Greetings NorQuest Faculty! The Sector Connector is a new quarterly publication of your union that will provide regular updates on the work we are doing, news from around the post-secondary sector in Alberta (and beyond), current events, and resources/tips to help you stay connected with the broader communities in which we work.
Notes of Appreciation
Special thanks are extended to Meena Gupta and Lisa Saxby, who served as Vice-President (Faculty Welfare) and Vice-President (Negotiations) respectively until August of 2020. Their leadership, passion for their work, and expertise will be greatly missed by the NCFA, and the NCFA Executive Committee extends its most sincere thanks for their service in support of faculty at NorQuest College.
In this issue…
Labour Relations Updates
Status on outstanding grievances, arbitrations, and bargaining.
ACIFA Updates
The NCFA’s President is on ACIFA’s President’s Council and reports on its activities.
NCFA Business
Updates about what’s
happening in the association;
✦ Policy and advocacy work ✦ AGM
✦ Social Events
Resources
Shared by your members.
…and more.
The NCFA would gladly accept any suggestions on the style or content of this publication. Send any suggestions (or to offer your skills and knowledge to the creation of this
newsletter) to
THE SECTOR CONNECTOR
Labour Relations Updates
The past few months have been very busy for our Grievance Committee. A grand total of eleven member-initiated grievances were filed over the summer months and into the fall. An additional policy grievance was undertaken by the Union, and as the matter has not been successfully resolved using the formal grievance process, is currently being referred to arbitration. One further matter sent to arbitration in the fall of 2019 was settled this September, and one other grievance was abandoned by the member who initiated it.
In addition, we filed an Unfair Labour Practice with the College in late-August. The NCFA is committed to respecting the privacy of all parties involved in this matter, but we can report that the Alberta Labour Relations Board has already agreed to hear the matter in relatively short order. Dates have tentatively been set aside for a hearing in mid-January and early-February, and updates will be provided in future editions of The Sector Connector.
As well, the NCFA Bargaining Committee had done the preparatory work for the next round of collective bargaining. Although our current contract was set to expire on June 30, 2020, it remains in force until a new one is negotiated. Memorandums of Agreement were signed where particular parts of the agreement needed confirmation of continuity. For example, a Letter of Understanding concerning the Faculty Health Spending Account has extended the enforcement of the account until November 30, 2020.The College and the NCFA have yet to commence negotiations, but plan to as soon as possible.
Please direct any questions regarding bargaining, grievances, or general faculty welfare to
[email protected] or to Joe Ahrens (NCFA Labour Relations Officer) at [email protected] .
Joe Ahrens - NCFA’s Labour
Relations Officer
The NCFA is thrilled to welcome Joe Ahrens as our union’s new Labour Relations Officer (LRO). Mr. Ahrens was brought on to assist members of the Executive and Grievance Committees with the increasing volume and complexity of labour relations work we need to do to better support our members. With approximately 40 years of experience in handling
grievances, negotiations, and arbitrations in different industries from across Canada, we look forward on utilizing his experience and expertise to better support our members with concerns brought to our attention.
Contact Joe at
ACIFA Updates
ACIFA’s AGM will take place on Saturday, October 24 from 9-11 am, and it too will take place virtually ( o v e r We b E x ) . Wa t c h y o u r i n b ox e s f o r m o r e information on how to join this meeting!
Over the past few weeks, members of the ACIFA Presidents’ Council have been attending focus group sessions organized by the Government of Alberta as part of the Alberta 2030: Transforming Post-Secondary Education initiative. While it is important to have faculty voices participate in this review, the feedback we have received thus far suggests that the make-up of the focus groups is heavily weighted in favour of senior leadership in both business and post-secondar y education (and a subsequent dearth of opportunity for a strong message from front-line workers to be heard). ACIFA is concerned about the direction of the tone that is emerging from these meetings, and what this means for the quality of instruction in our sector (and the stability of employment for those who teach and support students directly).
In July, ACIFA released a statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. This statement can be viewed at https://www.acifa.ca/blm-statement. The ACIFA Presidents’ Council is also exploring the potential development of a province-wide research project that would examine the experiences of racialized faculty in Alberta. More information on this initiative will be provided as it becomes available.
