usfa@usaskfaculty.ca

Pivot vertigo: on yesterday’s COVID-19 Update

Here we are again.  Under the heading “Protect the Pack,” yesterday’s COVID update from the Usask Pandemic Response and Recovery Team (PRT) sent another contradictory “wait-and-see” message to faculty. Usask’s winter term, including face-to-face classes, is scheduled to start as planned on January 4. Shortly after this was delivered, the You|Sask Faculty & Staff Newsletter showed up in our inboxes announcing that […]

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University Council Motion on Intellectual Property Policy – a cautionary note to Council

At the November 2021 Council meeting, the “Inventions and Enterprise Creation Policy – For Council Approval – November 2021” was presented for approval by vote. The Collective Agreement between the University of Saskatchewan and the USFA governs intellectual property (IP) involving faculty under Articles 25 and 26, and an associated Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). Recognizing […]

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Important Notice: Ratification Meeting January 10, 2022

Since May 2021, USFA has been engaging in negotiations regarding a retirement incentive proposed by the Employer. We are pleased to let you know these discussions have concluded with a tentative agreement that provides some certainty and stability for an additional year through an extension to the Collective Agreement, enhancements to permanent retirement incentives in […]

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UMFA ratifies tentative agreement

Yesterday, after 35 days on strike, University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) members voted to accept a tentative agreement reached with U of M administration.  The agreement prioritizes recruitment and retention of professors, instructors, and librarians at the University of Manitoba, and will improve working conditions for UMFA members, and learning conditions for students. UMFA members stood […]

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Concur continues to cause concern

Our recent issue of Collectively Speaking garnered a lot of responses from members, especially about how poorly Concur and Direct Travel serve the university. Most responses echoed issues laid out in Collectively Speaking. None of the feedback described positive experiences. A sentiment in the responses was that faculty were “scolded” in response to efforts at getting airfare […]

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USFA supports UMFA

Faculty at the University of Manitoba are into week three of their strike. Information on the union’s website states: “The University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) has reached an impasse with the University’s administration after mediation failed to produce an agreement that prioritized faculty recruitment and retention.” UMFA presented a final offer, which was not accepted by […]

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Collectively Speaking – November 2021

Our administrative workload: Increases and hurdles to our research Increasingly the USFA is dealing with administrative workload related issues. At the heart of issues faced by members are employer unilateral decisions that are taking their toll. This issue of Collectively Speaking is about two services: 1-Concur particularly as it pertains to travel arrangements, and 2- […]

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