Academic staff have right to representation

October 2018

1. U of C Associate Professor receives CAFA Distinguished Academic Early Career Award

2. Recovery of payroll errors requires explicit consent

3. Academic staff have right to representation

4. Ryerson arbitration award on student evaluations significant for Associations nationally

5. National survey on contract academic staff reflects local experience

Academic staff members meet from time to time with their Department Head or Dean (or equivalent) on a variety of matters. Most such conversations are regarding such things as planning or assessment and are collegial.

There are, however, times when academic staff are called into a meeting with the Dean (or equivalent) regarding an investigation which may or may not lead to discipline. As there have been cases recently where academic staff have not, in our view, been fully apprised of their representational rights, we want to note that Article 20.4 of the Collective Agreement stipulates that “[i]n all matters of discipline, an academic staff member shall be entitled to be represented or accompanied by a person appointed for that purpose by the association.”

The Dean (or equivalent) must therefore inform you of this right and ensure you have the opportunity to avail yourself of representation from the Faculty Association should you choose. If any academic staff members have questions or concerns about their rights to representation we ask that they contact the Faculty Association.