Question 1

Collective Bargaining Update #02

cpandersonmtroyalca · Accepted Answer

Thank you to all who joined us at the recent Regular Meeting (24 November 2023). Your dedication and collaboration have been instrumental in shaping our path forward as we head into collective bargaining. Your engagement through department visits, town hall meetings, providing feedback, survey responses, and one-on-one sessions has been invaluable! And your insights have truly driven our progress in developing the Association’s Draft Bargaining Mandate. Special thanks to all of the groups and individuals who've contributed tirelessly, including the 2023-2024 Collective Bargaining Caucus (Vicki Bouvier, Anupam Das, Breda Eubank, Alexandria Farmer, Richard Hayman, Brenda Lang, Guy Obrecht, Beth Richardson, Karen Sheedy, Michelle Yeo, Derrick Antson).

Below, we present the Draft 2024 MRFA Bargaining Mandate for your review. Your feedback is crucial, so please take time to engage with the Collective Bargaining Caucus or join one of the scheduled town halls:

Town Hall #1: December 1, 2023; 10:00-10:50 a.m. (in-person - W315 Peggy Brydon Room)
Town Hall #2: December 6, 2023; 2:00-2:50 p.m. (online)
Town Hall #3: December 12, 2023; 1:00-1:50 p.m. (in-person - W315 Peggy Brydon Room)
Town Hall #4: December 20, 2023; 11:00-11:50 a.m. (online)

Share your thoughts directly via Negoations@mrfa.net or request a meeting by emailing LabourRelations@mrfa.net.

Draft Bargaining Mandate

Overview:

Our Draft Bargaining Mandate reflects the membership's strong consensus on key priorities. First, we aim to address income losses due to inflation by prioritizing compensation and benefits recovery. Workload reductions are vital to ensure high-quality, personalized teaching amid rising course loads, technological complexities, and fostering a robust scholarly environment. Additionally, supporting contract faculty through pathways to full-time roles, pay equity, and enhanced benefits is a priority, all while aiming to reduce reliance on precarious appointments. Central to our mandate is the promotion of collegiality, transparent governance, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Fairness and accountability are woven into every aspect of our proposal, safeguarding against arbitrary decisions and fostering a more inclusive and supportive university environment.

Details:

Compensation
- Recover the loss of real income due to inflation and the cost of living in Calgary over multiple years.
- Institute a pro rata grid for contract faculty (one that is calibrated on the portion of a full time faculty salary allocated to teaching).

Benefits
- Adjust List A, contract service honoraria, coordination funding, scholarships, professional development, health benefits and spending accounts to reflect losses due to inflation.
- Increase accountability and transparency around the allocation of adjudicated funds.
- Open the eligibility requirements for contract faculty to obtain benefits and contribute to a pension plan.
- Include all faculty in the Long Service Recognition.

Rights and privileges
- Provide clarity around the work allocation process for contract faculty. Increase levels of compensation and timeline for late cancellation of contracts.
- Establish a full-time complement to enrollment ratio.
- Clarify material resources (from office space to supplies) required for all faculty to perform their work.
- Include National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a holiday.
- Enhance and clarify processes in discipline and harassment.
- Open sabbatical eligibility to all full-time faculty members.
- Ensure accountability around processes for hiring, tenure and promotion.
- Enable meaningful involvement in joint committees.
- Provisions for declarations of financial emergencies/exigencies.

Workload
- Continue the work of and implement the recommendations of the Workload Taskforce, where appropriate.
- Establish fair and transparent rules with respect to emergency situations (such as transitions to emergency remote delivery of teaching in the case of natural disasters or health restrictions).
- Lower the workload ranges and corresponding registrant caps for all full-time faculty.
- Formalize the access to a workload reduction in the first year of a full-time appointment.
- Ensure equitable approach to workload assignment, evaluation and funding resources for Indigenous faculty members tasked with community engagement.
- Ensure equitable approach to workload assignment and evaluation for Professional Practice faculty members tasked with community engagement and professional licensing requirements (Nurses, Midwives, Social Workers)
- Compensate time spent on mandated training and supervision of honours students.
- Include registrant counts as part of the workload limits for all faculty.

Indigenization
- Honour Indigenization within the Collective Agreement.

Pathways
- Strengthen the mechanism offering continuing contracts to eligible contract faculty.
- Develop criteria allowing for the conversion of senior lecturers to tenurable positions.

Scholarship and research
- Develop clear language to support scholarship with respect to research funds and reassigned time.

Your involvement is crucial as we collectively shape our future. Together, let's resolve, recover, and renew our aspirations as we head into collective bargaining. Please join us on January 12 (12:00 - 13:50) and January 15 (18:00-19:20) for a Special Meeting to finalize the bargaining mandate and ratify the Bargaining Committee.

Thank you for your continued support,

The Collective Bargaining Caucus.

