1. Agreement Reached Involving Distance Education Instructors
2. DFR Complaint
3. Ergonomic Program Relaunched
4. Secretary-Treasurer Appointed to National Position

Agreement Reached Involving Distance Education Instructors: Negotiators for the faculty association have reached a tentative agreement with the employer integrating distance education faculty into the main collective agreement, that is, there will not be a separate collective agreement affecting those members.

Details of the Agreement will be sent to those involved for their approval. Roughly 75 have to ratify the text.

The parties have also agreed to make a joint application to the Ontario Labour Relations Board to amend the relevant certificates to incorporate members certified on July 12, 2011 into the unit certified July 9, 1979.

At the table, Dr. Peter Simpson, Assistant Executive Director of CAUT spoke for the Association, with the assist of Dr. Linda St. Pierre, the Association’s Chief Steward.

DFR Complaint: The Union has a DFR complaint dismissed or as the arbitrator said: “Having regard to the facts asserted by the applicant and to the facts which she has deemed to have accepted, the Board is not persuaded that a sufficient labour relations purpose exists to inquire into the applicant’s complaint at this time.”

Under Section 74 of the Ontario Labour Relations Act “A trade union or council of trade unions, so long as it continues to be entitled to represent employees in a bargaining unit, shall not act in a manner that is arbitrary, discriminatory or in bad faith in the representation of any of the employees in the unit, whether or not members of the trade union or of any constituent union of the council of trade unions, as the case may be.” This is known as the Duty of Fair Representation.

Ergonomic Program Relaunched: Members requiring ergonomic equipment must contact Gail Cowper-Benoit at their earliest convenience—this includes those teaching in Barrie/Orillia. She may be reached at ext 3061 or at GBenoit@laurentian.ca.

Ms. Cowper-Benoit assesses members’ needs and assists them in filling out the request form.

This term, stand-up desks have been added to the form as have ergonomic lap-top docking stations.

The deadline for applications is March 15.

Incidentally, the Collective Agreement set aside $35,000 this year—and this same amount for the following two—towards the purchase of this equipment. To date, only $12,000 has been spent.

If you need this equipment, please contact Ms. Cowper-Benoit now!!

Secretary-Treasurer Appointed to National Position: At a recent meeting of the CAUT Defence Fund (which assists member unions on strike), Prof. J-C Cachon was elected chair of the fund’s Investment Committee.

Current investments are composed of Canadian Provincial bonds and GICs, totaling over $ 21 Million at book value.