The Communiqué: Volume 46, No. 19 – June 21, 2024
In this Issue:
- CUASA Office Canada Day weekend closure, June 28 to July 2
- Update on Bill 124 agreement implementation
- New allowances for certain benefits
- Instructor conversion to Teaching Stream, July 1
- Rescheduled Teaching Stream Tenure & Promotion Workshop, July 8
- Get involved: Volunteer opportunities at CUASA
- CAUT statement on National Indigenous Peoples Day
- Save the date: Labour Day March and Picnic, September 2
- Updates from OCUFA
CUASA Office Canada Day weekend closure, June 28 to July 2
Please note the CUASA Office will close next Friday, June 28, at 12:00pm for the Canada Day long weekend. The office will reopen on Tuesday, July 2, at 9:00am.
Should you have an urgent matter while the office is closed, please contact Executive Director Jaye Horton at [email protected] and include *URGENT* in the subject line.
Update on Bill 124 agreement implementation
We have learned from the University that CUASA members will receive their retroactive pay and adjusted salaries from the Bill 124 agreement on the June 27 pay deposit. We thank the team in Carleton Human Resources for their hard work to get this implemented quickly.
As previously announced, this agreement applies to current and former CUASA members who were employed during the period of May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2024, who would have been eligible for increases on May 1, 2021, May 1, 2022, or May 1, 2023.
We also have a few notes to share on the implementation:
- The retro payment constitutes pensionable earnings for employees who are actively employed at the time that the agreement was ratified. We have clarified with the University that members who were employed during the period above but have since retired will receive the retro lump sum payment, but will not have any adjustment to their pensions.
- For members who are on maternity/paternity leave and are in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, retroactive payments will be made on your return to work so as not to interfere with the EI leave benefits you are currently receiving. Any payment now from the University would have to be reported and would impact your EI payments. Affected individuals have been flagged and payment will be remitted on your return.
- For members receiving long-term disability (LTD) benefits from the insurance company: if retroactivity is applicable, it will be made when members return to work. If a member does not return to work because of the LTD, they will receive any applicable payment on their retirement.
If you have any questions about the implementation, please contact us at [email protected] and we’ll answer as best we can. You can also direct questions to Carleton Human Resources at [email protected].
New allowances for certain benefits
CUASA recently learned that certain benefit items that should have had increases between in 2021, 2022, and 2023 in accordance with Article 32.2(c) had not been updated as expected. We raised this with the University and were able to come to an agreement to have the amounts adjusted effective April 15, 2024. All claims from this date are allowed to use the new amounts reflected below:
| Benefit Category | Previous Allowance (Sept. 2020) | New Allowance (Apr. 15, 2024) |
| Vision | $650.00 | $950.00 |
| Orthotics | $700.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Massage | $450.00 | $750.00 |
Note, these adjustments apply only to the categories included in the table above.
Instructor conversion to Teaching Stream Faculty, July 1
As we first wrote last fall, Carleton University and CUASA are pleased to announce that, as of July 1, 2024, Instructors will be granted professorial ranks with a teaching stream designation (see below). Furthermore, a new rank of Full Professor, Teaching Stream has been created.
As of July 1, 2024:
- Instructor I will be named Lecturer, Teaching Stream
- Instructor II will be named Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
- Instructor III will be named Associate Professor, Teaching Stream
- Instructor IV will be named Full Professor, Teaching Stream
The University and CUASA are still working to jointly develop promotion criteria, guidelines, and university standards. Accordingly, the 2024-2025 cycle will use the current criteria and processes per Article 10.13 Instructor Promotions and Article 12: Instructor Employees in the Collective Agreement. However, new titles and ranks will apply as per the Memorandum of Agreement.
Members interested in applying for promotion to Full Professor, Teaching Stream will have to wait until the 2025-2026 cycle, as the criteria and guidelines are still being developed.
An official notice from the Provost will be sent to all Teaching Stream Faculty will inform them of their rank and of tenure status. We are aware some members have already received this. If you have not, it should be coming soon.
We are very excited to welcome current Instructors to their new titles and ranks on July 1!
Rescheduled Teaching Stream Tenure & Promotion Workshop, July 8
We are announcing a rescheduled date for the Instructor/Teaching Stream tenure and promotion workshop.
The workshop will now be held on Monday, July 8, from 1:00-3:00pm on Zoom. Advance registration is required – members can find the registration link in their emails, or by contacting [email protected].
If you are an Instructor (soon to be Teaching Stream faculty member) who cannot make the date above, please contact [email protected] if you have any questions, or would like a copy of the materials (once available).
If you are a faculty member or librarian who missed this year’s workshops, please contact [email protected] for a copy of the materials.
