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Academic Matters Fall 2020 OCUFA’S JOURNAL OF HIGHER EDUCATION LA REVUE DE L’ENSEIGNEMENT SUPÉRIEUR DE L’OCUFA Collective strength in precarious times Stephanie Bangarth Courage, strength, and resolve: How the King’s University College Faculty Association unionized in the middle of a pandemic Geoffrey L. Hudson Advancing equity and fairness through collective bargaining Jennifer Dekker Pushing ahead: Advancing collective bargaining rights in the library PM43682019 ISSN 1719-010X January | Janvier 2016 2 Editorial Matters Academic Matters 3 Courage, strength, and resolve: How the King’s University College Faculty OCUFA’S JOURNAL OF HIGHER EDUCATION Association unionized in the middle of a pandemic LA REVUE DE L’ENSEIGNEMENT SUPÉRIEUR DE L’OCUFA Stephanie Bangarth Facing a global health pandemic and an uncooperative administration, the King’s University Academic Matters is published two times a year by College Faculty Association decided it was time to unionize. Now they’re stronger than ever. OCUFA, and is received by 17,000 professors, academic librarians, and others interested in higher education Rising to the challenge: Reflections on a round of pandemic bargaining issues across Canada. The journal explores issues of 6 relevance to higher education in Ontario, other provinces Larry Savage in Canada, and globally. It is intended to be a forum for Bargaining is an intensive and complex process during the best of times, but what happened thoughtful, thought-provoking, original, and engaging when the Brock University Faculty Association found itself bargaining a new collective discussion of current trends in postsecondary education agreement in the middle of a pandemic? and consideration of academia’s future direction. Readers are encouraged to contribute their views, ideas, 11 The parties agree that... The role of collective bargaining in advancing and talents. Letters to the editor (maximum 250 words) university goals are welcome and may be edited for length. To provide an article or artwork for Academic Matters, please Michelle Webber and Linda Rose-Krasnor send your query to Editor-in-Chief Ben Lewis at Universities play a vital role in society and the principles of academic freedom, tenure, equity, [email protected]. and institutional autonomy are foundational to their success. How are these principles Reproduction of articles requires the permission of the defended and strengthened? Through collective bargaining. author and publisher. Copyright in material accepted for publication remains with the author. The publisher may 16 How the government restricts free and fair collective bargaining: choose, however, to translate and/or reproduce material An examination of faculty bargaining history as constrained by the in print and electronic form. All published material Ontario Labour Relations Act expresses the view of the author(s) and not the publisher. Donna Gray Academic Matters accepte volontiers des articles écrits Looking back over half a century of bargaining by university faculty and librarians, it is clear en anglais ou en français. that not all academics have seen the same benefits. Is the Ontario Labour Relations Act Publisher: to blame and how can the scales be rebalanced? OCUFA; Michael Conlon, Executive Director Editor-in-Chief: Advancing equity and fairness through collective bargaining 21 Ben Lewis Geoffrey L. Hudson Building more equitable and diverse universities is vital, but it can be challenging. Associate Editors: Mina Rajabi Paak, Hind Eideh, Jordyn Perreault-Laird, By integrating equity into their bargaining process and prioritizing it in their negotiations, Martyna Siekanowicz the faculty, librarians, and professional staff at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine have made remarkable progress on these issues. Art Direction: Eva Kiss, Neglia Design Inc., www.NegliaDesign.com 27 Pushing ahead: Advancing collective bargaining rights in the library Editorial Advisory Board: Jennifer Dekker Glen Jones, April Lindgren, Gilary Massa, Daniel Munro, Well-resourced libraries are core to advancing the goals of the academy and the work Stephanie Ross of faculty and students. Often overlooked due to their small numbers, what challenges do National Advertising Sales: librarians and archivists face in the workplace and how can we ensure they are supported? Dovetail Communications 30 East Beaver Creek Road, Ste. 202 33 Bargaining in the shadow of BC’s Public Sector Employers’ Council Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J2 Annabree Fairweather Sales Manager: For three decades, the wages, benefits, and language British Columbia’s faculty associations Marlene Mignardi, [email protected] (905) 707-3526 are able to negotiate have been restricted by the