The Communiqué: Volume 46, No. 14 – Apr. 5, 2024 – Carleton University Academic Staff Association

The Communiqué: Volume 46, No. 14 – Apr. 5, 2024

In this Issue:

Start of Post-Bill 124 Renegotiations – March 26
Upcoming Bargaining Town Halls – April 12 and 18
Save the Date & Register: CUASA’s April General Meeting – April 24 (Virtual)
Report on CUASA at OCUFA’s Advocacy Day at Queen’s Park – March 20
Updates on CUASA Staff
Nominations Open until April 26: 2024 Steering Committee Elections
Get involved: Other Volunteer Opportunities at CUASA, Large and Small
Benefits Plan Updates
Updates from OCUFA and CAUT

Start of Post-Bill 124 Renegotiations – March 26

Three weeks ago, CUASA officially requested the Employer to renegotiate salary increases for the period of May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2024, that was previously capped to a maximum 1% because of the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, commonly referred to as Bill 124.

The parties met on March 26, to exchange initial proposals. CUASA tabled its first proposal seeking to account for the high inflation experienced the last few years, and to try and close the gap between our members’ salaries and those of faculty at other comprehensive universities in Ontario.

CUASA and the University are scheduled to meet again next week to continue our discussions and try to reach an agreement. Please watch for updates in upcoming Communiqués or on the CUASA website.

Upcoming Bargaining Town Halls – April 12 and 18

The CUASA Collective Bargaining Committee is hosting two upcoming town halls to gather feedback and suggestions on proposals the Negotiating Team could bring to the table.

The planned town halls are:

Finance and Salary – Friday, April 12, 1:00-2:30pm – hybrid (CB 3101 or on Zoom)
Workload – Thursday, April 18, 10:00-11:30am – hybrid (CB 3101 or on Zoom)

Members can find registration information in their emails (please contact [email protected] if you can’t find it).

If you’re interested or impacted by these issues, please register for the event and share your thoughts with us to contribute to the collective bargaining process. If you cannot attend but would like to share your ideas on these issues, please contact Pierre at [email protected].

Save the Date & Register: CUASA’s April General Meeting – April 24 (Virtual)

Please save the date for our upcoming April General Meeting (AGM), to be held on Wednesday, April 24, from 1:30-3:30pm. The agenda and meeting materials will be released closer to the date.

The AGM will be held on Zoom. Members can find the registration link in their emails (please contact [email protected] if you can’t find it).

Note: Only Association members, meaning those who have returned a completed membership form, may participate in the internal administration of CUASA. Staff will be checking AGM registrations against the membership list and will contact any registrants who have not completed a membership form to ask them to do so before their registration will be approved. If you have any questions or wish to verify your membership status, please contact [email protected].

Report on CUASA at OCUFA’s Advocacy Day at Queen’s Park – March 20

On March 20, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) convened for an impactful Advocacy Day at the Ontario Legislative Assembly. The event aimed to engage with Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) and advocate for key issues facing post-secondary education. CUASA External Relations Officer Dipto Sarkar and President Dominique Marshall visited the Queens Park Office of four MPPs, representing different political parties for 30 minutes each. They also attended Question Period, where the presence of OCUFA was loudly acknowledged. (Photo credits: Hind Eideh, OCUFA)

With Chandra Pasma (centre), MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean, NDP.

With Joel Harden (centre), MPP for Ottawa Centre, NDP.

With Aris Babikian (centre), MPP for Scarborough-Agincourt, Progressive Conservative.

With John Fraser (centre), MPP for Ottawa South, Liberal.

The conversations centered around critical issues affecting post-secondary education, emphasizing the impacts of chronic underfunding on student success, and equitable policies. We added stories from Carleton and Ottawa coming from CUASA membership to equip MPPs with local examples, and answered many of their questions on the nature of our work.

The four priorities of OCUFA are:

Increasing funding for Ontario universities by compounded annual increases of 11.75 per cent for five years to bring Ontario up to the national average in per-student funding.
Helping Ontario universities meet and enhance their missions through sustained, long-term investment, to ensure universities can thrive as educational, economic, and cultural hubs in Ontario communities.
Scrapping the proposed performance-based funding model for universities
Supporting the establishment of a strategy for faculty renewal and pathways for contract faculty towards permanent jobs and stability in their professions

Updates on CUASA Staff

As part of the recent round of collective bargaining between CUASA and Unifor Local 567 (representing members of CUASA Staff), the parties agreed on changes to the CUASA Staff model. As part of this, Grievance and Arbitration Support Services Assistants Alex Aucoin and Hanan Mankal have been promoted to new roles as Grievance and Arbitration Officers. Alex and Hanan joined CUASA in February 2019 on student placements as part of their licenced paralegal program at the Algonquin Careers Academy, and recently celebrated five years as part of the CUASA Staff team. Their tireless work to support our members through the grievance process is invaluable. Recently, Alex has been working toward a Bachelor of Human Resources and Labour Relations from Athabasca University. Hanan is currently taking the Certificate in Health Law from Osgoode PD at York University.

We are also excited to announce that Research Officer (Equity) Max López’s title has changed to Equity and Member Services Officer. This update more accurately reflects Max’s duties and responsibilities in service to the membership. Max joined CUASA in March 2022 on a limited-term appointment that was later converted to a continuing position. They recently marked their second anniversary with CUASA.

