The Communiqué – March 3, 2020
March 3, 2020
In this issue:
- Nominations for Steering Positions
- Call for Committee Volunteers
- Please Complete the 2021 Round Pre-Bargaining Survey
- Solidarity with Teachers and Education Workers
- Solidarity with CUPE 4600
- Statement on Wet’suwet’en Conflict
- Note on Peer Evaluations
- Sugar Bush Social Event
- CUASA Director Honoured with OCUFA Award
Nominations for Steering Positions
In accordance with Article IX: Elections and Vacancies of the CUASA Constitution, the nominations period is open for executive positions on the CUASA Steering committee.
Nominations are open for the following positions, each for a two-year term (click on the title to see position descriptions):
Please note that in accordance with Article 18.8(a), the positions of President and Chair, Grievance Policy and Administration are not required to teach more than one full course during the term of office.
For all other positions, CUASA Council has recently passed a motion that each position on Steering will receive a 0.5 credit course release. The Instructor Representative will receive a 1.0 credit course release. If an Instructor holds a different position on Steering other than Instructor Representative, they will receive an additional 0.5 release, where possible.
All nominations must be made using the form found here. Two signatures from Association members are required as nominators, and the nominee must also sign to accept the nomination. Once all three signatures have been made, the form can be remitted to the CUASA Office (2003 Dunton Tower) either in person or via internal mail.
Nominations for the position of President must be received by 4:00pm on Tuesday, March 31. Nominations for all other positions will remain open until Monday, April 27.
If you are interested in any of the positions above, we strongly ask that you consider running. We return to the bargaining table next year, and will need the support of our members for this important work. Remember that 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.
If you have any questions about the nominations or elections process, or about any of the positions above, please direct them to Deborah Jackson at [email protected].
Call for Committee Volunteers
The Collective Bargaining Committee is seeking one or two members from the Faculty of Public Affairs to join its ranks and help prepare for the next round of bargaining. For more information on the CBC, please see Bylaw 7 here.
We are also seeking volunteers for CUASA’s Internal Affairs Committee, as well as one volunteer for the Salary Adjustment Commission and one for the Joint Committee on Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
If you are interested in volunteering for any of these vacancies, please email [email protected].
Please Complete the 2021 Round Pre-Bargaining Survey
We want to thank those members who have already completed the pre-bargaining survey!
If you haven’t yet, please consider taking a few minutes to do so we can learn the major concerns/issues of CUASA bargaining unit members ahead of the 2021 round.
CUASA members can find a link to the survey in their email. It will run until March 31, 2020.
Please note that this survey is meant only for CUASA bargaining unit members. We kindly ask that you please not share the link to the survey.
Each week, we’ve been introducing members of the Collective Bargaining Committee. Click here to see who we’ve introduced so far. Watch your email for more introductions between now and March 31.
Thank you for your support! Your input is important and will guide us as we begin planning for bargaining.
Solidarity with Teachers and Education Workers
We at CUASA are committed to standing in solidarity with Ontario’s elementary and high school teachers and other education workers, and their unions, as they strive to defend the quality of teaching and learning in Ontario’s public education system. We demonstrate our solidarity by walking the picket lines with teachers during their one-day walkouts and via a public ad campaign.
Click here to see the ad CUASA ran in the Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Sun on Friday, February 21.
Solidarity with CUPE 4600
CUPE 4600 has called a strike vote for Unit 2, representing Contract Instructors. CUASA stands in solidarity with CUPE 4600 in their ongoing bargaining with Carleton University. Further information on any job action from Unit 2 and its effects on CUASA members will be passed along as it becomes available.
Statement on Wet’suwet’en Conflict
CUASA is pleased to hear of the very recent events surrounding a tentative agreement over land titles to the Wet’suwet’en people in British Columbia, and encourages the parties to settle the dispute over the pipeline question as soon as possible.
Note on Peer Evaluations
Many units on campus are currently reviewing and updating their unit standards for tenure and promotion. CUASA has received questions from members about including peer evaluations as part of their unit standards. Part of the criteria for unit standards includes evaluating teaching effectiveness, which encompasses more than just student teaching evaluations.
The collective agreement allows for peer evaluations under Article 25.4. Peer evaluations cannot be conducted without the consent of the employee being evaluated. This was acknowledged by both CUASA and Carleton University in the previous round of collective bargaining.
Any unit standards that authorize peer evaluations without consent, or indicate that only student teaching evaluations should be used to evaluate teaching effectiveness, should be reported to CUASA immediately. CUASA encourages all its members to review Appendix B during the unit standards drafting process. Appendix B is negotiated provision of the collective agreement and cannot be infringed on by unit standards.
Sugar Bush Social Event
We still have some spots available for our social event at the Sucrerie du Terroir in Val-des-Monts, QC, on Saturday, March 28, at 2:00pm.
Tickets include an all you can eat lunch. On the menu, you will find mountaineer pea soup, traditional omelette, roasted potatoes, country style sausages, bacon rinds, maple pork tenderloin, healthy baked beans, Creton, pancakes freshly baked bread, and maple mousse small tarts. Sucrerie du Terroir also offers at will maple toffee on snow and roasted marshmallows. You can bring your own wine and beer.
In lieu of providing a bus, CUASA will be offering a discounted rate for adult tickets (age 12 and over) at $25 instead of the regular $29.50. Children 11 and under will be paid for by the Association. Members are expected to arrange their own transportation to and from the sugar bush. The address is 796 Fogarty Rd., Val-des-Monts, QC.
CUASA has reserved a limited number of tickets for this event, and they are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please reserve your tickets by emailing [email protected]. Payment can be by cash or cheque is due by March 13, 2020. You can pay in person at the CUASA Office (2003 Dunton Tower), or by internal mail. When emailing to reserve tickets, please provide the number of adults (12 and over), the number of children age 8-11, and the number age 2-7. Children under the age of 2 get in free.
CUASA Director Honoured with OCUFA Award
CUASA extends sincere congratulations to our Director and Senior Grievance and Arbitration Officer, Christal Côté, who has been honoured with the inaugural OCUFA Award for Outstanding Contribution to Grievance/Arbitration. Thanks, Christal, for all your hard work on behalf of CUASA members!
“In the inaugural year for this award, we honour Christal Côté for her dedicated service as Senior Grievance and Arbitration Officer for CUASA and for her significant contributions to the OCUFA Grievance Committee,” said Rahul Sapra, OCUFA President. “Côté has shown a remarkable capacity to empathise with members and expertly support them through the grievance process.”
Click here to read OCUFA’s full release announcing Christal’s award.
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CUASA Communiqué, March 3, 2020 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. |
