The Communiqué: Volume 46, No. 15 – Apr. 19, 2024 – Carleton University Academic Staff Association

The Communiqué: Volume 46, No. 15 – Apr. 19, 2024

In this Issue:

Next week: CUASA’s April General Meeting – April 24 (Virtual)
Update on Post-Bill 124 Renegotiations
Expiration of the 2021-2024 Collective Agreement – April 30
Save the Date: Annual Tenure and Promotion Workshops – May 7-15 (Virtual)
Campus United Webinar on Carleton University Finances – April 30 (Hybrid)
Last Call: 2024 Steering Committee Elections
Get involved: Other Volunteer Opportunities at CUASA, Large and Small
National Day of Mourning Ceremony – April 28
Take action: Tell your MPP to stop Bill 166 now!
Updates from CAUT

Next week: CUASA’s April General Meeting – April 24 (Virtual)

The CUASA April General Meeting (AGM) will be held next Wednesday, April 24, from 1:30-3:30pm.

Registration and Materials

The AGM will be held on Zoom. Advance registration is required. Members can find the links to access the materials and register in their emails (please contact [email protected] if you can’t find them).

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].

Our volunteers, councillors, and staff are looking forward to meeting you. The Association’s power to improve work conditions rests on the strength of its membership.

Proposed Dues Increase

Please note: In accordance with Article X: Dues of the CUASA Constitution, notice is hereby given that the Finance Committee will be asking the membership to approve an increase to the dues rate (a.k.a. mill rate) that members pay to CUASA.

Information on this proposed change has been shared with members by email. Additional details will be shared at the AGM. Members interested in learning more, or who wish to participate in the discussion of this proposal, are strongly encouraged to register to attend the meeting. If you have any questions in the meantime, do not hesitate to contact the Council members of your unit or CUASA’s main office directly at [email protected].

Update on Post-Bill 124 Renegotiations

As previously announced, CUASA has been meeting with 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 have had three meetings so far – March 26, April 10, and April 12 – and are currently working to schedule future meetings. Discussions are ongoing and, as bargaining traditions require, details have to remain behind closed doors until an agreement is reached. Members are encouraged to watch for updates in future Communiqués, on the CUASA website, and on CUASA’s social media channels.

Expiration of the 2021-2024 Collective Agreement – April 30

We are now a little over ten days away from the expiration of the 2021-2024 collective agreement. The Collective Bargaining Committee is hard at work preparing for the upcoming round of negotiations.

Per the terms of Article 32 (p. 146): “Duration and Continuance of the Agreement”, the terms and conditions of the collective agreement continue to remain in force until a new agreement is reached, or until a strike or lock-out is declared.

As always, updates will be shared on the bargaining process through our email messages and on the CUASA website.

Save the Date: Annual Tenure/Confirmation and Promotion Workshops – May 7-15 (Virtual)

Each spring CUASA presents Tenure/Confirmation and Promotion workshops, which cover the process for applying for tenure/confirmation and/or promotion, the preparation of dossiers, and the appeals process in the event of a denial, organized around each of the ranks of CUASA members.

The dates and times for this year’s five workshops are as follows:

Instructor/Teaching Stream Tenure and Promotion – Tuesday, May 7, 1:30-3:30pm
Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor – Wednesday, May 8, 9:30-11:30am (also repeated on May 15, see below)
Promotion to Full Professor – Wednesday, May 8, 1:30-3:30pm
Librarian Confirmation and Promotion – Tuesday, May 14, 1:30-3:30pm
Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor – Wednesday, May 15, 1:30-3:30pm

All workshops will be held virtually on Zoom. Members can find the links to register in their emails (please contact [email protected] if you can’t).

Campus United Webinar on Carleton University Finances – April 30 (Hybrid)

Campus United, a group made up of the seven labour and two student unions at Carleton, will be presenting a webinar about the current funding climate and a panel discussion about Carleton University’s budget and finances, and Bill 124.

The event will be held on Tuesday, April 30, from 5:00-7:00pm, and will be a hybrid format. Those wishing to attend in person can join us at Porter Hall (231 Nideyinàn). Those wishing to attend virtually can join us on Zoom (members can find the Zoom link in their emails).

The webinar will feature a keynote presentation from Preethy Sivakumar of CUPE Ontario, and a panel discussion with Noreen Cauley-Le Fevre (President, CUPE 4600), Jerrett Clark (President, CUPE 2424), and our own Pierre Cloutier de Repentigny (Chief Negotiator, CUASA), followed by a question period.

Last Call: 2024 Steering Committee Elections

We are accepting nominations until April 26 for the Steering Committee for terms beginning on July 1, 2024. 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.

National Day of Mourning Ceremony – April 28

On Sunday April 28, individuals and organizations will gather to mourn the loss of life and injury to workers due to workplace accidents.

The Ottawa and District Labour Council (ODLC) will be holding a Memorial Service in Vincent Massey Park at the CLC Monument for workers killed or injured on the job commencing at 12:30pm on Sunday, April 28. President Dominique Marshall will be in attendance to lay a rose on behalf of CUASA members. We are encouraging everyone to attend this one-hour ceremony.

CUASA remains committed to protecting workers and preventing further workplace tragedies. Every worker has the right to return home safely at the end of every work day. Together, we can prevent worker injuries and deaths before they occur.

Take Action: Tell your MPP to stop Bill 166 now!

From the Coalition Against Political Interference in Public Research and Education in Ontario:

Bill 166, the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, claims to protect student safety and inclusion. Instead, it demonstrates the Ford government’s continued failure to understand mental health and anti-racism, and its insistence on trying to control post-secondary institutions rather than fund them.

Bill 166 gives unprecedented powers to the Minister of Colleges and Universities to direct the specific topics and elements of any post-secondary institution’s mental health and anti-racism policies, and to take unspecified action if the Minister thinks the institution has not complied. This ignores decades of research and best practices on mental health and equity, and endangers the considerable work already being done in these areas on Ontario campuses.

For more information, or to send a letter to your MPP, click here.

Updates from CAUT

Federal budget provides welcome investments in research

CAUT says this week’s federal budget delivered investments for researchers across the country, including long-awaited and much-needed increases to graduate and post-doctoral fellowships as well as increases to core research funding.

“This investment in Canada’s next generation of researchers will help recruit promising scholars and support them as they advance our understanding of the world around us,” said Peter McInnis, president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). “It will encourage early-career scientists and researchers to develop their ideas and innovations here, benefitting all Canadians.”

See the full statement from CAUT.

See CAUT’s budget round-up on post-secondary education and research.

CAUT calls on the Alberta government to scrap Bill 18

CAUT is calling on the Government of Alberta to protect scientific integrity and academic freedom, and prevent the potential loss of millions of dollars in funding for the province’s university and college researchers by immediately withdrawing or amending Bill 18.

According to public comments made by Premier Danielle Smith, the Provincial Priorities Act would give the Alberta government the power to review federal research funds received by university-based researchers to ensure they align with the provincial government’s political priorities.

See the full statement from CAUT.

Saint Mary’s faculty vote no confidence in president and chair

Members of the Saint Mary’s University Faculty Union (SMUFU) have voted 91.1% in favour of a motion of no confidence in the university’s president and the chair of the board of governors.

Academic staff are decrying the administration’s lack of collegial governance as the university faces financial problems.

“SMUFU has made multiple requests to the administration for basic information about the financial condition of the university, but they have refused to be accountable and transparent about the true financial picture at Saint Mary’s,” said SMUFU President Cathy Conrad in a press release.

See the full statement from CAUT.

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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