MUNFA faces Collective Bargaining determined to build a new Collective Agreement (CA) around the core principle of equity. This communiqué summarizes some key proposals to that end.
Better conditions for contingent faculty: Foremost, MUNFA is committed to improving the position of our most vulnerable members. Contingently employed Academic Staff Members (ASMs) live contract-to-contract, a form of insecurity that is not good for them, for the university, or for the province.
Contract faculty are often among the most dedicated of teachers, but their ability to serve as mentors to students is restricted by the short-term nature of their jobs. The university loses again by failing to treat them as the scholars they are, given MUN’s increasing reliance on Teaching Term appointees, whose job description does not include research and service. For MUNFA, university teaching is a form of scholarship that cannot be divorced from research. Therefore, we propose that at least 75% of term appointments include research and that 90% of teaching at MUN be done by tenure stream ASMs. We are also fighting to improve working conditions and job security with proposals for longer contracts, fairer salaries, access to research support, and meaningful provisions for conversion to the tenure stream.
More inclusive Promotion & Tenure Language: Through our Academic Freedom and Grievance work, MUNFA has found that scholars with non-traditional career paths – particularly those whose research, teaching and service activities cannot easily be separated – are especially likely to run into problems in the P&T process. Our strong impression is that this problem disproportionately affects women. MUNFA is arguing for P&T language that better captures the diversity of our members’ scholarly activities, as well as a new provision for promotion to Professor through demonstrated competence in both teaching and research, along with a substantial record of academic service.
Leave time for ASMs in situations of domestic violence: MUNFA is proposing a new provision for five days of paid leave for any ASM facing a situation of violence or abuse in their personal lives. This leave could be taken as whole or part days and used for such activities as medical or legal appointments.
Better support for parents: MUNFA is proposing better leave provisions for new parents, including the extension of Supplemented Parental Leave to birth mothers. In addition, we continue to fight for better childcare provisions, particularly at Grenfell Campus, which currently has no childcare spaces.
Fairer salary structures: As always, MUNFA will press to ensure our salaries keep pace with comparable universities. In addition, we are seeking redress for systemic pay inequities related to gender and other arbitrary criteria.
