Do You Know What’s In The CEC Proposals?

The College Employer Council (CEC) has presented to the OPSEU SEFPO CAAT Full-time Academic Bargaining team (CAAT-A bargaining team)11 proposals with rationales for each. Unfortunately, since then, there has been misleading and inaccurate information distributed that requires addressing.

CEC is publishing all proposals from both OPSEU SEFPO and CEC in an effort to avoid misleading communications. In fact, at the start of this round of bargaining the parties discussed the establishment of ground rules for all to follow.  As part of this, CEC proposed an agreement not to misrepresent any proposals or demands put forward at the bargaining table. Unfortunately, the CAAT-A bargaining team did not feel it was necessary.

All proposals from both parties are available at www.collegeemployercouncil.ca

The content below outlines what the CEC has proposed with background information on why these changes have been put forward.

Professional Development (M2)

Did you know that full-time academic employees are entitled to 10 professional development (PD) days a year? Currently the collective agreement states five of those days must be consecutive and that no notice period is required. This article has led to situations where students receive very short notice of professors being absent.

The CEC Proposal does not in any way, despite what has been claimed, remove or reduce the number of PD days in the current collective agreement. A full-time academic employee is still entitled to request and use any and all of their 10 PD days. The new language establishes a short notice period to plan and prepare for the time-off. This ensures that management and students will know in advance when the professor will be away.

Academic Year (M2 + M10)

Did you know that the 24 Ontario public Colleges offer programs year-round? Instead of just fall and winter semesters, there are now spring and summer semesters too. The Colleges offer programing to meet the needs of Ontarians through flexible year-round course offerings. Currently, the collective agreement erroneously identifies that an academic year is 10-months, this is out of date and has not been the case for years.

The CEC Proposal is to modernize the current collective agreement to match the reality of the Colleges. A teaching year is no longer just 10 months, it is year-round. The CEC proposal to change the length of an academic year will not decrease an academic employee’s two-month vacation entitlement.

Credentials in the Layoff Process (M3)

Did you know that Ontario public Colleges now offer degree programs such as nursing? In order to maintain accreditation and continue to run degree programs, the Colleges need to ensure that qualified employees with the appropriate credentials remain employed in those programs. The current layoff process within the collective agreement places seniority above credentials and could result in the person with the most relevant qualifications being bumped. This has a cascading effect, as the College could lose the ability to offer the program by not having academic employees with the necessary credentials.

The CEC Proposal adds credentials as a qualifier when reviewing layoff provisions such that the credentials to teach are considered an important factor in decision-making.

Extended Leave Replacement for Counsellors and Librarians (M6)

Did you know that in the current collective agreement, when a Counsellor or Librarian goes on an extended leave, such as a maternity or parental leave of 18 months, the Colleges can only replace them for up to 12 months with one person? This requires the College to hire two individuals to cover the absence. One person for 12 months, followed by another person for the remaining 6 months. With this proposal, the College is not circumventing any rollovers into full-time employment. The goal is to ensure continuity for students and for the sessional employee when the known duration of specified leave of absence surpasses 12 months.

The CEC Proposal recognizes that some leaves are now up to 18 months. It allows the Colleges to hire one individual to cover the entirety of the parental leave, providing students with stability and better support.

Class Definition of Instructor (M8)

Did you know that currently instructors are directed by professors? This is out of alignment with the class definition and legislative framework. Throughout the collective agreement supervisory functions are part of an academic manager’s role; instructors shouldn’t be an anomaly.

The CEC Proposal allows a professor to spend more time focused on teaching and ensures that academic managers are responsible for supervisory functions.

Union Time Off (M9)

Did you know that CAAT-A bargaining team members currently receive full release from their duties and full pay for the entire duration of bargaining? It starts once notice to bargain has been given and lasts until a new collective agreement is translated, proofread, and formally signed. Last round, the CAAT-A bargaining team was fully released and out of the classroom for more than 2.5 years. While this costs the College sector more than $1.5 million dollars, it also fails to incentivize a timely resolution to the bargaining process. For instance, when the parties agreed to unconditional interest arbitration in March 2022, they did not meet for more than 5 months until September 2022 and didn’t conclude the signed Agreement until September 2023. This delayed the conclusion of bargaining and implementation of the changes to the collective agreement, including benefit improvements.  Additionally, the collective agreement was implemented less than a year before it is to expire and bargaining to re-commence.  No other bargaining unit is granted unconditional fully paid time off for “bargaining”.

The CEC Proposal aligns the CAAT-A bargaining team with the other OPSEU SEFPO bargaining team time-off and is consistent with other sectors. CEC’s proposal would provide members of the CAAT-A’s bargaining team paid time off for the days spent in bargaining and also additional time for preparation and caucusing. This change will help incentivize the parties to work together to renew an on-time collective agreement in a timely manner by not having extended periods of time between bargaining sessions

Partial-Load (M11)

Did you know the partial-load pay rate includes compensation for teaching and ancillary duties related to the teaching assignment that occur outside of the scheduled class time? The Union has acknowledged this as true in a number of arbitrations.

The CEC Proposal adds language to the collective agreement to clarify this for current and future partial-load hires. It does not take any rights or compensation away.

Grievance Process (M1)

Did you know that currently the Union isn’t required to fully prepare for a staffing grievance in advance? They can keep bringing new evidence and bundles of work to the arbitrator if they don’t think their original argument will be successful, drawing out the process and costing the sector hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The CEC Proposal adds language to the collective agreement to require the Union to be prepared fully in advance of its grievance from the start and prevent long, drawn-out delays and unnecessary spending as they continue to gather or reassemble evidence in new ways.

All proposals and demands are published on the CEC website. Academic employees, management, students, and community members are encouraged to read both the CEC and Union proposals and get informed.