The collective agreement between the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association (USFA) expires on June 30, 2017. Preparations for bargaining are nearing completion and we have served notice to the President to begin negotiations.
In keeping with the last few rounds, a Negotiations Caucus was assembled to assist with the development of a mandate for this round of bargaining. The Caucus is comprised of 22 faculty members, selected in part to provide a broad representation of faculty across the campus, and 2 USFA employees.
The Negotiating Team consists of 7 members selected from amongst the members of the Negotiations Caucus. This includes our Chief Negotiator, Allison Muri from English, Doug Chivers from Biology, Anas El-Aneed from Pharmacy & Nutrition, Darrell Mousseau from Psychiatry, Eric Neufeld from Computer Science, and USFA Member Services Officer Johanne Brassard.
As part of preparations, the Caucus was tasked with formulating the bargaining mandate for the current round and continuing development of a long-term bargaining strategy for the USFA. There are many important issues relevant to both terms and conditions of employment and the execution of collegial processes that need to be raised across several rounds of bargaining in order to be negotiated into the collective agreement. Further, the Executive has asked this Caucus to continue the work of its predecessors in considering the full range of issues that are of concern to our members so that they may be prioritized across rounds of bargaining.
To that end, we have been gathering information and feedback from USFA members in several ways. Our e-letter on spousal employment resulted in an unprecedented and immediate response from members. Our face-to-face communications with Faculty Association Representatives (FARs), Department Heads and other USFA members as always were informative and thought provoking. And, our survey on childcare confirmed it is an ongoing need for our members.
The Caucus has met several times over the last eight months to discuss the broad array of issues included in the mandate for the upcoming and future rounds of bargaining. Our discussions are collegial and informative, and they represent diverse perspectives.
The input and feedback you have provided has helped to shape our mandate for this round of negotiations. Active participation by the membership in our preparation process greatly strengthens our bargaining positions at the table. It allows the Negotiating Team to know where our members stand on a number of critical issues and to adequately portray the will of the membership at the table.
(English, Arts & Science)
Phone: 966-5503
Email: allison.muri@usask.ca
Allison joined the U of S faculty in 2004. She is a Professor in the Department of English, specializing in Digital Humanities and Eighteenth-Century Literature. Allison joined the Joint Committee for the Management of the Agreement (JCMA) Caucus in 2009 and became a member of JCMA in 2011. She has continued to work on one or both committees since then. She is currently serving a second term as a member of the USFA Executive Committee and chairs the Communications Committee. A member of the Negotiating Committee for the 2014-2017 Collective Agreement, Allison is now Chief Negotiator for the Association.
(Computer Science, Arts & Science)
Phone: 966-4487
Email: eric.neufeld@usask.ca
Having worked with 9 different negotiating teams in his career, Eric brings considerable knowledge and experience to the bargaining table. He has an interdisciplinary research program in computer science studying various aspects of computer graphics, statistical and mobile computing. He has been a member of many major university committees, including Planning and Priorities, the University Review Committee, and the Arts and Science College Review Committee. In the Department of Computer Science, he has taken an active role in drafting standards, he has served as graduate chair and has served two terms as department head.
(Psychiatry, Medicine)
Phone: 966-8824
Email: darrell.mousseau@usask.ca
Darrell Mousseau joined the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, in 2002. He is currently the Saskatchewan Research Chair in Alzheimer disease and related dementia, and his research focusses on understanding why brain changes associated with depression can alter the risk of developing Alzheimer disease. He teaches primarily graduate students and residents, and his group hosts high-school and summer (biomedical and medical) students, honors and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. His collaborations include several with colleagues from many of the Colleges across campus. Darrell has served on numerous College-level and University-level committees, most of the latter as Chair of committees reporting to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (CGPS). He was also acting Associate Dean of CGPS for 2009-2010. He remains a strong advocate for the UofS on national review panels, and uses these opportunities to highlight often-unrecognized research achievements at the UofS. Darrell strives to raise the visibility and reputation of the UofS, and particularly its College of Medicine.
(Pharmacy & Nutrition)
Phone: 966-2013
Email: anas el-aneed@usask.ca
Anas is an Associate Professor at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition. He obtained his B.Sc. in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 1997 from Tishreen University, Syria. He then completed a M.Sc. in 2003 in Pharmacy and Ph.D. in 2007 in Biochemistry from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He was awarded the Governor General Gold medal for his Ph.D. thesis. Anas worked as Pharmacy Research Specialist at the Newfoundland and Labrador Center for Health Information 2006-2007 and joined the University of Saskatchewan in January 2008. In 2012, he completed an MBA degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Anas’ main area of research is focused on the use of different mass spectrometry platforms for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of small organic compounds, with recent emphasis on diagnostic urine metabolites and gene delivery agents. He is currently the cochair of the Saskatchewan Mass Spectrometry User Group. He has served on USFA committees, such as JCMA and the Communication Committee and was member of the negotiating team for the most recent collective agreement.
(Biology, Arts & Science)
Phone: 966-4419
Email: doug.chivers@usask.ca
Doug has been a member of the USFA Executive for 10 years, serving as chair for 7 years. He has served as member of the Negotiating Team his entire time with the USFA. Doug has worked hard to build a strong professional relationship between Administration and the USFA. Doug is also an accomplished biologist and was recently elected as a Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society.
(USFA Member Services Officer)
Phone: 966-5610
Email: johanne.brassard@usask.ca
Since Johanne joined the staff of the USFA in 2001, one of her primary areas of responsibility has been negotiations. She is an active participant at the bargaining table and supports the Negotiating Committee as well as the Negotiations Caucus. Johanne has been a member of the Negotiating Committee for the last seven agreements, bringing to the bargaining table more than a quarter century of knowledge and experience gained from bargaining collective agreements here and as a local union leader with the United Steelworkers union.
Chris Adams, Library
Douglas Chivers, Biology
Anas El-Aneed, Pharmacy & Nutrition
Patricia Farnese, Law
Jon Farthing, Kinesiology
Susan Fowler-Kerry, Nursing
John Gjevre, Respirology
Patrick Krone, Anatomy & Cell Biology
Michael MacGregor, Psychology
Linda McMullen, Psychology
Jean Moraros, School of Public Health
Allison Muri, English
Darrell Mousseau, Psychiatry
Joseph Ndisang, Pharmacology & Toxicology
Eric Neufeld, Computer Science
Anne Springer, Nursing
Larry Stewart, History
Ryan Walker, Geography & Planning
Linda Wason-Ellam, Curriculum Studies
Jeanie Wills, Graham School of Professional Development
Johanne Brassard, USFA