The new Collective Agreement (CA) has been ratified by the MUNFA Membership and by the Board of Regents, and officially signed by both parties effective February 26, 2010. This official signing date “starts the clock” in two Clauses (3.17 and 26.28) of the CA.
In the first, course equivalencies established during previous years can now, once again, be reviewed as follows. Please note the time-frame specified during which this review must be initiated.
Clause 3.17
The equivalencies specified in Clause 3.16(a) may be altered according to the following procedures:
- (a) Within sixty (60) days of the signing of this Collective Agreement and upon request by
either:
- (i) the Dean, Director, Principal or, where equivalencies were previously determined by department in a departmentalized faculty, the Department Head; or
- (ii) at least ten (10) or one-half, whichever is less, of the Faculty Members from within the relevant Faculty, School, or College or Department, the Administrative Head shall call a meeting of the Academic Unit for the purpose of deciding whether to re-examine course equivalencies.
- (b) Following such a meeting and if formal approval has been obtained by a majority vote by ballot of the Faculty Members in that Academic Unit, a Faculty, School, College or Department shall redetermine course equivalencies in the following manner:
(i) If the equivalencies had previously been established by Faculty, School or College, a Special Committee shall be struck within the Faculty, School, or College within one hundred (100) days of the date of signing of this Collective Agreement in order to redetermine the equivalence of all non-standard teaching formats, including, but not limited to, Laboratory Courses, and intern, clinical, research, thesis and other academic supervision of undergraduate and graduate students in the Academic Unit relative to a three-hour lecture course. The Special Committee shall consist of three
(3) Faculty Members elected by and from among the Faculty Members in the Faculty, School or College and two (2) Faculty Members appointed by the Dean, Director or Principal. After receiving the report of the Special Committee, the Dean, Director or Principal shall determine the course equivalencies. This determination shall be fair and equitable, and shall be circulated to all Faculty Members in the Academic Unit.
(ii) If the equivalencies had previously been established by Department, the Department Head shall, following Collegial Consultation*, determine the equivalencies. This determination shall be fair and equitable, and shall be circulated to all Faculty Members in the Academic Unit.
*Clause 1.03(j): “Collegial Consultation” shall mean a process whereby ASMsmeet collectively with their Administrative Head to discuss and vote on an issue. Notice of this meeting, stating its purpose, shall be distributed to all ASMs in the Academic Unit or appropriate unit indicated in a specific clause in this Collective Agreement, in advance of the meeting. The result of the vote,
which shall be disseminated to all AMSs in the unit, is advisory only.
Clause 26.28
In addition, Academic Staff Members are reminded that MUNFA has obtained a commitment from the university administration to set up a Joint Committee to study the provision of childcare at Grenfell College in Corner Brook (Clause 26.28). That Committee must be established within 2 months of the date of signing of the Collective Agreement, and hold its first meeting within 6 weeks of that. The Committee must report to the entire university community by May 1, 2011.
