Employee Updates

March 7, 2013 - Bargaining Update

Negotiations resume today between the employer and FUNSCAD Unit I, the faculty union. Classes will be held as usual.

March 6, 2013 - Bargaining Update

FUNSCAD Unit I, representing full and part-time faculty members, is in a legal strike position as of today, Wednesday, March 6 at 1:33 p.m. Conciliation talks between the employer, NSCAD University, and the union took place yesterday and were concluded without resolution in the early morning hours.

NSCAD University sincerely appreciates the work of our faculty and the vital contributions they make to our school. The university remains hopeful that a settlement can be reached without sustained disruption to the education of our students. A great deal of progress was made during negotiations last night and the university is open to resuming negotiations at any time.

At the meeting yesterday, the university’s bargaining team presented an offer to the faculty union which showed movement on many issues.

The university’s offer included:

A three-year collective agreement;
Wage increases of 1.5 per cent in the first year, 1.5 per cent in the second year and 1.8 per cent in the third year for full-time and pro-rated faculty, plus any step increases;
Compensation increases for ICAs (individual course appointees) and RPTs (regular part-time faculty) of $110 per course in the first year, with additional increases of 1.5 per cent in the second year and 1.8 per cent in the third year;
Enhanced access to allow regular part-time faculty to fulfill their teaching responsibilities by enabling them to have access to facilities during their teaching semester and for one month before and one month after their teaching semesters; and more, if required, upon written request. About 25 per cent of RPTs teach courses in three semesters; so this provides them with year-round access. Approximately 60 per cent of RPTs teach courses in two semesters, providing them with nearly year-round access.
Substantial changes to how NSCAD deals with administrators re-entering the bargaining unit and how NSCAD would deal with promotions for those persons while excluded from the bargaining, all at FUNSCAD’s suggestion.
A pilot study with respect to using online course evaluations to support teaching evaluations, designed to make the evaluation process more efficient and less costly.
Clarifying the period of service which respect to certain entitlements under the collective agreement in relation to periods when the faculty member is on an unpaid leave, thereby hopefully resolving a grievance on the issue.
Clarifying how the precedence list works with respect to regular part-time faculty and ensuring that a RPT member receives the benefit for additional courses taught earlier than under the old collective agreement.
Increasing the deemed hours of work for employment insurance purposes relating to record of employment issuance for regular part-time faculty from 170 to 180 hours.
Expanding professional development reimbursement allowance to include membership fees and conference registration fees.
Increasing the health spending account for regular part-time faculty from the existing $50 per half day course to $60 (a 20 per cent increase) effective September 1, 2014.
Substantially reworking the way in which regular part-time teaching assignments are made, including an obligation on the part of the Office of Academic Affairs to maintain an accurate and up-to-date list of courses for which regular part-time members have attained the right of first refusal; and substantially improving the process by which RPTs become aware of teaching opportunities.
Clarifying the leave of absence arrangements for regular part-time faculty.
A Statement of Intent by NSCAD to create a committee to review NSCAD’s policy on employment equity and identify a process to further address employment equity within the university with the aim of providing recommendations to the Board of Governors prior to December 31, 2014.
In the course of negotiations, NSCAD offered to resolve a number of grievances on a “without prejudice” basis.

The university also proposes the suspension of the employee complement clause, which guarantees the specific number of faculty who work at the university. The university notes that only four other universities in Canada, and none within Nova Scotia, have active complement clauses in their collective agreements.

FUNSCAD Unit I represents approximately 110 full and regular part-time faculty members. Its contract with the university expired December 31, 2012.

February 13, 2013 - Bargaining Update

Despite best efforts and significant progress, conciliation talks between the employer, NSCAD University, and the union, FUNSCAD Unit I, did not achieve a new collective agreement earlier today, Wednesday, Feb. 13.

Conciliation between NSCAD and FUNSCAD took place over two days, Monday, Feb. 11 and Tuesday, Feb. 12, and into the early hours of Wednesday, Feb. 13 at the Holiday Inn in Dartmouth.

The conciliator will file a report to the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education, and once filed, a 14-day countdown to possible job action begins.

The university remains committed to reaching an agreement at the negotiating table and will continue to keep students, faculty and staff apprised of updates as they become available.

FUNSCAD Unit I represents approximately 110 full and regular part-time faculty members. Its contract with the university expired December 31, 2012.

February 7, 2013 - Bargaining Update

A tentative, three-year agreement was reached very early this morning between NSCAD University and FUNSCAD Unit II, representing technicians and educational resource personnel. Both sides invested a lot of hard work and compromise in the process.

In other news, conciliation talks between FUNSCAD Unit I, representing faculty, and the employer have been set for Monday, Feb. 11 and Tuesday, Feb. 12. FUNSCAD Unit I represents regular full- and part-time faculty.

January 16, 2013 - Bargaining Update

Conciliation talks between the employer, NSCAD University, and the union, FUNSCAD Unit II, took place yesterday, Tuesday, Jan. 15, and today, Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Holiday Inn in Dartmouth. Earlier today, NSCAD's bargaining team presented a settlement offer through the conciliator. The union, representing technicians, has asked for time to consider.

Another update will be made as information becomes available.

December 20, 2012 - Bargaining Update

Union representatives for FUNSCAD Unit I served notice yesterday, Wednesday, Dec. 19, that they have applied for a conciliator through the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education.

FUNSCAD Unit I, representing faculty, and the NSCAD negotiating team, representing the employer, have met five times since November 21, with a lot of hard work and effort invested by both sides. The employer believes progress has been made through the collective bargaining process, and is open to a return to the table any time a request is received.

As for FUNSCAD Unit II, which represents technicians, conciliation talks have been set for January 15 and 16, 2013. Industrial Relations Officer Peter G. Lloyd will be in attendance assisting the employer and FUNSCAD Unit II.

Conciliation involves the addition of a neutral third party knowledgeable in effective negotiation procedures to the bargaining process. Appointed by the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education, the conciliator assists employers and unions in reaching agreement, although he or she has no authority to make decisions. Conciliation is an opportunity for the parties to revisit outstanding issues in an impartial forum.

The contracts for both units expire on December 31, 2012.

Regards,

The NSCAD Negotiating Team

November 30, 2012 - NSCAD Collective Bargaining

The collective bargaining process between NSCAD administration and FUNSCAD Unit II and Unit I has begun.

Meetings with FUNSCAD Unit II (technicians) were held on Nov. 22 and Nov. 28. Meetings with FUNSCAD Unit I (faculty) took place Nov. 21 and Nov. 27; another meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 4. The contracts for both units expire on December 31, 2012.

As negotiations continue, the objectives on the part of the NSCAD administration will be to be respectful of employee needs while demonstrating good stewardship of public funding and our students’ investment through their tuition dollars. Students are the number-one priority at NSCAD.

All Nova Scotia universities are faced with declining support from the province and increasing demands on their budgets. Through its Framework for Sustainability, NSCAD is committed to achieving financial balance and stability. The next five years will be critical to maintain competitiveness with other fine art universities, attract talented students and increase enrolment while maintaining quality and integrity in education and research. The university’s administration believes strongly that everyone plays an important role in ensuring NSCAD’s success.

Through the process, NSCAD pledges to keep all members of the NSCAD community informed. Regular postings like this one will be posted on the website; they can be found under ‘Employee Updates,’ in the Human Resources section of the NSCAD website.