The Communiqué: Volume 47, No. 2 – October 8, 2024
In This Issue:
- CUASA Bargaining News
- Save the Date – CUASA GMM Oct. 31 Register Now.
- Sabbatical Funding – Important Travel and Accommodation Information
- Call for Nominations: Chair, Nominations and Elections
- Faculty Awards – Apply by October 31st
- Get involved! 2SLBGTQIA+ Pride Caucus and Disability Caucus
- Updates from OCUFA
- Other News
Bargaining News
The first of three meetings with Carleton happening in October took place on October 3rd. CUASA and Carleton exchanged bargaining protocols with those in place we hope to begin bargaining in earnest at the end of the month! Watch your email and the CUASA website for bargaining updates going forward!
The 2021-24 Collective Agreement remains in force until a new agreement is concluded by both parties, or until a lockout or strike. CUASA will continue to regularly inform its members on collective bargaining.
CUASA GMM
The CUASa Fall General Membership Meeting is October 31st from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Members are required to register in advance to attend.
Sabbatical Plans – Due October 31st
Members submitting Sabbatical Plans should consult the updated Travel and Related Expenses Policy paying particular attention to Section 4.1. Budgeting for Sabbatical travel is crucially affected.
4.1 Living Expenses
No living or personal expenses, such as meals and accommodation, can be reimbursed while on sabbatical or research leave. Personal or living expenses are not reimbursable under BPSAA.
Expenditures incurred during a sabbatical or research leave are subject to additional restrictions by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and applicable law. While travelling expenses are allowable, if a temporary base is established in a location other than the traveler’s home during a sabbatical or research leave, CRA deems this to be temporarily residing in that location, and meals and accommodation would be considered personal and living expenses and are not eligible research expenses.
Travelers should consult with Research Post-Award or Research Financial Services prior to making research-related travel plans during leave.
Carleton has confirmed that they have sought and received the legal opinion that according to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Guidelines stays of 30 days or longer are considered sojourning and thus accommodation and meals are considered personal living expenses and ineligible as research expenses.
CUASA has requested a legal opinion on this matter from Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and will update members accordingly.
Carleton further directs faculty to their Sabbatical Research Grant (SRG) page to determine the eligibility of research expenses.
I you have any questions please reach out to CUASA’s Member Services and Communication Officer, Brittainy Bonnis.
Call for Nominations on CUASA’s Steering Committee: Chair, Nominations and Elections
We are currently accepting nominations for the position of Chair, Nominations and Elections.
The Nominations and Elections Committee duties include managing the process of elections for vacant positions on CUASA bodies and notifying CUASA members of elections in which they are elegible to vote. The Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee is a voting member of the CUASA Steering Committee and an Ex officio voting member of CUASA Council. The term is of two years. They receive the equivalent of 0.5 course release in compensation annually.
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].
The Carleton University Research Achievement Awards are administered by the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International). Established in 1989, the purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding research achievements. They are defined under the CUASA Collective Agreement Article 41.2 and are available to faculty employees only.Each year ten (10) awards are granted to Carleton researchers. Each award is valued at $15,000. The award is intended to enhance the research productivity of the recipients. Completed applications must be submitted to your faculty Dean by October 31 via cuResearch.
See also the Acheivements Awards and CU-CUASA Special Fund for EDI Research and Pedagogical Innovation
Get involved!
CUASA’s 2SLBGTQIA+ Pride Caucus and Disability Caucus are now meeting regularly, and are happy to welcome new members. These caucus groups are intended to be an informal 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. Groups usually meet once a month.
If you are interested in participating in these caucus groups, please contact our Equity and Member Services Officer, Max López, at [email protected] for more details.
Updates from OCUFA
Bargaining Stronger Together conference recap
Bargaining Stronger Together conference, held in September in Toronto, was a big success. The two-day event brought together the OCUFA Executive and Collective Bargaining Committee, as well as association presidents and other members who support bargaining, to discuss recommended priorities and standards and how to achieve them. The conference opened with a panel on decolonization, […]
Read the full update from OCUFA
Other News
Landmark Victory: McGill University Officially Recognizes Three Professors’ Unions After almost two years of battling McGill University’s challenge to their certification, members of the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) can finally breathe a sigh of relief. In an agreement signed yesterday by both parties, the university’s administration has agreed to recognize AMPL and negotiate its first collective […] Read the full update here
CUASA Joins the Line CUASA staff and President Dominique Marshall were on the line with Best Theratronics Unifor Local 1541 yesterday. The workers, who manufacture and develop life-saving cancer equipment, have been out since May 1st. See photo here.
The Ottawa and District Labour Council In response to the local impacts of the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, United for All and United Way East Ontario hosted a conversation with scholars Mira Sucharov and Omar Dajani on identity, solidarity, and how we talk about Israel-Palestine. Omar Dajani, a Palestinian-American law professor and Mira Sucharov, a Canadian-Jewish political scientist, have been working together intensively for three years, including traveling together six times to Israel/Palestine as they write a book and develop a podcast on Diaspora attachments and a search for equality. In this moderated panel discussion, they discuss challenges facing North American communities in the current moment. In addition to providing analysis of the events in Israel/Palestine since the attacks of October 7, 2023, and the ensuing brutal war in Gaza, Dajani and Sucharov will focus on ways we can better support one another here in Canada against the backdrop of rising antisemitism, anti-Palestinian racism, and Islamophobia. This conversation took place on October 1, 2024. You can watch the full recording of the session here.
From: University of Saskatchewan – Dr. Rachel Loewen Walker We are recruiting post-secondary instructors, researchers, and staff to complete an online survey for a study entitled “Queering the Academy: Experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ Academics in Canadian Higher Education.” The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ post-secondary instructors and researchers in Canada. In particular, we are looking to recruit current instructors/researchers who identify as gender and/or sexually diverse (e.g., trans, nonbinary, Two Spirit, lesbian, queer).
If you are eligible and interested in participating, you will be asked to complete an online survey containing both demographic questions and questions related to your experience as a 2SLGBTQ+ person working in a higher education setting. The survey will take 30-45 minutes to complete – survey data will be recorded anonymously and reported in aggregate form. Survey link and additional information on study.
This project has been reviewed and approved by the University of Saskatchewan Behavioural Research Ethics Board.
Canadian Pension Plan Investments Public Meeting CPP Investments hosts in-person public meetings across Canada every 2 years as part of our commitment to engage directly with the more than 22 million contributors and beneficiaries of the CPP. You are welcome to come and learn about various topics, including how and where we invest, our performance, the financial sustainability of the CPP and more. These meetings will provide you with an opportunity to participate in our question-and-answer sessions to gain insights about how we are working to help grow the CPP Fund!
Ontario Public Meeting. Thursday, October 10, 2024 | 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The Westin Ottawa, 11 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, K1N 9H4. Register here.
The Communiqué is published by the Carleton University Academic Staff Association. Past issues are archived on our website at CUASA.ca. The Communiqué publishes CUASA-related news and information for our members.
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