Last November, at the conclusion of bargaining for the Teaching Faculty’s new Collective Agreement, and on the very eve of their Strike Deadline, the Association and the University agreed to resolve the outstanding issues regarding workload, in particular the nature and equivalence of a “standard course” as it appears in the Collective Agreement.
The Working Group met numerous times during the course of the Winter term and well into Spring term, in fact agreeing to extend the deadline to allow for a more thorough and useful conclusion.
I am disappointed to have to report to you that the Working Group only achieved limited success during that time.
In summary, we believe there are some useful pieces that are being recommended, however some of the key issues remain unresolved, including issues around equity for lab-based instruction, and in particular any agreement on what a “standard course” looks like.
The final report from that effort is awaiting presentation for approval from a special joint committee meeting of the Association and the University. Once the report is approved, we will be posting it for you all to see.
While we are disappointed in this outcome, we will continue to advance the interests and will of you, our members, on this critical issue of workload.
On behalf of the Association I would like to thank, Elita Partosoedarso, Nancy Bergeron, Kim Nugent, Kerry Johnson and Christine McLaughlin for their commitment and efforts on this Working Group. No doubt some of them might describe it as an eye-opening experience.
In solidarity,
Mike Eklund
Working Group co-Chair