Get involved: Volunteer opportunities at CUASA
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:
… join the CUASA Steering Committee
We are still accepting nominations for the following positions (click on the position title to view the description):
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. Please send completed forms to [email protected].
… volunteer on the Grievance Policy and Administration Committee
This Committee helps to set CUASA policy on how to handle member grievances, and works with CUASA staff to support members during the grievance process. The committee meets once a month during the academic year.
… 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 Office at [email protected]. If you are interested in participating in a caucus group, please contact our Equity and Member Services Officer, Max López, at [email protected] for more details.
CAUT statement on National Indigenous Peoples Day
On National Indigenous Peoples Day, CUASA joins CAUT in honouring the enduring achievements and culture of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across Canada.
The day is a reminder to affirm our individual and collective commitments to implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 94 calls to action. CAUT encourages academic staff associations to negotiate amendments to collective agreements to advance greater Indigenization at universities and colleges.
“CAUT and our member associations have pushed for meaningful action on all the recommendations contained in the TRC report, and we will continue to engage with Indigenous members for greater respect of Indigenous knowledge and thought in post-secondary education,” said CAUT president Peter McInnis.
Read the full statement from CAUT.
CAUT Aboriginal Academic Staff Conference
On October 4 and 5, CAUT is organizing the 2024 Aboriginal Academic Staff Conference in Regina, Saskatchewan, to take stock of accomplishments and discuss Indigenous representation and recognition of Indigenous knowledge in post-secondary education.
The theme of the conference is Beyond Words: Translating Indigenization of the Academy Into Practice:
The journey toward Indigenizing the academy, beginning with the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, has been underway for close to 10 years. While much progress has been made, it is clear more work lies ahead to transform the Commission’s call to Indigenize universities and colleges into practice.
The 2024 CAUT Aboriginal Academic Staff Conference will be an important opportunity for Indigenous scholars and their non-Indigenous allies to join with one another in the spirit of reconciliation, build networks and peer support, take stock of what has been accomplished, and identify what more needs to be done. Topics of discussion will include the experiences of Indigenous teachers and researchers, how institutions can best navigate claims of Indigenous identity, and how academic staff associations have worked, through bargaining and advocacy, to improve Indigenous representation and recognition of Indigenous knowledge in post-secondary education.
CUASA has decided to pay for the conference registration, travel, and accommodation costs for two Indigenous members who are interested in attending. If you are interested, please contact our Equity and Member Services Officer, Max López, at [email protected] by July 31. If we receive interest from more than two Indigenous CUASA members, we will do a draw from the names of those interested to choose the two attendees.
Save the date: Labour Day March and Picnic, September 2
Save the date for the Ottawa and District Labour Council (ODLC) Labour Day 2024 march and picnic!
The March begin at 12:00pm, starting at Elgin and Lisgar Streets (by Ottawa City Hall) and going to McNabb Park. The picnic will run from 1:00-4:00pm at McNabb Park (corner of Bronson and Gladstone Avenues).
Come join this free day of family fun and celebration for all, including a barbecue, live music, face painting, and a moon bounce.
Updates from OCUFA
Academic community members recognized for outstanding work by OCUFA Awards of Distinction
CUASA joins OCUFA in extends a big congratulations to the 2023-24 Awards of Distinction recipients—members of the university community who exemplify the best qualities in teaching, librarianship, scholarship, and collective bargaining at Ontario universities; and journalism on Canadian postsecondary education.
“The award recipients made significant contributions to the postsecondary sector, both on and off campus,” said Nigmendra Narain, OCUFA President. “It ‘takes a village’ to build and maintain a thriving university community, and that’s why the awards reflect the multifaceted professions in the sector.”
We offer a special kudos to CUASA member Heather MacDonald, Health and Biosciences Librarian, on being awarded the OCUFA Academic Librarianship Award.
Congratulations to Heather, and all of this year’s award winners!
See the full statement and list of winners from OCUFA.
OCUFA succeeds in getting universities exempted from harmful bankruptcy laws
After years of advocacy, OCUFA and its allies have successfully secured passage of federal legislation that will exclude public universities from the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA).
OCUFA welcomes news that the House of Commons Bill C-59, which included the amendments to CCAA and BIA, passed the third reading in the federal Senate on June 19 and is awaiting Royal Assent to be passed into law.
“Public universities are not businesses and should not be treated as such, and this bill is a crucial piece of legislation that will protect university students, faculty and staff from corporate-style restructuring policies that prioritize creditors over the public interest,” said Jenny Ahn, Executive Director of OCUFA.
Read the full statement from OCUFA.
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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