Bargaining Bulletin 6
Highlights:
- The Workload Taskforce Report is now available.
- The report concludes that workload has increased for all members, in ways not reflected in our current contract language and compensation:
- All modes of instructional delivery represent an increase in workload;
- There has been an average increase of time on normal administrative tasks, AODA compliance and/or student accommodation, and addressing language proficiency issues;
- Counsellors and Librarians report overtime without any mechanism for addressing that workload;
- Partial-load members are doing work without contract coverage.
- Workload language in our current Collective Agreement has gone largely unchanged since 1985.
- We need a modern contract for today’s working conditions.
- We have provided the path forward in our tabled proposals, which aim to establish fair workload for all workers.
After two long years, the Workload Task Force Report is now publicly available for all College Faculty. Through the concerted and consistent efforts of the OPSEU/SEFPO Workload Task Force members over the past months, the Workload Task Force Report has finally been made available – despite ongoing delays to its release.
This report is one of the largest cohesive analyses of workload affecting faculty in Canada, and one of the largest surveys of workload in any post-secondary system.
A Short History of Faculty Workload
Since the introduction of the Standard Workload Form (SWF) in 1985, workload has been a key issue at the bargaining table. The current understanding of workload conditions in our Collective Agreement was established in 1985. Despite the last forty years of momentous changes to our teaching environments and modes of delivery, it has since received no major adjustments. Current workload language pre-dates the invention and widespread use of the Internet!
To modernize workload assignment in the Colleges, an award issued in 2022 by Arbitrator William Kaplan set out the terms of the new Collective Agreement to govern faculty work until September 30th, 2024 – including the creation of a Workload Task Force. For the first time, the workload of partial-load members, counsellors, and librarians was also addressed in this comprehensive study across Ontario colleges.
The Workload Task Force report – including the Chair’s recommendations – confirm what members have been saying for years: our workload has gone up, and continues to climb in ways our compensation and contracts fail to capture.
The Workload Taskforce Report: At a Glance
Key findings of the report include:
- All modes of instructional delivery represented an increase in workload not recorded on our SWFs/contracts;
- There has been an average increase in the amount of time spent on normal administrative tasks not recorded on our SWFs/contracts;
- There has been an average increase in the amount of time used for AODA compliance and/or student accommodation not recorded on our SWFs/contracts;
- There has been an average increase in the amount of time used to address language proficiency issues not recorded on our SWFs/contracts;
- Counsellors and Librarians report overtime without any mechanism for addressing that workload;
- Partial-load members are doing work without contract coverage;
- The “use of AI, use of publisher developed tools, industry requirements, learning management system (LMS), sourcing video content, uploading presentations to platform, and preparing YouTube channels…” all represented an increase in workload not recorded on our SWFs/contracts.
At the table, we have provided the path forward in our proposals (including U1 Workload) which aim to establish a fair workload for all workers. Our proposals at the table set out to ensure that all faculty workload is accurately measured and recorded. They will also ensure that our contract language reflects current changes in our profession, including student needs.
As the SWF currently excludes them, we want to ensure that all work performed by partial-load faculty is appropriately and equitably recognized, recorded, and compensated – including work done outside the contract period. Additionally, our proposals build on our shared demands to improve collective working conditions: preventing the contracting in or out, privatization, or outsourcing of bargaining unit work in whole or in part; improving job security for partial-load faculty and employment stability for all bargaining unit members; and strengthening language around the role and workload of coordinators.
Our working conditions are student learning conditions – providing consistent, professional training for Ontario’s future labour force depends on working conditions and contract language that keeps pace with the demands of today’s college environment.
Stay Informed, Stay Engaged, Get Involved
You can stay up to date with the team and development at the table in several ways:
- Members are encouraged to follow us on social media, where we are posting regular & timely updates:
- Instagram: @CAATFaculty
- X: @CAATFaculty
- Facebook: @OntarioCollegeFaculty
- Tiktok: @FacultyBargainingTeam
- You can also stay informed in the following ways:
- College Faculty Website: collegefaculty.org
- Get involved in organizing efforts (listening, communicating, building relationships with other workers in your Local.)
- If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out directly: bargainingteam2024@gmail.com
In solidarity,
Your CAAT-A Bargaining Team:
Ravi Ramkissoonsingh, L242, Chair (he/him)
Michelle Arbour, L125, Vice-Chair (she/her)
Chad Croteau, L110 (he/him)
Bob Delaney, L237 (he/him)
Martin Lee, L415 (he/him)
Sean Lougheed, L657 (he/him)
Rebecca Ward, L732 (she/her)