Since the beginning of 2003 the parties have met three times. The main item of progress to report is that Article 29 on Employment Equity is now ready to be signed off. After protracted discussions, the new language of Article 29 provides a clear delineation of the responsibilities of the University Employment Equity Officer and the Joint Equity Committee and a precise description of their participation in the hiring process.
The MUNFA Negotiating Committee has handed its latest responses on Articles 3 (Duties and Responsibilities of Faculty Members), 22 (Leaves), and 23 (Term Appointments) to the administration and is waiting for counter-proposals. Discussion of Article 3 has been slowed because the administration has so far failed to locate documents concerning equivalencies of teaching formats other than the three-hour lecture. MUNFA has copies of some declarations of equivalencies from some Deans and Directors, but in other faculties and schools where the process of consultation was carried out, the Dean’s or Director’s decision has not been promulgated.
Article 30 (Co-operative Education Co-ordinators [CECs]) has not been discussed since the first exchange of proposals. The MUNFA Negotiating Committee was astonished at the wholly inadequate nature of the administration’s proposal which failed to recognize in even a minimal way the status granted to the CECs by the Newfoundland & Labrador Labour Relations Board. The MUNFA Executive has therefore invoked the provision in the current Collective Agreement that the terms of Article 30 be sent to the arbitrator, Martin Teplitsky, for his adjudication. The MUNFA Negotiating Committee remains ready to discuss reasonable proposals for the CECs at the bargaining table.
MUNFA’s proposal for Article 31 (Salaries and Benefits) has been with the administration for almost four months. The administration has yet to present any proposal on Article 31.
MUNFA Negotiating Committee:
- Jon Church (Medicine) – Chief Negotiator
- Tony Chadwick (French & Spanish) Alternate Chief Negotiator
- Ed Andrews (SWGC)
- Aspi Balsara (Q. E. II Library)
- Glenn Clark (Education)
- Dorothy Milne (Q.E. II Library)
- Richard Rivkin (OSC)
- Leo White (Engineering)
- Chris Youé (History)
- Marian Atkinson (MUNFA Executive Officer, non-voting member)
