December 20, 2017
The MUNFA and MUN Negotiating Committees met for the first time in this current round of collective bargaining on Tuesday, December 12, 2017. The university’s Negotiating Team is composed of:
- Geoff Williams (Chief Negotiator), Director, Faculty Relations
- Mark Abrahams, Vice-President (Research ) Pro Tempore
- Kim Burridge, Acting Assistant Director, Faculty Relations
- Sean Cadigan, Associate Vice-President (Academic)
- Alice Gaudine, Dean, Nursing
- Ian McKinnon, Acting Associate Director, Faculty Relations
- Greg Naterer, Dean, Engineering
- Laura Robinson, Dean, Grenfell Campus
- Aimee Surprenant, Dean Graduate Studies
At this first meeting, MUNFA tabled proposed changes to five Articles; Article 11 (Tenure-Track Appointments and Tenure for Faculty Members), Article 12 (Procedures and Criteria for the Promotion of Faculty Members), Articles 23 and 23a (Term Appointments and Miscellaneous Appointments; formerly titled Term, Subsidized, Adjunct, Joint and Cross, Special Visiting and Spousal Appointments) Article 24 (Counselling Faculty Members), and Article 27 (Intellectual Property, formerly titled Patents and Copyrights). Although MUNFA has developed changes to many Articles, including Article 31 (Salaries and Benefits), we believe that the provisions in these five Articles represent the most important advances for our members in terms of both workplace equity for all, and job security for our most precarious colleagues. We wish to focus attention in these areas and have asked the MUN negotiating team to consider these Articles before we table the proposals for other Articles.
MUN also tabled proposed changes to Article 11, Article 12, and Article 23, but in addition, the university presented MUNFA with proposed changes to Article 1 (Framework and Implementation), Article 3 (Duties and Responsibilities of Faculty Members), Article 7 (Appointment of Faculty Members), Article 9 (The Assessment File for Non-Decision Year Review, Extension of Tenure-track Appointment, and Tenure and Promotion for Faculty Members), Article 17 (Tenure-track Appointment, and Tenure for Librarians), Article 19 (Disciplinary Measures and Non-disciplinary Relief from Duties), Article 20 (Arbitrations), Article 26 (Miscellaneous Working Conditions), Articles 30 (Cooperative and Field Education) and Article 31 (Salaries and Benefits), but not a salary proposal, Article 32 (Distance Education) and Appendix C (previously agreed revision of the University-Wide Procedures for Sexual Harassment Concerns and Complaints). The University advised that it reserved the right to table, at a later date, proposals on Article 22 (Leaves), Article 27 (Patents and Copyrights), and Articles 31 (Salaries and Benefits).
The parties are next scheduled to meet on February 12th and 13th 2018. MUNFA will be meeting in caucus starting in early January 2018, and we will be in further communication with you at that time.
The MUNFA Negotiating Committee extends wishes for a Happy Holiday to all!
MUNFA’s Negotiating Committee:
- Jon Church (Chief Negotiator), Medicine
- Alison Coffin, MUNFA Executive Officer (non-voting)
- Dan Duda, Library
- George Jenner, Earth Sciences
- Kurt Korneski, History
- Leroy Murphy, Business
- Dave Peddle, Grenfell Campus
- Nathalie Pender, Grenfell Campus
- Nicole Power, Sociology
- Richard Rivkin, Ocean Science
