The working conditions of sessional academic staff are of local and national concern. Typically, sessional instructors at the University of Calgary are contract academics hired to teach individual courses. They usually aren’t expected to do research and receive no long or short-term commitments beyond the individual courses. In other cases, they are hired as short-term replacements (12 months or less) for regular academic staff.
Sessional staff often work for lower pay and few benefits, and live with the uncertainty of whether they will be offered other short-term contracts in the future. Due to the nature of these positions, they are especially vulnerable to attacks on academic freedom and unfair treatment.
Article 23 of the Collective Agreement governs sessional appointments including the assessment of sessional staff members, the recognition of contracts in hiring decisions, and leaves available to sessional staff. Sessional compensation and benefits that are available to sessional staff can be found in Schedule “B” of the agreement.
Reasons for Sessional Appointments
Sessional appointments must be for 12 months or less. However, sessional appointments can be back-to-back. There are 13 specific reasons a sessional appointment can be offered under Article 23 of the Collective Agreement.
Access to Resources for Sessionals
Sessionals should have access on the same basis as continuing staff to facilities and participating in department meetings – voting privileges are decided by the department.
The provisions of Article 23.16 establish that sessionals have access to necessary services between contracts. The provision states that in cases where sessional staff signed a contract that hasn’t yet commenced, “the Governors shall endeavour to ensure that at least 30 workdays before the contract commences the sessional appointee has access to the services normally provided to academic staff to prepare to teach a course.” Also, when a sessional appointee has a contract and signs a successor contract, the Governors must continue to provide access to such services in the intervening period.
Assessment of Sessionals
A sessional member who has taught 4 half-course equivalents (HCE) in a department or has completed 2 years of service, whichever comes first, should be automatically assessed.
Graduate Student Sessionals
Under Article 23.4 of the Collective Agreement, students enrolled in a Master’s or Doctoral program at the University of Calgary may be offered sessional teaching opportunities for a maximum of two half-course equivalents (HCE). In such cases, the Department is not required to post a hiring ad for the position, and the rights of first refusal cannot be invoked. Likewise, courses taught under this section of the Collective Agreement are not considered in granting the right of first refusal to an individual.
Consideration of Other Appointments and the Right of First Refusal
Under Article 23.12.1 of the Collective Agreement, sessional members who have held a sessional appointment in the past five years and apply for a sessional appointment within a specific department (or faculty in non-departmentalized faculties) are considered to have the right of first refusal after they have taught seven half-course equivalents (HCE) with a good record of performance, and they have the requisite knowledge, skills, and professional qualifications for the position. Courses taught within the past five academic years where the individual previously held a Limited Term, or a Contingent Term appointment also count toward the right of first refusal.
When there are two or more individuals with the right of first refusal and substantially equal assessments, the position shall be offered to the individual with the most experience relevant to the course at the University.
Sessional Academic Compensation: Minimum Rates and the Right to Negotiate
Schedule B of the Collective Agreement sets out seven compensation steps for sessional academics. The amount listed at each step is the minimum payable for duties equivalent to one half-course equivalent (HCE). Departments and Faculties may offer higher compensation, and sessional academics may negotiate for higher compensation, regardless of their step. The Collective Agreement does not impose a maximum on sessional academic compensation. A sessional academic cannot be paid less than they were paid in a previous year for teaching the same course or courses offered by the same Department or Faculty.
Sick Time and Casual Illness
Sessionals with contracts less than six consecutive months and/or the extent of duties is less than six half-course equivalents (HCE), are entitled to up to ten days of paid casual illness.
Sessionals with contracts longer than six consecutive months and duties of six or more half-course equivalents (HCE) are entitled to have time for sick time and casual illness as follows:
- Casual Illness
Illness causing a sessional member to be absent from work for ten consecutive work days or less is a department matter. During a period of casual illness, a sessional staff member will be entitled to full salary and benefits. A sessional staff member shall advise their Department Head or equivalent as soon as possible when absent from work due to casual illness.
A sessional staff member who is not otherwise absent from duty, and who is prevented from performing their regular duties and responsibilities as a result of the illness of their spouse or dependent children, shall be permitted to utilize one (1) work day of casual illness entitlement for the purpose of making arrangements for the care of the person who is ill. This provision may be used on not more than three (3) occasions in each year of employment.
- Illness More than Ten Days
If the illness is longer than ten consecutive work days, a sessional staff member shall be entitled to receive sick pay at the rate of $1,000 per month or 50% of the member’s normal salary (whichever is greater) for the duration of the illness, or for the duration of the appointment, or to a maximum of six (6) months, whichever first occurs.
Payment in Lieu of Vacation for Sessionals
Sessionals are not entitled to paid vacation, but they do receive pay in lieu of vacation in the amount of 4 % of their salary (Schedule B; Clause 6.). Although sessionals are not entitled to paid vacation, they are entitled to several paid holidays (Schedule B; Clause 3.)
Paid Holidays and Payment in Lieu of Benefits for Sessionals
Sessional staff members are not required to work and receive pay at their regular rate on any day which is designated by the University of Calgary Governors as a paid holiday.
Paid holidays consist of at least the following:
- New Year’s Day
- Alberta Family Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- August Civic Holiday
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
- Three designated workdays between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
Payment in Lieu of Benefits for Sessionals
Sessionals are not entitled to benefits, but they do receive pay in lieu of vacation in the amount of 4 % of their salary (Schedule B; Clause 5.).
Maternity Leave for Sessionals
The Collective Agreement has provisions to accommodate maternity leaves for sessionals under Article 23.14. All sessionals can get leaves, including parental leaves, as required by the Employment Standards Code. For sessionals who have contracts of six months or longer with six HCEs or more, those who take maternity leave receive salary top-up pay for 15 weeks or to the end of the sessional contract, whichever is less.
Professional Expense Reimbursement (PER) for Sessionals
According to Schedule B; Clause 7 of the Collective Agreement, sessional academic staff are entitled to receive reimbursement of eligible expenses to a maximum of $175 per HCE not to exceed $1,750 per academic year. Unspent PER can be carried forward to future contracts and details on this can be found in the Collective Agreement. In addition, sessionals can submit eligible expenses incurred up to 3 months in advance of the commencement of their contract and up to 3 months after the end of their contract, so long as the expenses were incurred in relation to fulfilling the respective contract.
Sessional Academics Travel Fund
The Sessional Travel Fund is established under Schedule B, Clause 10 of the Collective Agreement. The Faculty Association manages the fund, and the Sessional Academics Travel Fund Committee adjudicates applications.
Each academic year, the Governors provide the Association with $30,000 for the Travel Fund, to be awarded to sessional academic staff to assist with travel expenses related to their academic work or with expenses related to attending conferences (whether or not travel is involved). The Association reviews applications twice per year (during the fall and winter semesters), and allocates funds to successful applicants each semester.
Sessional academic staff are eligible to apply for funding from the Travel Fund if they have held a sessional contract within the past five years and meet the following criteria:
a. they are, or will be holding a sessional contract at the time the expenses are incurred; or
b. they expect to return to an academic position at the University of Calgary within the next year.
The nature of the travel and/or conference must be relevant to the applicant’s current or anticipated work at the University of Calgary.
Contact the Faculty Association office at [email protected] if you have questions about the fund or application process.
Fair Employment Week
The Association regularly participates in Fair Employment Week. Fair Employment Week is a national event organized in part by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT ) that raises awareness of the difficulties inherent in being a member of the contract academic staff.
Some of the difficulties include:
- the lack of research opportunities
- no long- or short-term commitments beyond individual courses
- working for lower pay and few benefits
