SIGNED JOINT #25
ARTICLE 29
November 11, 2000
Joint #25
Article 29
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY
PREAMBLE
29.01 Without in any way diminishing the University’s general commitment to non-discrimination and equity in employment as contained in Article 2, particularly with respect to the following target groups: women, aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and visible minorities, the Parties agree to maintain measures to promote equity as defined in the federal Employment Equity Act (1995).
UNIVERSITY EMPLOYMENT EQUITY OFFICER
29.02#1x The University shall employ a University Employment Equity Officer. Should this position become vacant, at least two (2) ASMs, appointed by the Association, shall serve on the Search Committee established to replace this officer.
29.02#2x The University Employment Equity Officer shall promote equity in the hiring and the employment status of the target groups.
29.02#3x The duties of the University Employment Equity Officer shall include but not be limited to:
(a) assisting the Joint Equity Committee in developing criteria for identifying such inequities as may exist with respect to the hiring and the employment status of members of target groups;
(b) promoting awareness of the University’s commitment to non-discrimination and to the promotion of equity in the employment status of ASMs from target groups;
(c) serving as a resource person to ASMs, academic administrators and the Joint Equity Committee;
(d) providing annual reports to the Vice-President (Academic) and the Association on:
(i) the number of applicants by target-group for each vacant ASM position for which a search has been conducted;
(ii) the composition by target-group of the ASMs in each Academic Unit, by rank and status of appointment;
(iii) the percentage of target-groups by discipline in graduate degree programs in Canada;
(iv) the number of graduates as stated in Clause 29.02#12u;
(v) other matters deemed necessary to monitor the effectiveness of the policy in Clauses 29.01 and 29.05.
JOINT ASSOCIATION/UNIVERSITY EMPLOYMENT EQUITY COMMITTEE
29.02#4x There shall be a Joint Association/University Employment Equity Committee (Joint Equity Committee) which shall assist the University Employment Equity Officer to develop and monitor an employment equity programme for the University’s academic community.
29.02#5x The Joint Equity Committee shall consist of three (3) voting members appointed by the Association, at least one (1) of whom shall be a woman and one (1) of whom shall be from the other target groups; and three (3) voting members appointed by the Vice-President (Academic), at least two (2) of whom shall be members of target groups. The University Employment Equity Officer shall be a non-voting member of the Committee. One (1) of the voting members of the Committee shall be elected by the Committee to serve as Chairperson. There shall be at least one (1) member appointed by the Association at every meeting of the Committee.
29.02#6x The Joint Equity Committee shall assist Academic Units in the development of hiring goals and other measures to reduce unwarranted imbalances among target groups. The Joint Equity Committee shall circulate annually, to Department Heads, Deans, Directors, the Principal, the University Librarian, the Associate Executive Director of the Fisheries and Marine Institute, and the Association a document outlining the goals and methods of the Joint Equity Committee. On the establishment of a Search Committee, the Department Head, Dean, Director, Principal, University Librarian or Associate Executive Director of the Fisheries and Marine Institute shall provide a copy of the document from the Joint Equity Committee to all members of the Search Committee. The Joint Equity Committee, or delegates from the Committee, which shall include at least one (1) member of the Committee appointed by the Association, shall meet with any Search Committee that requests a meeting.
29.02#7x Upon a request from the Joint Equity Committee to meet with an Academic Unit, the Administrative Head shall schedule such a meeting to be held within fifteen (15) days.
29.02#8x Once decisions setting the goals have been made, the Committee shall annually review progress made in hiring target-group members and prepare a report which shall be submitted jointly to the University and the Association.
29.02#9x Reporting to the Vice-President (Academic) and to the Association, the Joint Equity Committee shall:
(a) make recommendations concerning the realization of the University’s commitment to non-discrimination and equity in the hiring and the employment status of target-group members; and
(b) provide assistance to the University Employment Equity Officer in implementing strategies; and
(c) assist the University Employment Equity Officer on other relevant matters.
29.02#10x The Joint Equity Committee is authorized to review procedures, actions, and outcomes related to recruitment and appointment of ASMs to ensure that due emphasis is given to increasing, as appropriate, the proportion of target groups.
29.02#11x On request, the University shall provide the Joint Equity Committee with statistical data concerning tenure, promotion, salary levels, awarding of leaves, and research grants, identifying target groups, in order to assess whether there are anomalies concerning those groups.
EQUITY IN THE APPOINTMENT OF TARGET GROUPS
29.02#12u Under-representation of a target group exists when the proportion of ASMs in an Academic Unit from a given target group is less than the proportion of persons from that group in the total pool of persons who:
(a) are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada; and
(b) have graduated in Canada within the previous three (3) years from the degree programme normally required for an appointment at this University in their discipline.
29.03 The University shall make a positive attempt in good faith to recruit target groups through the procedures specified in Articles 7 and 13, and in particular shall include in advertisements the following statement: “Memorial University is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from qualified women and men, visible minorities, aboriginal people and persons with disabilities”. The Administrative Head shall send to every applicant for an advertised ASM position, a copy of this Article and a standard form by which the applicant is invited to identify himself or herself to the University Employment Equity Officer as a member of a target group.
29.04 Any Search Committee established in accordance with Articles 7 or 13 shall include at least one (1) person from a target group. If no ASM from a target group is available in the Academic Unit, the Administrative Head may appoint an ASM from a cognate area to comply with this provision.
29.04#1u An ASM who is a member of a target group shall not be appointed as a representative of target groups to more than one Search Committee outside his or her Academic Unit in any Academic Year. Notwithstanding Clause 29.04, if circumstances prevent the appointment of a member of a target group, the Search Committee shall conduct business without such representation.
29.04#2u For ASM positions in Academic Units where target groups are under-represented and the qualifications of short-listed target group and non-target group candidates are substantially equal and meet the criteria established for the appointment in question, a candidate from a target group shall be recommended for appointment by the Search Committee.
29.05 For ASM positions in Academic Units where target groups are under-represented, the Administrative Head shall forward a list of candidates to the University Employment Equity Officer. Self-Identification information showing which applicants are in target groups shall then be forwarded by the University Employment Equity Officer to the Administrative Head.
29.05#2u Once the Search Committee has compiled a tentative short-list of candidates for use in determining who is to be interviewed, the Chair of the Search Committee shall notify the Administrative Head that such a list has been prepared. The Administrative Head shall then forward the target group information received from the University Employment Equity Officer to the Search Committee. The Search Committee shall use this information to finalize the short-list.
29.05#3u If the list of candidates to be interviewed includes any non-target group members and there are target group candidates, the Administrative Head shall forward the application files to the Joint Equity Committee.
29.08#1u In the event that not all Joint Equity Committee members are available for a meeting, two (2) members, one of whom shall be a member appointed by the Association, shall be selected by rota to review the files. If the review is completed by two (2) Committee members, those members shall provide the full Committee with a report.
29.08#2u The Joint Equity Committee shall forward its advice to the Administrative Head who shall in turn forward it to the Search Committee which shall consider this advice and prepare and forward a recommendation to the Administrative Head.
29.08#3u A report of the Administrative Head’s recommendation shall be submitted to the Joint Equity Committee.
29.08#4x In the event that the Joint Equity Committee does not submit its advice to the Administrative Head within five (5) days, the Search Committee shall make its recommendation to the Administrative Head.
W. E. Schrank
J. E. Strawbridge