Nominations Open until April 26: 2024 Steering Committee Elections

We are accepting nominations for the Steering Committee for terms beginning on July 1, 2024 until April 26. The Steering Committee helps to set direction for the union, and administers Association policies. This committee meets once a month during the academic year, typically on Thursday afternoons, and roles on this Committee typically include teaching releases in exchange for your service.

New this year: As nominations are received, we will be updating the Get Involved webpage to list which positions have already received nominations, and who the nominated members are – click on their names so that you can get to know a little about them.

Nominations are now open for the following positions whose term of two years has expired (click on the position title to view the description):

Nominations must be submitted by Friday, April 26. Please send completed nomination forms to [email protected].

We are also still looking for a volunteer to serve as CUASA’s Vice President, for the term ending June 30, 2025. This is an essential role, and we would greatly appreciate having someone volunteer and help support the work of the President.

All nominations must be made using the form found here. All nomination forms must include the signatures of the nominee and two Association members as nominators.

If you have any questions about the positions or the process, please contact CUASA’s Chair, Nominations and Elections, Wasiu Raji, at [email protected].

Get involved: Other Volunteer Opportunities at CUASA, Large and Small

The Association is as strong as its membership, so we count on the time, ideas and commitment of members to achieve and update CUASA’s goals. If you’d like to contribute to CUASA’s work and positions, here are some ways you can help:

… help us prepare for the 2024 round by joining the Collective Bargaining Committee

The collective agreement will expire on April 30, 2024, and our Collective Bargaining Committee is hard at work preparing for the 2024 round of negotiations. We’re looking for some new members to help us prepare. The committee usually meets once a month, but may have additional meetings as we get closer to the spring.

… serve as a member of Anti-Racism Working Group

This Working Group is open to any CUASA member interested in addressing the issue of racism at Carleton. It usually meets once a month during the academic year.

… join one of our Caucus Groups

CUASA’s 2SLBGTQIA+ Pride Caucus and Disability Caucus are now meeting regularly, and we are happy to welcome new members. These caucus groups are intended to be a way for people from equity-seeking groups to find community connections, socialize, organize, support one another, and share ideas with each other and with CUASA. These groups usually meet once a month.

For more information, or to volunteer for any of these positions, please contact the CUASA’s Chair, Nominations and Elections, Wasiu Raji, at [email protected]. If you are interested in participating in a caucus group, please contact our Research Officer (Equity), Max López, at [email protected] for more details.

Benefits Plan Updates

Each year, the University invites CUASA and representatives from other campus unions to an annual meeting for “Benefit Renewal Meeting.” On March 5, the 2024/2025 benefit year was discussed, which runs from May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025. Premium rates for benefits will be adjusted effective April 1, 2024. The summary of the changes can be found here. For more information on the changes, contact Brett Stevens, CUASA’s Salary and Benefits Officer at [email protected]. For more information on benefits for CUASA members, see our webpage.

Updates from OCUFA and CAUT

Ontario budget gets failing grade from university professors – March 26

OCUFA said the 2024 Ontario Budget gets a failing grade for not supporting the province’s public universities.

“This budget fails the test of investing in the long-term health of our world-class publicly funded universities,” said Nigmendra Narain, OCUFA President. “Universities are in a crisis that the province manufactured through chronic underfunding. It doesn’t have to be this way and Ontarians deserve much better.”

Read the full statement from OCUFA.

Ontario’s allocation of international student spots misses the big picture – March 27

OCUFA welcomed recent news that almost all international study permits will be allocated to Ontario’s publicly funded universities and colleges but warned that distributing study permits based solely on immediate labour market needs misses the big picture.

“Ontario’s public universities prepare students for the jobs and challenges of today and tomorrow, and teach vital critical thinking and research skills that drive lifelong careers,” said Nigmendra Narain, OCUFA President. “Restricting international study permits to current market needs ignores the very mission of a university education and will still perpetuate exploitative tuition practices. We urge the government to change course on this approach.”

Read the full statement from OCUFA.

You can subscribe to OCUFA bi-weekly reports HERE.

CAUT Memorandum on Research Security Restrictions

CAUT remains concerned about the impact of the new research security restrictions announced by the government of Canada this January on academic freedom and international scientific collaboration. The adoption of two new sets of regulations, Sensitive Technology Research Areas and Named Research Organizations, threaten to increase the chill on specific academic research and partnerships, and add to a growing climate of fear on university and college campuses.

CAUT is aware of several reports of an increased presence of agents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) on campus. Many administrations are actively collaborating and sharing information with CSIS. Academic staff of Chinese descent, and those conducting research related to China, Russia, or Iran are particularly vulnerable to surveillance and suspicion.

If your research is being questioned, if you are notified that they are being investigated for allegations related to international research collaboration, or if you are approached by CSIS agents, please contact CUASA immediately at [email protected].

CAUT has established a national reference group to assist with the collection of information on the impact of the research security measures. Members wishing to report any difficulties or incidents related to research security are encouraged to contact CAUT Executive Director David Robinson in confidence at [email protected].

CAUT March Advocate

Every month CAUT issues a newsletter with the latest CAUT and post-secondary education sector news. In the March issue:

Budget 2024 – Join the call for increased research funding
Equity training
CCAA: Bill C-59 passes second reading

The Communiqué is published by the Carleton University Academic Staff Association. Past issues are archived on our website at CUASA.ca.
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