BARGAINING COMMITTEE
We gave notice to open bargaining in December of 2005. We had waited to open in the hope that the closer we were to the opening of most of the rest of the public sector, the more advantageous this would be for bargaining a better Collective Agreement. We were faced with needing to conclude the bargaining by March 31st, 2006 in order to qualify for the incentive money available for unions with open collective agreements. We also wanted to achieve for our members in the least harmful way possible a 2% across the scale lift as a result of “mining” our existing Collective Agreement. We tabled proposals on salary and benefit improvements as well as improvements in some other areas of the Collective Agreement. In addition to the proposals we tabled we were faced with the employers demands that the Division Chairs be excluded from the Bargaining unit and that the Department Chairs be appointed by the College President. The College also proposed a carbon copy of the existing provincial salary scale with a term to expire on March 31st 2007 and with no incentive.
The bargaining process was a difficult and stressful one given the nature of the time pressure we faced and the difficulty the College posed with their demands regarding our Division and Department Chairs. The support that the faculty gave to the Bargaining team with the overwhelming 90% strike vote and the very successful and strategic pamphletting action on the morning of March 30th was crucial in getting us to the deal we eventually reached. We were able to get the College to withdraw the demands about our Division and Department Chairs and we successfully achieved a 2% across the scale lift for Faculty by changing our C.S. language, withdrawing our paramedical services grievance, slightly altering our Ed. Leave language, slightly altering the wait time for STD eligibility, changing the Division Chair terms, and giving back to the College the 2 sections a year of union release. We also got the top of scale lift which had been negotiated in the last round by other Colleges also on the Common Grid. However we were also able to get the incentive for our members effective this year and a floor of at least 2.1% in each of the last 3 years of our agreement.
Respectfully submitted,
Lynn Carter
Bargaining Chair
BENEFITS COMMITTEE
The Benefits Committee oversees the benefits plans (Extended Health and Dental Plans, Life and Accident Insurance, Short Term and Long Term Disability). The Committee also encourages employees to participate in the Group RRSP plan.
In the past year, the Committee met individually and jointly with Vancouver Community College to discuss the anniversary renewal of the benefits plans. The Long Term Disability (LTD) plan for faculty was enhanced in 2005; the maximum benefit under the plan was increased from $2,404 to $3,292 per month in order to meet College Pension Plan requirements. Faculty-paid LTD premiums were increased substantially (48% in late 2005) as a result of the enhancement. LTD premiums will be increased by another 28% in 2006 as a result of negative experience over the past year.
The Committee wishes to remind faculty of the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), which provides confidential counseling services, a wide array of WorkLife Solutions (addressing issues such as childcare, eldercare, financial/legal matters, and health) and referral to appropriate community resources.
If there are issues regarding the benefits plans that members wish to raise, please contact the LFA representative at 5763.
Respectfully submitted,
Fulton Tom
CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE
Nothing to report.
Respectfully submitted,
Lawrence Warren
CONTRACT MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE
There were far more grievances in 2005-2006 than we have had previously. I fear that our management is forcing us away from the informal problem solving of the past, so I expect that we will continue to see the number of formal grievances increase. The formal grievances were:
- English Department Chair – this grievance was decided at arbitration in the summer of 2005, after which the Department’s originally-selected chair was appointed.
- Field Schools – a number of faculty have been receiving overloads, and being paid-out for them, while other faculty are employed only part time. This issue was in part resolved at the bargaining table, but the grievance is still active.
- Paramedical – we grieved that the college should cover physio, chiropractor, etc; we withdrew this grievance as part of our mining at the bargaining table
- Maternity – the college has decided to deny work to term faculty who will give birth during the semester, unless the birthdate is at the very end of the semester, or unless the mother agrees to immediately return to work. This is heading to arbitration.
- Continuing Studies – the CS courses and programs are infringing on our work; sometimes it seems like CS is competing with Regular Studies. The new language bargained at the table addresses much of our concern for future courses, but the past infractions are awaiting arbitration (in October 2006).
I did not schedule training workshops this year, but we need to start this training again. In particular, we need to find some faculty to take on steward roles so that we have a pool of trained and experienced stewards who can take on the Chief Steward position in the next year or so.
We developed a FAQs For New Faculty handout, which we are distributing to new faculty and to department chairs. Any comments on this document will be welcome.
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl McKeeman
NON-REGULAR FACULTY
Nothing to report.
Respectfully submitted
Salvatore Albanese
SOCIAL COMMITTEE
There are three main LFA social events per year: the retirees’ social following the May AGM, a new members’ reception following the September AGM, and the Christmas party, otherwise known as the LFA Presidents’ Bar and Dinner. All three events were held in 2005. Our outgoing Executive Assistant, Lois Joudrie, planned the May 2005 social for 11 retirees and their guests. The other social events of 2005 were ably organized by our incoming Executive Assistant, Amy Kwan. Only a handful of faculty, new or not, came to the September reception intended to welcome new faculty. Happily, many more people attended the Christmas party and dinner. This year, Amy distributed photos of faculty and staff attending the party. Many thanks are due to Lois and Amy for their capable planning of these events!
