has claimed that these services were exclusive for students and only funded by students. The University has not acknowledged that as a party to collective bargaining, funding bargained services is an employer obligation.
The University’s decision to cut services was not brought to CUASA’s attention prior to making the decision to do so, nor is CUASA aware of any additional assistance being provided to CUASA members to help them find new doctors off-campus.
It is CUASA’s position that the administration is in clear violation of the CUASA collective agreement. There is a long-standing practice on campus for the provision of medical services.
Many of our member members have moved from previous positions and locations to come to Carleton University, in part because they were informed that the faculty members had access to family doctors at Health Services. Removing this service is a significant reduction of benefits.
CUASA has received a high volume of inquiries and concerning reports from its members about how the University’s actions are impacting their health care. We encourage you to continue to send your impact statements to [email protected] and/or inform your CUASA Council Representatives.
Please watch for further updates.
MTCU Consultation on “Employee Renewal”
As we told you back in February, CUASA, OCUFA and other faculty associations in the province were asked to consult with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities on the issue of “employee renewal”. We were concerned at the time that the government’s position was that the best way to bring about faculty renewal is by introducing what is tantamount to mandatory retirement.
On June 17, we were asked to attend a second consultation on the same topic, with the Ministry saying that the initial consultation in February had yielded helpful feedback, but did not identify any alternative proposals to address the issue of employee renewal. CUASA participated in the June 24 session, along with OCUFA and other faculty associations. We share OCUFA’s concerns that these consultations are nothing more than “a charade designed to affirm conclusions drawn in advance” (you can read OCUFA’s full opening statement here).
Following the session, we were then invited to provide written submissions on the issue, which were due by July 31. You can read CUASA’s submission to the Ministry here. In it, we cautioned the government about relying on myths and misperceptions about senior faculty, and encouraged them to cease their plans to discriminate against workers who are 65 or older.
CUASA Wants to Know
In last month’s Communiqué, CUASA President Angelo Mingarelli asked for your thoughts on what is or isn’t working for you as a member of this Association. In an effort to provide a more confidential way of sharing your opinions, we have created a brief President’s Survey. What questions you answer are entirely at your discretion, and we welcome any and all responses. You can access the survey here.
Non-Designated Courses on OIRP Reports
We have gotten some questions from members who are seeing “non-designated” courses appearing on their OIRP teaching evaluation reports and wanted to know why this is happening, particularly since the option to designate or non-designated courses has not existed for some time. The reason some members are seeing “non-designated” courses appearing on their recent reports is due to the ongoing pilot project for a new student evaluation tool. This pilot project is currently being carried out using Full Professors, and the results are non-prejudicial to their career decisions. Because OIRP had previously set up their system to include non-designated courses in the past, they are using that again now for the Full Professors involved in the pilot project.
Vacant Steering Positions
The following Steering positions are currently vacant (click the title to see position descriptions):
- Instructor Representative (two-year term, 2019-2021)
- Treasurer (two-year term, 2019-2021)
- External Relations Officer (two-year term, 2019-2021)
- Communications Officer (two-year term, 2019-2021)
- Chair, Equity (two-year term, 2019-2021)
- Chair, Nominations and Elections (two-year term, 2019-2021; note that there is a 0.5 credit teaching release added for this term)
If you are interested in any of these positions, please contact the CUASA Office for a nomination form, either by dropping by 2003 Dunton Tower, or by emailing [email protected].
Our Association is only as strong as its membership, so we count on the time and commitment of our members to achieve our goals. The Collective Agreement recognizes CUASA work as Service in members’ annual reviews. CUASA may purchase teaching releases under Article 18.8(c), subject to budget availability, and application to/approval by the Steering committee.
Call for Committee Volunteers
Two of CUASA’s primary committees are seeking volunteers: the Collective Bargaining Committee, and the Grievance Policy and Administration Committee. For more information on these two committees, please see Bylaw 7 here.
We are also seeking one volunteer for each of the following: the Salary Adjustment Commission, the Joint Committee on Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and the Joint Health and Safety Committee.
If you are interested in volunteering for any of these vacancies, please email [email protected].
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CUASA Communiqué, August 2, 2019 The Communiqué is published by the Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA), 2003 Dunton Tower, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Canada, K1S 5B6. Past issues are archived on the CUASA Web site at CUASA.ca. The Communiqué publishes CUASA-related news and information for our Members and provides Members with a forum to express their CUASA-related ideas and opinions. We want to hear from you! Please send your CUASA-related story ideas, news items, opinion pieces, letters, photographs, and other submissions to the CUASA Office at [email protected]. You can find CUASA’s Accessible Customer Service Policy here. |
