Article 42
Do these changes apply immediately? For example, if we hired a lecturer a year ago, does the collective agreement under which they were hired apply to them, or the new one?
The collective agreement took effect on the date the new agreement was ratified, December 21, 2020. The General Wage Increases set out in Article 42 took effect on December 21, 2021. The July 1, 2020 increase and the January 1, 2021 increase have been implemented. An updated salary scale is posted on Faculty Relations’ website. FR is working with Payroll to process retroactive payments for faculty members. If you have questions about how a new hire may be affected for issues such as the changes to the probationary period for teaching faculty, please contact Faculty Relations.
Article 23
When does the 33 day change in advertising take effect?
Any revisions or new language in the collective agreement took effect on the date of ratification, December 21, 2020. Any new postings need to be posted for 33 days.
Is it 33 business days or calendar days?
33 calendar days.
What does EDI training entail?
Faculty Relations will be rolling out EDI training in the next few months after providing updated and new materials to SFUFA for consultation. You will only have to take the training once but we will offer refresher training on a yearly basis.
The language of “short list of potential candidates that does not include members of designated groups” contains a scope ambiguity. Does this mean: (i) no member of *any* designated group, or (ii) does not contain at least one person from *each* group.
This means i) no member or any designated group. “Designated group” in this article has the same meaning as “designated group” in the Employment Equity Policy.
May the start date of a new appointment be adjusted if the candidate asks for that, i.e., a month prior instead of 6 weeks?
Yes, if there are special circumstances but normally it should be 6 weeks prior.
If an ad was posted prior to the CA changes, but a candidate has not been hired yet, which article applies?
If the ad was posted before the ratification date, December 21, 2021, the ad should be posted for 60 days. If the search is not successful and the position needs to be reposted, the new language will apply.
Article 24
How does a Program make a joint hire if not with a unit that is a Department?
For individual cases like this, please contact FR directly and we will work with you to find a solution.
Article 27
With regards to assigning workload, can this be delegated to an Associate Dean? To a Program Director?
Yes.
Does this reduce the power of Dean to set workload?
No.
Article 28
Does bullet 2 imply that TPCs may require that all course materials be submitted for evaluation by the faculty?
When departments are determining their criteria that criteria needs to be approved by the Dean. If that criteria includes all course materials, then yes, that’s what needs to be submitted.
Is Article 28 for salary review and RTP?
Yes. The language in Article 33 has been amended confirming that the biennial salary review process will be consistent with the evaluation for renewal, tenure and promotion.
The Chair may have information that the TPC does not have re: student evaluations. The Chair may not therefore share that information with the TPC, right?
Correct.
Can the TPC ask for comments to be included?
No. It is up to the faculty member whether to include student comments in their materials. They cannot be required to provide student comments.
The Chair is in an uncomfortable position as a member of the TPC who has information about student evaluations that the TPC cannot have unless the faculty member freely shares the student evaluations with the TPC.
Yes that’s a consequence of this article. The Chair of the Department may use the student experience comments for formative discussions with the faculty member. A faculty member’s decision not to include student comments should not be given any weight in their evaluation. A TPC chair should not survey or gather information from faculty members asking whether they will provide student comments with their materials.
Article 29
Same EDI as for hiring?
Faculty Relations is in the process of developing EDI materials to meet this new requirement in the collective agreement. There will be a significant amount of overlap between the training materials for search committees and TPCs, but the materials for TPCs will also address the different responsibilities and decisions each committee is assigned.
Can a department have a stated policy on when it would or wouldn't recommend an extension to the tenure clock? I am concerned that this puts chairs in an uncomfortable position.
A decision about the extension of a faculty member’s tenure clock should always be made on a case by case basis with due consideration to the individual circumstances of each case.
For TPC composition, tentative language says "tenure track (AP or P)" can you clarify tenure track (aP) okay or only tenured?
Article 29.5 provides that an external member of the TPC could be a tenure track Associate Professor or Professor, but not an Assistant Professor.
Article 30
How much discretion does the Dean have with respect to recommended delay in tenure application?
The exercise of the Dean’s discretion to recommend a delay in a tenure application must reasonable, fair and non-discriminatory. The Dean’s decision should be made having regard to all of the relevant circumstances affecting the faculty member. If you questions about whether a faculty member’s circumstances warrant an extension of the tenure clock please contact Faculty Relations.
How we will deal with probationary review for teaching faculty in the years that are covered by the MOU (2021-22)?
The probationary period in effect on the faculty member’s start date should apply. If the faculty member started on September 1, 2020, the probationary period described in the 2014-2019 collective agreement should apply. If the faculty member started on January 1, 2021 the probationary period described in the 2019-2022 collective agreement should apply.
Article 33
Has the total number of steps a Department can allocate been changed?
Each department in a departmentalized faculty (or each TPC in a non-departmentalized faculty) is allocated 1.5 times the number of faculty under review using the following formula:
(1.5 X # of faculty in department in review cycle) = # of steps
In addition to the steps allotted to Departments, steps will be available to the Dean of each faculty. The number of steps available to each Deans will be calculated using the following formula:
(0.06 X #faculty members aculty review cycle) = # of steps
Deans may use their available steps to make adjustments or provide additional steps to award to outstanding performers across the faculty.
Article 35
What is the process for informing SFUFA of the exceptional circumstances requiring an appointment below 50%?
Under the new language in Article 35, appointments for limited term faculty will normally be 50%. There may be circumstances that justify an appointment at less than 50% e.g. an unanticipated illness requiring coverage for a teaching assignment. Chairs and Directors should consult with their Deans and contact Faculty Relations to review the circumstances prior to concluding a limited term appointment that is less than 50%. If it is necessary to provide SFUFA with notice of an appointment that is less than 50%, Faculty Relations will assist with the preparation of a written rationale. Once the rationale is finalized Faculty Relations will submit the rationale to SFUFA on your behalf.
Why was a minimum of 50% adopted added to the collective agreement?
The change is intended to provide more continuity in instruction and to provide LTL’s with more stability in their employment through a movement away from one course, one term teaching assignments.
How do we assign teaching to adjuncts? We have always used LTLs for adjunct faculty who teach even if only one course. What is the expectation moving forward if we can’t do that?
The purpose of the language is to support continuity and stability for LTL’s. If you can’t give them a 50% position, then we suggest that you hire them as a Sessional.
Does a minimum appointment of 50% translate to 4 courses within one year?
Under Article 27 and Article 35, where the normal annual workload for a full time research faculty is a teaching assignment of 4 courses, the normal workload for a full time teaching faculty would be 8 courses. A limited term teaching assignment of 50% would be 4 courses in a year.
Article 37
Regarding practitioner funding, is this only funding that is run through SFU? For example, what about a medical doctor with a clinical practice that does that 4 days per week and is only at SFU for one. Do we count the income from the clinical practice?
Only the income derived through SFU.
If a continuing position is identified, does it need to be a research faculty position?
Practitioner faculty are appointed to the same ranks as research faculty.
Can we offer another term for practitioner faculty after the first one? How often can you renew 5 year terms?
Yes, provided the subsequent term appointment meets the criteria outlined in Article 37. The number of times a 5 year term may be renewed will also depend on the nature of the appointment. The Faculty Association must approve a renewal beyond 5 years unless the renewal is a term appointment below 50% of full time or more than 50% externally funded.
Article 38
Can you confirm whether requirement for >.5 applies to term -research- faculty appointments?
The 50% requirement was only added to Article 35 and applies only to teaching faculty. Article 38 applicable to term research faculty has not been amended.