(view Bargaining Update #2 in pdf)

Question 2

Collective Bargaining Update #02

cpandersonmtroyalca · Accepted Answer

Thank you to all who joined us at the recent Regular Meeting (24 November 2023). Your dedication and collaboration have been instrumental in shaping our path forward as we head into collective bargaining. Your engagement through department visits, town hall meetings, providing feedback, survey responses, and one-on-one sessions has been invaluable! And your insights have truly driven our progress in developing the Association’s Draft Bargaining Mandate. Special thanks to all of the groups and individuals who've contributed tirelessly, including the 2023-2024 Collective Bargaining Caucus (Vicki Bouvier, Anupam Das, Breda Eubank, Alexandria Farmer, Richard Hayman, Brenda Lang, Guy Obrecht, Beth Richardson, Karen Sheedy, Michelle Yeo, Derrick Antson).

Below, we present the Draft 2024 MRFA Bargaining Mandate for your review. Your feedback is crucial, so please take time to engage with the Collective Bargaining Caucus or join one of the scheduled town halls:

Town Hall #1: December 1, 2023; 10:00-10:50 a.m. (in-person - W315 Peggy Brydon Room)
Town Hall #2: December 6, 2023; 2:00-2:50 p.m. (online)
Town Hall #3: December 12, 2023; 1:00-1:50 p.m. (in-person - W315 Peggy Brydon Room)
Town Hall #4: December 20, 2023; 11:00-11:50 a.m. (online)

Share your thoughts directly via Negoations@mrfa.net or request a meeting by emailing LabourRelations@mrfa.net.

Draft Bargaining Mandate

Overview:

Our Draft Bargaining Mandate reflects the membership's strong consensus on key priorities. First, we aim to address income losses due to inflation by prioritizing compensation and benefits recovery. Workload reductions are vital to ensure high-quality, personalized teaching amid rising course loads, technological complexities, and fostering a robust scholarly environment. Additionally, supporting contract faculty through pathways to full-time roles, pay equity, and enhanced benefits is a priority, all while aiming to reduce reliance on precarious appointments. Central to our mandate is the promotion of collegiality, transparent governance, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Fairness and accountability are woven into every aspect of our proposal, safeguarding against arbitrary decisions and fostering a more inclusive and supportive university environment.

Details:

Compensation
- Recover the loss of real income due to inflation and the cost of living in Calgary over multiple years.
- Institute a pro rata grid for contract faculty (one that is calibrated on the portion of a full time faculty salary allocated to teaching).

Benefits
- Adjust List A, contract service honoraria, coordination funding, scholarships, professional development, health benefits and spending accounts to reflect losses due to inflation.
- Increase accountability and transparency around the allocation of adjudicated funds.
- Open the eligibility requirements for contract faculty to obtain benefits and contribute to a pension plan.
- Include all faculty in the Long Service Recognition.

Rights and privileges
- Provide clarity around the work allocation process for contract faculty. Increase levels of compensation and timeline for late cancellation of contracts.
- Establish a full-time complement to enrollment ratio.
- Clarify material resources (from office space to supplies) required for all faculty to perform their work.
- Include National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a holiday.
- Enhance and clarify processes in discipline and harassment.
- Open sabbatical eligibility to all full-time faculty members.
- Ensure accountability around processes for hiring, tenure and promotion.
- Enable meaningful involvement in joint committees.
- Provisions for declarations of financial emergencies/exigencies.

Workload
- Continue the work of and implement the recommendations of the Workload Taskforce, where appropriate.
- Establish fair and transparent rules with respect to emergency situations (such as transitions to emergency remote delivery of teaching in the case of natural disasters or health restrictions).
- Lower the workload ranges and corresponding registrant caps for all full-time faculty.
- Formalize the access to a workload reduction in the first year of a full-time appointment.
- Ensure equitable approach to workload assignment, evaluation and funding resources for Indigenous faculty members tasked with community engagement.
- Ensure equitable approach to workload assignment and evaluation for Professional Practice faculty members tasked with community engagement and professional licensing requirements (Nurses, Midwives, Social Workers)
- Compensate time spent on mandated training and supervision of honours students.
- Include registrant counts as part of the workload limits for all faculty.

Indigenization
- Honour Indigenization within the Collective Agreement.

Pathways
- Strengthen the mechanism offering continuing contracts to eligible contract faculty.
- Develop criteria allowing for the conversion of senior lecturers to tenurable positions.

Scholarship and research
- Develop clear language to support scholarship with respect to research funds and reassigned time.

Your involvement is crucial as we collectively shape our future. Together, let's resolve, recover, and renew our aspirations as we head into collective bargaining. Please join us on January 12 (12:00 - 13:50) and January 15 (18:00-19:20) for a Special Meeting to finalize the bargaining mandate and ratify the Bargaining Committee.

Thank you for your continued support,

The Collective Bargaining Caucus.

(view Bargaining Update #2 in pdf)

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Collective Bargaining Update #02

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