You may have heard that Laurentian University recently filed for creditor protection. This news, coupled with some Senior Administrators discussing deficits in terms of “number of faculty positions they no longer have funding for,” has many faculty worried about job security at the University of Saskatchewan. Let us assure you that faculty jobs are largely… Continue reading It is Still About Choice
Author: Abbie
CAUT Forum on French-speaking universities in pandemic times
From apprehended crisis to critical emergency Friday, February 26, 2021 at 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) Canada’s French-speaking universities were already on an alarming trajectory before COVID-19 hit. The pandemic has exacerbated the pressures on Francophone university education in a minority context and things have now gone from urgent to critical. The Forum will… Continue reading CAUT Forum on French-speaking universities in pandemic times
Have you taken vacation this year?
According to the Collective Agreement (Article 19), you are entitled to six weeks of annual paid vacation, unless your appointment is less than full time in which case your vacation entitlement is pro-rated. Unlike most workers, you do not earn your vacation. It is available to you on the effective date of your appointment. Your… Continue reading Have you taken vacation this year?
Collectively Speaking – January 2021
Our issue of Collectively Speaking for January 2021 contains a summary of collective bargaining from universities across Canada as reported at the CAUT Council meeting in November. With less than 18 months left in the term of our Collective Agreement, this will provide you with a sense of the current national bargaining landscape. This issue… Continue reading Collectively Speaking – January 2021
Balancing your assignment of duties
Some faculty members have already begun collegial discussions about assignment of duties in their units for the 2021-2022 academic year. Many members have contacted the Association about unfairness and inequitability in the workload assignment in recent years, and particularly during the lockdown. The major changes in teaching culture might be a good time to revisit… Continue reading Balancing your assignment of duties
University Council motion in support of rejecting the active/inactive researcher designation
Members of the Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work Committee of University Council have voted to put forward the following motion to University Council. There is a notice of the motion in this month’s council meeting agenda: “It is recommended that University Council support in principle a) the rejection of the use of “active/inactive” designations for researchers… Continue reading University Council motion in support of rejecting the active/inactive researcher designation
Invitation to Indigenous USFA members
USFA Chair Allison Muri and Vice-Chair Doug Chivers, invite Indigenous USFA members to join them for open discussions on topics of members’ choosing. To allow members to participate when then can, these meetings will take place monthly at 10:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of the month via Zoom, beginning with February 3, 2021. To… Continue reading Invitation to Indigenous USFA members
The Work of Faculty: Part 2
Welcome back and Happy New Year! The overwhelming response to our first e-Letter on this topic and the strong participation in the University’s administrative practices survey have highlighted an appetite among USFA members to discuss the nature of and impediments to our work. We know in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, workloads have been difficult to manage for many… Continue reading The Work of Faculty: Part 2
Seeking Information: Have your expense reimbursements been denied?
Since the spring, the USFA has been seeking answers from the employer about its sudden move to deny APEF purchases of and reimbursements for items that were previously eligible. Faculty members seek to be reimbursed for the purchase of a printer for use while working remotely. Faculty seek to be reimbursed for purchases of commonly… Continue reading Seeking Information: Have your expense reimbursements been denied?
Important Advice: Keep an eye on your paycheque
It has been a number of years since U of S employees received a hard copy of details concerning their pay on every payday. At one time U of S employees received a cheque along with a write up of those details, including information about any salary changes and deductions from gross pay. With direct… Continue reading Important Advice: Keep an eye on your paycheque