This spring, the committee’s focus turned to our duties as hosts for the upcoming FPSE convention, to be held May 16-18 at the Harrison Hot Springs hotel. The LFA is responsible for planning social activities for two evenings and one afternoon. Although our plans are not finalized as I submit this report, I think we can anticipate a successful event, and my thanks go to Alan Cooper, Julia Denholm, and the talented Langarans who will represent Langara to colleagues from other colleges and institutes around the province.
Respectfully submitted,
Noel Currie
HUMAN RIGHTS AND STATUS OF WOMEN COMMITTEE
Maureen Maloney
As Board Liaison, I received no expressions of interest form members interested in Status of Women issues, but there may be more interest in the coming year as a result of the issue of access to employment for
members who are expected to be making use of maternity leave.
Rick Gordon served again as our rep on the FPSE Human Rights and International Solidarity Committee, and his report follows:
Human Rights and International Solidarity Committee (HRISC) Report
2005-6 was a busy year for the committee. At the provincial level, the Langara rep worked with reps from other locals to move proposals for AGM workshops and a new FPSE Solidarity Fund to Presidents Council. Many locals have robust HRISC programs. At Northwest Community College, local 11 is working with other stakeholders to implement a campus-wide Human Rights five-year plan and providing educational assistance for an Integrated Rural Development Project in Bolivia. The Kwantlen College rep was delegated to the World Social Forum in Caracas. Here at Langara, the committee supported the Making Poverty History conference, October 28-29. We also anchored the February 10-12 World Community Film Festival which attracted over 900 participants, including many faculty and students. Several Langara faculty will participate in the World Peace Forum, June 23-28. We continue to seek new members. Contact Rick Gordon at 5632.
Respectfully submitted,
Rick Gordon
Maureen Maloney
GIFTS AND FLOWERS
The Gifts & Flowers Committee has undergone a recent change of Chair. On behalf of the LFA and as the new Chair, I would like to extend a big "Thank You" to Audrey Tolhurst who has chaired this committee for approximately the last 17 years. The Committee continuesto send a “Bunnykins” dishware set to new LFA parents. Amy Kwan also arranges to send flowers or fruit baskets to those LFA members who become hospitalized. I would like to ask everyone to please continue to keep the committee informed, so that we can respond to these Faculty Events. I can be contacted at 604-323-5711 or you can contact Amy at the LFA Office: 604-323-5343.
Respectfully submitted,
Maureen Maloney
PENSION COMMITTEE
As the LFA Pension representative, I attended two week-end FPSE Pension Advisory Committee meetings and have endeavoured to maintain awareness of pension-related issues by including information bulletins on the LFA website. Over the year we have seen increasing concern about the plan's ability to maintain inflation protection for pensions (which is currently provided but not guaranteed) and it will be necessary to consider contribution rate increases if full inflation protection is to continue.
Respectfully submitted,
Alan Cooper
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
While the previous year started with an attack on our Collegial Management structure, this year ended with one when the College brought forward a demand to remove Division Chairs from the bargaining unit. Fortunately, our Bargaining Team backed by your strongly expressed solidarity on the issue managed to ward off the attack and also to achieve settlement that is very respectable on all counts. So my first thank you must be to those who represented us so effectively at the table. Thank you, Julia, Maureen, Cheryl, and Lynn.
And thank you Lynn also for agreeing to return again as Vice President.
Achieving a renewed Collective Agreement was of course the most significant event in our working lives this year but we have not been without other challenges and successes.
Our first serious challenge of the year was finding a suitable replacement for Lois Joudrie, but it is one I feel that we have met admirable fashion by persuading Amy Kwan to join me in the LFA office. Thank you Amy, for stepping in so elegantly and effectively.
One of the trickiest aspects of Amy's position is keeping track of the books so that all our accounts are in order. As you have heard already, the auditors had no concerns so she must have done that job admirably, but Larry also deserves a lot of the credit for maintaining a consistent and understandable bookkeeping system.
Thank you Larry, for that and of course for so much more.
As usual, Cheryl McKeeman has handled Contract Maintenance very effectively. In addition to various more private issues that we never hear of, she has done a huge amount of work keeping track of the tendency of Continuing Studies to encroach on what should be taught by faculty. This issue was addressed in negotiations but still requires careful handling that involves the way we all operate as individuals as well as as an association. I know you all realize how much we owe Cheryl for her tireless work on our behalf. Thank you Cheryl.
This year we had a number of experienced Board members whose willingness to serve again
gave the board the stability and strength needed to succeed in a bargaining year. Lawrence Warren, Cheryl McKeeman, and Maureen Maloney. Thank you all.
It has also been wonderful to have new members on the board this year Sal Albanese, Fraser Archibald, Noel Currie, and Mark Smith. Thank you.
I am also delighted that we continue to renew and refresh our membership with the return of Julia Denholm …thank you Julia and the election of Susan Weber …thank you Susan.
I hope that this will continue and that in the coming year we can continue to draw new members into the affairs of the association.
Finally, I once again wish to thank every one of you for your consistently generous support this year. Thank you all.
Respectfully,
Alan Cooper