MUNFA is your union. Our collective strength comes from the contributions of members to ongoing work and campaigns. There are always opportunities to get involved with MUNFA and to support our colleagues across Canada and in the broader labour movement. The sidebar to the right includes information on MUNFA Standing Committees, a range of MUNFA Working Groups, and other actions that individual members can take to show their support.

If you want to find out more, or have ideas for new initiatives, let us know by emailing the MUNFA Office, munfa@mun.ca.

The MUNFA and MUNL Negotiating Committees met on January 27, 2022, to begin collective bargaining. While it is our hope that a mutually satisfactory Collective Agreement can be negotiated without job action, we intend to be ready in the event that job action is needed.

MUNFA’s Contract Action Team is working to maximize member engagement and to create a well-organized membership that will be able to fight for, and win, the contract all members deserve. This involves mobilizing members as well as developing fast communication avenues both to get developments at the negotiating table out to members, and to get members’ views to the Negotiating Committee. Ideally, the CAT would include at least one representative from each Academic Unit (AU), and multiple representatives from larger AUs.

Starting Sept. 12, 2022, the Contract Action Team is meeting weekly on Mondays from 9:30-10:30 am. Meetings are open to all MUNFA members, and the CAT is accepting new volunteers. To join the CAT or to get the Zoom link for the weekly meeting, email membership.munfa@mun.ca.

MUNFA’s Job Action Committee is responsible for coordinating strike pay and all expenses related to a strike, all aspects of picketing, and securing and running a strike headquarters. In the past, the JAC has included at least three Academic Staff Members. In addition, sub-committees will be established under the direction of the JAC to focus on the three core responsibilities noted above. A fourth subcommittee will be responsible for activities at Grenfell Campus. To get involved, contact the MUNFA Office, munfa@mun.ca.

While MUNFA recognizes and supports Memorial University’s efforts to champion Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, we also recognize that Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) Academic Staff Members (ASMs) may wish to have their own, distinct space to come together, share their experiences, and articulate how their workplace conditions can be improved.

The MUNFA Executive Committee has approved supports for the creation of a BIPOC Caucus for ASMs, including, but not limited to a number of course remissions. It is also important to note that “an ASM’s service to the Association shall be deemed academic service…” as outlined in Clause 1.20 of the MUN/MUNFA Collective Agreement.

BIPOC members who are interested in forming a caucus to discuss issues of importance to them, and to identify ways that our union can use collective bargaining and other tools to contribute to Indigenizing the academy and building racial justice at Memorial and more widely are invited to contact MUNFA at munfa@mun.ca. MUNFA can organize an initial meeting and commits to providing ongoing support for meetings and other initiatives.

In recent years, MUNFA members have expressed significant concerns relating to collegial governance and shared-decision making at Memorial. Whether it be a search for a new academic administrator, a decision related to the design of academic programs and the appointment of new faculty in them, or the development of the University’s Strategic Plan, Academic Staff Members (ASMs) have seen the ongoing erosion of these core principles.

Memorial University has often been cited as the only Canadian university without faculty representation on its governing board. This is due to fact that the Memorial University Act explicitly states that “A person who is a member of the teaching staff of the university or of an affiliated college or institution shall not be eligible to be appointed or elected as a member of the board.” “All Hands on Deck” and “The Big Reset” both recommended changes to the Memorial University Act. In response, MUNFA prepared a submission suggesting necessary changes to the Act to improve governance at Memorial University.

To continue this work, ASMs are invited to join MUNFA’s Governance Working Group who is championing initiatives to address the erosion of collegial governance and shared-decision making at Memorial University. Interested ASMs can contact the MUNFA Office at munfa@mun.ca.

In 2019 the MUNFA Executive established a decarbonization working group. The work of the group is defined by a commitment to decarbonizing the university in line with what the IPCC has determined is necessary to achieve no more than 1.5°C of global warming. Specifically, this means the university achieving net carbon emissions decline of 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. MUNFA members are invited to join the working group to set priorities and advance the work of achieving the decarbonization of Memorial University, including through MUNFA’s participation in the MUN Climate Action Coalition.

If you are interested, please contact the MUNFA Office, munfa@mun.ca.

The Education for All campaign is a joint initiative of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the National Union of Public General and Public Employees. Together, our combined memberships of more than one million students and workers are putting forward a vision of a more affordable, accessible, high quality, publicly-funded post-secondary education system in Canada; a system that is ready to take on the challenges of today and tomorrow.

For more information, visit educationforall.ca.

Visit the CLC’s COVID-19 Resource Centre and its Take Action page for actions and resources to support workers.

Contract instructors, TAs, and RAs at Carleton University in Ottawa are bargaining for better wages, an improved accommodation system that does not leave members vulnerable to discrimination, and reasonable caps on the amount of students TAs can be responsible for.

To support these workers in their bargaining efforts, fill out and submit this letter form.

Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON., went on strike on Nov. 21. They are fighting for better pay; extended funding and guaranteed work; protection against wages being lost to tuition increases in the form of reimbursements; and a closing of the pay gap between graduate and undergraduate assistants.

To support these striking university workers, fill out this letter form and send it to McMaster.

More than 60% of all Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD U) faculty are sessional. The majority of this group (70%) have been teaching at OCAD U for more than five years, and many have taught at OCAD U for over a decade — but they remain precarious with no job security.

Find more information about what sessional faculty at OCAD U are organizing for here. Sign their petition to show your support here.

The Canadian Labour Congress has put together a list of resources to encourage and urge people across Canada to learn about this country’s colonial history, and act today to combat its lasting impacts on First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Find the Resource Centre here: https://canadianlabour.ca/indigenous-rights-and-justice-resource-centre/. Send a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging him to fulfil his government’s promises regarding reconciliation with Indigenous peoples here.

Bargaining has reached an impasse between Public Service Alliance of Canada members and the St. John’s Port Authority. Click here to send a letter in support of these workers and their efforts to achieve a fair deal.