RRUFA minutes – July 2014

RRUFA Monthly Meeting Minutes

July 08, 2014

LIC Centre for Dialogue

Present:

Niels Agger-Gupta Geoff Archer Jo Axe Brian Belcher
Geoffrey Bird David Black Judith Blanchette Tony Boydell
Connie Carter Kenneth Christie Robin Cox Ann Dale
Audrey Dallimore Matt Dodd Juana Du Bill Durodié
Catherine Etmanski Lois Fearon Joshua Guilar Doug Hamilton
Brigitte Harris Rick Hinton Ingrid Kajzer-Mitchell Leslie King
Richard Kool Charles Krusekopf Zhenyi Li Ron Lindstrom
Chris Ling Stephen Long Will Low Eva Malisius
Kathleen Manion Virginia McKendry Will Meredith Robert Mittelman
Alison Moran Jonathan Moran Jessica Mussell Mickie Noble
Eileen Piggot-Irvine Terry Power Siomonn Pulla Michael Real
Carolin Rekar Munro Wendy Rowe Erich Schellhammer Bernard Schissel
Jean Slick Marilyn Taylor Eugene Thomlinson Mike Thompson
Phillip Vannini George Veletsianos Hassan Wafai Jennifer Walinga
Brian White Rebecca Wilson Mah Michael Young Amy Zidulka

 

(Total present: 17)

CONTENTS:

[an auto ToC from headings]

  1. Call to order…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
  2. Approval of June minutes ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
  3. New Business: none………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
  4. Old Business:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
  5. Regular Reports:……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

5.1 Bargaining: (Wendy)………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2

5.2 Board of Governors: (Charles)…………………………………………………………………………………. 5

  1. 3 Academic Council (Rick)…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6

5.4. CUFA-BC – (Rick)…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6

5.5 Website (Will)………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6

5.6 Social (Geoff)………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6

5.7 Grievance Report (David)………………………………………………………………………………………… 6

5.8 Health & Safety – (Allison)………………………………………………………………………………………. 6

  1. Other Business: None………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
  2. Adjournment:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6

Move to adjourn:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6

 

 

 

  1. Call to order at 12:06 (President Ken)
  2. Approval of June minutes – delayed to September meeting…
  3. New Business: none
  4. Old Business:
  5. Regular Reports:

5.1 Bargaining: (Wendy)

Wendy: We have had 2 days of bargaining so far. We went through bargaining protocol, including phased retirement, continuance, and promotion… We tried to give broad proposal but no detail – this is to come on July 21.

Employer is proposing: new Vacation Policy; new Faculty Line of non-research – teaching and service only faculty positions… Lyn thought that there would be faculty who seek this…

Wendy: But the non-research faculty line is a bigger issue than Employer is stating, and at a minimum needs to have same rank and promotion as other faculty positions. This will be part of a larger faculty conversation on bargaining issues…

The current CA is silent about what to do if there is money left over in PD – max. 3600. We want to discontinue this… want to do something with vacation policy… Steve talked about this at last faculty-planning meeting. Use of Estoppel to require use of vacation days – was inappropriate – needs to be negotiated… Accrue up to 2 years and pay out… want us to use all vacation days each year and no accruals. Existing days closed and financial figure paid out at retirement… 1.2 Million accrued to date total; faculty about 700K… This is in overage over 2 years… Everyone is accruing every year… few faculty members taking all their vacation days…

Current status: there is no accrual of interest on this amount for faculty…

 

Member: Why has this vacation accrued to date?

Wendy: they are not interested in why this is… it gives faculty a salary bump-up at end of year – they say. Actually has to do with workload… people don’t want to work on their vacations…

There are conversations on side – we have not talked about Scholarship leave; this is going to cost the University. Horse trading – we may want accrued days to be partial funding of research and scholarship leave, since Employer won’t pay 100%… Can we go around table – how does this strike you?

Member: this is fine once there is a policy in place but would not want to give up vacation without policy…

Member: They are legally handicapped because they must, by law, pay this out… They wish to cap past liability…

Wendy: what is the law? Our RRU staff have already received this letter…

Member: HR is saying that the Employer has the right to schedule your vacation if you do not do this yourself…

Wendy: The Employer cannot do to faculty what they are doing to staff because of our CA… Staff are angry about this; They like to be able to save holidays to plan a bigger holiday in some years…

Member; every year different – in 5 year reviews, staff do everything they are normally doing plus for the review.

Wendy: money has to come from somewhere?

Rick: if we had access to the actual budget – we might be able to say where there could be more savings…

Member: this is problematic that we might have to sponsor our own research leave…

Member: what is status of roll-over now?

Rick: We are primarily a grad school – but those of us here have a hard enough time to do research. To hire more faculty with less research responsibilities diminishes us as a graduate institution… The last time this happened (2006) faculty should be teaching 5 courses and non-research faculty should be teaching 10 – but this leads to no vacations – and burn-out…

Member: there is a problem with RRU’s reputation as a research institution. In a SSHRC grant competition – applicants that won had nothing different from what we submitted. This university does not have a credible reputation – without time to do research we never get to improve our standing in SSHRC.

