Important Message re: Amalgamation of QUFA Bargaining Units
FROMConstance Adamson, QUFA Co-Chair FLABU JCAA
John Holmes, QUFA President
Richard Linley, QUFA Co-Chair SABU JCAA
- On March 26, 2007, QUFA and the University administration reached a tentative agreement to amalgamate the Faculty, Librarians and Archivists (FLABU) and Sessional Adjuncts (SABU) bargaining units.
- The amalgamation agreement will be discussed at an open meeting on Monday, April 16, 2007 at 3:00 - 4:00 pm in the John Orr Room in the JDUC. All QUFA members are welcome to attend and participate in this discussion.
- A ratification vote of each bargaining unit will be conducted electronically later this month. PLEASE PLAN TO VOTE. The results of the ratification vote will be announced at QUFA's Spring General Meeting on Monday, April 30, 2007.
- The eventual amalgamation of the two units has always been a long-term objective for QUFA. The QUFA Executive believes that amalgamation will benefit members of both bargaining units and recommends ratification of the agreement. Amalgamation will avoid the duplication currently involved in bargaining and administering two separate collective agreements and ensure a fair and equitable application of employment provisions to all QUFA members
- The two existing Collective Agreements have many provisions in common covering such matters as discipline, grievance, academic freedom, harassment, Conflict of Interest, and Non-discrimination.
- The differences between the two agreements are largely in the areas of appointments and other personnel procedures, workload and working conditions and compensation. Some of these differences are justifiable given the nature of the Member's appointments; others are arbitrary and caused by the artificial division of adjuncts into two separate bargaining units (currently Term and Continuing Adjuncts are in FLABU; Sessional Adjuncts in SABU).
- The current collective agreements for both existing bargaining units are set to expire on April 30, 2008. If amalgamation is approved by the Members of both QUFA bargaining units, the parties intend to bargain for one Collective Agreement which would cover the Members of both existing bargaining units effective May 1, 2008.
- In preparation for this bargaining, QUFA commits to consult widely with all groups to ensure that the distinct concerns of Sessional Adjuncts, Term Adjuncts, Continuing Adjuncts, Tenure-track and Tenured Faculty, Librarians, Archivists, and Department Heads are addressed.
John Holmes <holmesj@post.queensu.ca>
Richard Linley <linley@cs.queensu.ca>