Labour exploitation is alive and well at North American Universities, and UFV is no exception. Here are the top 5 reasons Fair Employment Week matters here:
Pay Equity.
Permanent faculty at the top of the pay scale make $98,977.56 for teaching a full course load (most often 7 courses). These faculty teach, do service work, and research. Limited Term Contract faculty make $65,165.06 for 7 sections. They teach, do service work and are not required to do research, though in their interviews they are often asked to show their research or independent creative practice. Sessionals most commonly make $7293.71 per course equaling $51,055.97 for 7 sections. Sessionals are not required to do service work or research, though many do so anyway. UFV is designated as a Special Teaching University. Teaching is the main focus of our faculty, though compensation is far from equitable.
Pay equity for ALL.
Health Benefits.
Arguably, the employees at UFV who are exempt from the Collective Agreement (Deans, VP’s, Provost, HR, President) have the most robust and best Health Benefits. Next is permanent faculty and staff. Limited Term Agreement Faculty (LTA’s) can buy health benefits from the employer at a 50/50 cost share. And Sessionals have no health benefits at all. No prescriptions, no dental care, no glasses, no eye exams, no travel insurance and more.
Health benefits for ALL.
Job Security.
Our longest serving contract faculty member has been teaching at UFV for nearly 21 years (full time equivalent). This means that that member has likely been teaching at UFV for even longer. Despite over 20 years of service, and a continuous workload, that employee still has no job security. Sessional faculty receive a 1 semester contract. Their work is not guaranteed after that. This member, along with countless others, has shown outstanding loyalty to UFV, and the employer has not shown it back.
Job security for ALL.
Sabbaticals.
40 contract faculty have taught at UFV for over 7 years (full time equivalent) and will not receive sabbaticals. Based on their years of teaching, 6 of those faculty would have been eligible for 2 sabbaticals by now. Only permanent faculty are eligible for sabbaticals, despite the long term teaching service of our non-regulars. The workload is clearly there, but the employer keeps them on contract to avoid paying higher wages, allotting health benefits and other benefits, such as sabbaticals.
Sabbaticals for ALL.
Long term disability and short term disability.
Long term and short term disability insurance is extended to permanent faculty and staff. LTA’s and Sessionals do not receive these benefits. This puts them in a very precarious position. If injury or illness prevent them from working, they can simply lose their jobs and their income.
Disability insurance for ALL.
What you can do.
Fair Employment Week and its Top 5 issues is a great item to add to your faculty meeting agenda this month. Creating an open and safe environment for your Sessionals and LTA’s to speak about their experiences can create empathy and solidarity in the workplace. Let’s work as a team this bargaining season, because we are stronger together!
Sessionals and LTA’s, if you feel safe to do so, educate your colleagues about your working conditions (pay, benefits, job security and how they affect your life). We have power in numbers. Contract faculty represent a 70% headcount at UFV. We are the biggest faculty body right now. We have the power of big numbers to be heard by our employer through the FSA, our union. We have the power of numbers at ratification time, once our collective agreement has been bargained. Reach out to us at the FSA any time. We’d love your support and help, and we’d love to hear your concerns.
In Solidarity,
Toni Latour
LTA, Visual Arts, SOCA
Non-Regular FSA Executive Member