A pdf version of each Article of the Collective Agreement (CA) that was negotiated and signed off with MUN in the last round of collective bargaining can be viewed at:
www.mun.ca/munfa/Articlesforratification.pdf
At its meeting of July 16, the MUNFA Executive Committee accepted a recommendation from the MUNFA Negotiating Committee that these Articles form the basis for a new four year CA.
The primary purpose of this Information Bulletin (IB) is to highlight for each Academic Staff Member (ASM) the most important changes to the CA. The Articles viewable at the above noted URL, together with the remaining Articles of the current CA that were not opened during this round of negotiations, will represent a new CA that, if ratified by MUNFA members, will be in effect September 1, 2013 through to August 31, 2017. The MUNFA Executive will release dates for both a future Information Meeting, as well as the ratification vote in due course.
Please note in particular, the following:
Article 1 – FRAMEWORK AND IMPLEMENTATION
• Increased release time for officers of the Association (Clause 1.17)
• New Conflict of Interest language (Clause 1.42- 1.44)
Article 3 – DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF FACULTY MEMBERS
• All teaching norms, including all Academic Units at Grenfell Campus, now a maximum of 5 courses (Clauses 3.09 & 3.15, Appendix E)
• All new tenure-track Faculty Members who have not previously held a tenure-track appointment assigned one less course in each of first two years of appointment (Clause 3.22)
Article 7 – APPOINTMENT OF FACULTY MEMBERS
• New language recusing ASMs from Search Committee work for reasons of personal conflicts or previous academic supervision roles (Clauses 7.12 & 7.13)
Article 8 – PROCEDURES FOR THE FORMATION OF PROMOTION AND TENURE COMMITTEES FOR FACULTY MEMBERS
• New language recusing ASMs from Promotion & Tenure Committee work for reasons of personal conflicts or previous academic supervision roles (Clauses 8.03 & 8.04)
Article 13 – APPOINTMENT OF LIBRARIANS
• Application files will no longer contain letters from Search Committee members [Clause 13.22(a) deleted]
Article 15 –THE ASSESSMENT FILE FOR NON-DECISION YEAR REVIEW, EXTENSION OF TENURE-TRACK APPOINTMENT, TENURE AND PROMOTION OF LIBRARIANS
• Assessment files will no longer contain letters from Promotion & Tenure Committee members [Clause 15.07 deleted]
Article 22 – LEAVES
• Religious holidays not listed in Clause 22.09 can now be observed by ASMs (Clause 22.12)
• Explicit language now in place that ensures an ASM need not make up duties otherwise assigned while on leave (Clause 22.87)
Article 26 – MISCELLANEOUS WORKING CONDITIONS
• Improved Occupational Health & Safety language specifically recognizing Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and mandatory investigation and resolution of complaints (Clause 26.01)
• Modest improvements in language governing parking, specifically that related to un-gated lots, and overflow (Clause 26.23)
• Improved provisions for childcare, including increased numbers for St. John’s campus, and a commitment from MUN for childcare facilities at Grenfell Campus no later than December 31, 2015 (Clauses 26.30, 26.31 and Letter of Understanding)
Article 27 – PATENTS AND COPYRIGHTS
• MUN has agreed to a consultation process with MUNFA and GSU with aims to improve ASMs’ access to shared data, intellectual property and publication rights (Letter of Understanding)
• the Parties have clarified ambiguities with respect to language concerning royalties paid if MUN does not pursue either patent protection or development of an ASM’s invention, discovery, or creation (Clauses 27.04 – 27.13)
Article 30 – COOPERATIVE AND FIELD EDUCATION (was COORDINATORS)
• “Coordinator” will now be known as “Academic Staff Member in Cooperative and Field Education” (ASM-CFE) (Clause 30.01)
• ASM-CFEs are now decentralized from what was previously a stand alone Academic Unit (AU; Division of Cooperative Education) to individual AUs that house a Cooperative or Field Education program, with Deans of those AUs assuming the role of Administrative Head for ASM-CFEs (Clause 30.02 & 30.03)
• Notwithstanding the decentralization, all ASM-CFEs from all AUs now have the right to meet twice each semester with all Deans that have Cooperative and Field Education programs as part of their responsibilities (Clause 30.20)
Article 31 – SALARIES AND BENEFITS
• Across the board salary increase of 0 % (September 1, 2013), 0 % (September 1, 2014), 2 % (September 1, 2015) and 3 % (September 1, 2016). All ASMs will receive a $1400.00 one-time bonus payment prorated based on the previous 12 months on September 1, 2014. In addition, effective April 1, 2015 the salary cap for Lecturers, Assistant Professors, Librarians II, and ASM-CFEs will increase by one step.
If a paper copy of the tentative Collective Agreement is required, please contact the MUNFA Office.
MUNFA was also successful in negotiating some small but significant improvements in the “Memorial University of Newfoundland Procedures Governing the Appointment, Review, Promotion and Tenure of Academic Administrators”. This is a University-wide policy that is not subject to ratification.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact the MUNFA Office at ext. 8642 or e-mail: munfa@mun.ca
