We received a number of emails in response to our recent e-Letter: The Work of Faculty. Members told us it resonated with them powerfully. Faculty expressed that they continue to be frustrated with the Employer’s top-down, opaque process for responding to the pandemic that excludes them from decision making when it directly affects their work. Members are […]
Read More »You may have read about the faculty member at the University of Ottawa who was recently suspended after students complained that the Professor had used an anti-black, racial slur during a lecture. Her union, and echoed by many academics, immediately criticized the University’s “zero-tolerance” position citing academic freedom requires that the assessment of the appropriate […]
Read More »Through the Association’s ongoing meetings with members of the University’s Pandemic Response Team, we have been raising issues facing USFA members including professional expense reimbursement and the use of Zoom. The Employer has told us current licensing will soon be up for renewal and they are consulting with faculty and staff about web conferencing platforms […]
Read More »Coming out of our discussions with members of the Pandemic Response Team, the Employer has proposed allowing faculty the option to request a one-time taxable payment from their APEF of up to one year’s allocation to support making their remote work environment more suitable for an extended period. There would be no restrictions or accountability […]
Read More »With processes for renewal of probation, tenure and promotion underway, we want to draw your attention to new language in the Collective Agreement regarding conflict of interest (Article 10.9), which may have an impact on those eligible to participate in these collegial decisions. It is not possible to enumerate all of the situations which could […]
Read More »As part of the USFA’s work building connections with other bargaining units and student groups on campus, the External Relations Committee recently met with representatives from both the University of Saskatchewan Students Union (USSU) and the Graduate Students Association (GSA). While each organization has its own priorities, they have common issues of concern to students. […]
Read More »If, as a condition of employment, you are required to maintain a certification or license in order to perform your academic duties, you may be eligible for reimbursement of some or all of your licensing or certification fees (Article 22.12.2). Claims for reimbursement must be submitted between November 1 and December 1, 2020. What you need to […]
Read More »The Salary Review process is intended to have transparency. Department and College Salary committees are required to report rankings, decisions for the award of Special Increases and recommendations to College Review Committees and the President’s Review Committee as well as the Committee’s reasons for such rankings, awards and recommendations. College Review Committees are required to […]
Read More »Salary review procedures in the Collective Agreement (Article 17) establish our system for merit-based pay. During your career, you have available a specific number of regular annual salary increases based on rank: Career Development Increases. In addition to these regular salary increases, you may be awarded Special Increases for meritorious work. Salary committees at the […]
Read More »The work of faculty is changing in response to the Administration’s decision to shutter campus in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The continual erosion of direct, administrative and technical support for faculty has only increased the burden on faculty as we take on the work of schedulers, IT equipment installers, purchasers, instructional designers, and in […]
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