government. How do workers mobilize and challenge the PSEC regime and its iron grip on the province’s public-sector bargaining? ISSN 1719-010X For subscription information, please contact: [email protected] MORE ON ACADEMICMATTERS.CA Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations This journal is produced in the Dish With One Spoon Territory, which extends from the Great Lakes to Quebec and from 17 Isabella Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 1M7 Lake Simcoe into the United States. The territory exists as the result of a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas, and Haudenosaunee that bound them to protect and share the land and creatures within it. Subsequent Indigenous nations Phone (416) 979-2117 | Fax (416) 593-5607 www.ocufa.on.ca | www.academicmatters.ca and peoples, Europeans, and all newcomers have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship, and respect. It is in this spirit that each issue of Academic Matters is produced. This journal is printed on sustainably sourced paper with vegetable-based link. Image Credits: p3 ©iStockphoto.com/cnythzi, akindo; p6-7-8-9-16-17-19 ©iStockphoto.com/erhui1979; p11 ©iStockphoto.com/z_wei, sesame; p27-29-30 ©iStockphoto.com/Serhil Brovko; p30-36 ©iStockphoto.com/JJpan, zak00; p2©iStockphoto.com/Enis Aksoy zak00; p2©iStockphoto.com/Enis p30-36 ©iStockphoto.com/JJpan, sesame; p27-29-30 ©iStockphoto.com/Serhil Brovko; akindo; p6-7-8-9-16-17-19 ©iStockphoto.com/erhui1979; p11 ©iStockphoto.com/z_wei, Credits: p3 ©iStockphoto.com/cnythzi, Image Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Union des associations des professeurs des universités de l’Ontario Cover illustration: Marie-Claude Carignan describe the vital role collective Editorial Matters bargaining plays in advancing the principles of academic freedom, Ben Lewis tenure, equity, and institutional autonomy that are core to the academy’s mission. Former OCUFA Research The collective challenges of Director Donna Gray reviews the COVID-19 history of bargaining at Ontario’s universities, with a focus on who has benefitted under the limits imposed THIS HAS BEEN a challenging unions with the Ontario Labour by the Ontario Labour Relations Act. year. Relations Board. Even in cases where Geoffrey Hudson, President We were just putting the final faculty associations have not of the Northern Ontario School touches on this issue of Academic formally certified, they still collec- of Medicine Faculty and Staff Matters when the COVID-19 tively negotiate terms and conditions Association, highlights the benefits of pandemic swept through Canada. of employment for their members. integrating and prioritizing equity in A few final tweaks and the journal Faculty recognize that the collective bargaining process. would have been on its way to negotiating agreements and contracts Academic libarians and archivists campus. Except that, suddenly, collectively is the most efficient, face particular challenges in the there was no one on campus to read effective, and equitable way to ensure workplace, many of which University it. So, we decided to wait. their members are being treated and of Ottawa librarian Jennifer Dekker As the virus spread, it became compensated fairly—and that these discusses as she details the importance clear that faculty, librarians, and agreements play a vital role in of bargaining for these sometimes other academic staff would not be protecting members during times overlooked groups. returning to campus any time soon. of crisis. Finally, Annabree Fairweather, Along with increased concerns about As Ontario’s universities plot Executive Director of the health and safety, the pandemic a path forward in the shadow of Confederation of University Faculty created many additional challenges COVID-19, it is through this process Associations of British Columbia, for academic staff. Courses were of collective negotiation that faculty provides a critique of BC’s Public quickly moved online while schools associations are arriving at agree- Sector Employers’ Council, how it and childcare centres closed, leaving ments with university administrations interferes in the collective bargaining parents with more work, more on how to effectively carry on process, and what it might mean for responsibility, and limited access teaching, research, and librarianship public policy in other provinces. to support. during this health crisis. A big thank you to these As COVID-19 continues to cast We already had a fantastic issue contributors for their work and its shadow over our lives, anxiety lined up when the pandemic struck. patience. The ideas they advance are about employment and financial And, with publication delayed, more vital now than ever. As the security continue to grow—especially we reached out to faculty associations