Wendy: Departments can already work with faculty under the CA and workload planning menu to adjust workload for faculty.

Member: Most other universities – do not have vacation – We could consider the elimination of tracking of faculty ‘time,’ and vacation… and just focus on our Work Plans.

We are negotiating with accountants; they do not want us to take vacation because they are concerned about our health; it is because this is an accrued liability of 1.2M that they need to deal with… It is a bad thing to have core faculty teaching – we cost 2X as much as A/F… But in their estimation – it is clear the university thinks we waste time on research…

Wendy: we have to fulfill our work plans. No exceptions for the most part… No sick days…

Member: some may get nuts…and never take vacation.

Member: we are not a structured university – with no regular terms… If no vacation – we need structured time…

Wendy: The fear is that those who would then be on administrative lines; would they ever get a break?

Member: – they just declare a break –

Rick: in China – in my hotel there was a different carpet every day of week. There were different colours because you would need something to remind you what day of the week it is…

Member: we wasted 5M per year in dysfunction in 2009 – everything over-monitored; people checking on people checking on people… even tracking our vacation days costs the university money…

Member: bigger issue is Employment Standards Act…

Member: some places have a 10 month contract…

Wendy: But RRU core faculty are seen as full-time employees

Member: but they are credited with being able to plan their life… we would not breed contempt with staff…

Member: The thesis defense process will create a problem for faculty – in having another month tied up… Vacation sounds great, but if you can’t take it, this is meaningless

Wendy: would need something stronger – protected research time –

Member: we don’t want fictional workload units… If we don’t take vacation – we are making a comment about the fictional workload…

Wendy: want to run this by Jeff at CAUT – would also need a vote from FA; some people are attached to vacations…

Member: It would be good that at least every 5 years; you would have a research-intensive period; and use your scholarship year…

Member: if vacation pay or alternate usage is not described in detail, we are likely to lose our accrued benefits; It does not seem likely the Employer will drop all the craziness around this;

 

5.2 Board of Governors: (Charles)

Charles: First thing: BoG will be meeting – in open session – with a spotlight on university – Doctoral Candidate Cheryl Heykoop is guest speaker. Charles is having success in having faculty come to speak with the BoG – Karen Hakkareinen will be sending out a notice to faculty inviting them to present something to BoG

2nd thing: conversation about the construction of residences at top of hill (something Steve spoke about earlier this year). Charles spoke with VP Finance Dan Tulip – Dan said that the contract for design and construction of residences would outline a guarantee for occupancy of residencies – to ensure cashflow. Why has this not moved forward? Dan is conservative – and does not want to make a mistake… Bigger issues: – where (precisely) constructed? What for? What would the design look like? Dan is apparently involved in design. He wants to know: “What would it feel like when you drive on to campus?” Charles said the President is interested in that he has only a few more years at the helm… He feels connected to the space and what we do with this…

3rd area: Charles met with fund-raising people about new funds they are raising for RRU. RRU has never sent a letter to graduates asking for donations to school funds… a draft letter is going to board – The Chair (Chancellor)- is an active donor to other efforts. He knows all the people on the different boards who donate to a variety of causes. What the school funds are to do – bursaries, school research, etc… is not clear. The Board has yet to see fund-raising plan… the current fund raising chair on leave – so plan has been held up… Letters about this will be going to the Schools. A Thank you letter going out for the gift from Maple Leaf Schools (in China) – which was a restricted gift of $5M – through Cyndi McLeod.

4th. Board saw CVA – but board members perceive the current culture (perhaps because of what they have been told) is what others perceive as ‘aspirational’…

Member: it is insulting that Allan has called a meeting on the 18th August to discuss the CVA – and this is shameful when so many faculty and staff will be away…

Member: some interpretation from Marilyn Taylor for the FA would be helpful…

Member: they were not going to have any breakouts (Faculties/Schools) in the CVA – and this means that there is nothing that could be done with the findings in terms of comparisons…

Discussion came back to Chancellor who has taken on himself the role of chief fund-raiser for RRU.

Member: I am scandalized that no one is asking our alums for money – they start out with money..

Charles: they were told not to send anything to alums…

 

  1. 3 Academic Council (Rick)

Rick: AC meets Wednesday…

5.4. CUFA-BC – (Rick)

CUFA BC… will shortly have a new strategic plan – Rob Clift now taking his dissertation seriously… Doug Beyer – (UVic) new President of CUFA-BC…

5.5 Website (Will)

Website – “spam; spam; spam” – 30% of faculty still need to sign up!

5.6 Social (Geoff)

Social – Ken: the London Chef event was good…

5.7 Grievance Report (David)

(Away this meeting. )

5.8 Health & Safety – (Allison)

(Not available)

  1. Other Business: None
  2. Adjournment:

Move to adjourn: Rick: 1:15 PM

 

Recorder: Niels