ACIFA Conference
As was previouslycommunicated to you, due to COVID-19, the ACIFA 2020 conference was unfortunately cancelled. However, all the money that the NCFA had set aside for attendees and
presenters will be automatically carried over and added to the funds we will set aside for ACIFA 2021 (which will take place at the Banff Springs Hotel). In other words, everyone who was due to receive NCFA support to attend the conference in 2020 will automatically be eligible to receive union funding for 2021. Together, we will make sure that
NorQuest’s contribution to the ACIFA 2021 conference will be stronger than ever!
Learn more about ACIFA
and what it is, at
NCFA Business
Policy and Advocacy Work
E a r l i e r i n 2 0 2 0, w e w e r e a b l e to w o r k w i t h Management on the proposed new policy regarding the use and distribution of College-Wide Professional Development funds. This new policy is reflective of years of sustained lobbying on the part of the NCFA to create a transparent and equitable process for the disbursement of the limited amount of PD funds available at the college.
In addition, we have been involved in ongoing consultations with the college regarding upcoming c h a n g e s t o t h e Fa c u l t y E v a l u a t i o n a n d Development Policy and Student Complaints Procedures. We are also very strongly advocating for avenues for Faculty input in ongoing conversations regarding the reopening of the NorQuest College campus.
“A” is for AGM
October is AGM season for faculty in our corner of the world. The NCFA AGM is scheduled to take place on Thursday, October 29 from 5-7 pm. This year’s event will be virtual, and the “Save the Date” invitation has already been sent out to faculty inboxes. More information (including how to log on) will be provided shortly, but in the meantime, if you do plan on attending, please let us know by “accepting” the meeting invite in your Outlook Calendar.
At this year’s AGM, we’ll be having elections for available positions and positions up for re-election on the NCFA Executive Committee (see below for more information), we will have door prizes for attendees, a n d t h e d r a w s w i l l b e m a d e f o r t h e N C FA Educational Grant (please see below for more information).
Resources
Research Studies on t h e Im p a c t s o f COVID-19 On September 17, the NCFA distributed the results of the province-wide COVID-19 Survey that was undertaken in the Spring, and is pleased to support the efforts of our colleagues Viola Manokore and Jeff Kuntz who are interested in knowing more about the transition to full-time remote integrated (ie. Online) teaching in Alberta. Pleaseconsider participating in their research by reaching out to them directly
(viola.manokore@norqu est.ca or
Committee. We have a number of positions currently open and/or up for re-election: • Vice-President (Faculty Welfare): 2 year term, up to 50% course release eligibility
• Vice-President (Negotiations): 2 year term, up to 50% course release eligibility in bargaining years
• Vice-President (Finance): 2 year term • Faculty Representative
In addition, we have a number of standing committees that always welcome involvement from faculty members. These include:
• Social Committee: Planning outreach/engagement activities, such as meet and greets, holiday celebrations, and quarterly festivities.
• Grievance Committee: Learn more about the effective stewardship of the Collective Agreement that governs our workplace and support the grievance process.
• Negotiations Committee: Learn more about the process of collective bargaining in unionized work environments and support the negotiations preparations.
NCFA Education Grant
A draw will be made at our AGM on October 29th for 10 Post-Secondary Education Grants for up to $1,000 each. Please note that only amounts NOT paid by the college or another source will be eligible for entry. This draw is for any courses completed in the academic year September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020. Official tuition and fees receipt as well as proof of successful completion must be provided. Please email these along with the completed request to Brooklin Schneider (NCFA Vice President Professional Affairs) by Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. Applications received after this time will not be included in the draw. Applicants are asked to include their mailing address with their application, as cheques will be mailed following the AGM.
Cancellation of NCFA Social Committee Events
As was reported in the Spring 2020 Edition of this newsletter, due to ongoing public health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCFA Social Committee made the difficult decision to indefinitely cancel all in-person social activities. The committee will meet soon to discuss potential social events that could be organized online. We will be sending out future communications upon confirmation of further detail. Anyone interested in joining the Social Committee is highl y encoura ged to send an e-mail to
As well, it is with continued regret that we must once again announce the indefinite postponement of the official launch of the NCFA Office (located on the second floor of CELT). We look forward to organizing a proper grand opening on campus once it is safe to do so.
Contact us:
[email protected] Be well faculty of NorQuest!
