FARDP Negotiation Update - March 2025 - Faculty Association RDP

FARDP Negotiations updates for March 2025:

March 3, 2025

At bargaining, RDP introduced their approach to Article 8: Workload. The proposal is based on assignable hours in a year. With hours being assigned to instruction, prep, and non-teaching responsibilities. It includes 3 streams for all faculty: teaching, teaching and service, and teaching and research. Workload will be the primary topic of discussion on March 11th.

March 4, 2025

In the last round of bargaining, FARDP and RDP had agreed to pilot 3 flexible leave days from the 20 casual sickness. This provides greater flexibility for faculty to address urgent personal matters. In this round of bargaining, FARDP proposed increasing the number of flexible leave days to 5. More flexible leave days is more inclusive of the needs of our Indigenous faculty. RDP and FARDP have agreed to have 4 flexible leave days and to incorporate it into Article 13 (it was an LOU). At the March 4th bargaining, FARDP also provided counter offers to RDP regarding the probationary process (Article 6) and uninterrupted vacation days (Article 12).

March 11, 2025

FARDP provided their counter to RDP’s Article 8: Workload. Both proposals include a common structure with streams. However, the number of assignable hours in a week differ in the proposals, as does the number of instructional hours. RDP increases the instructional hours for many faculty. FARDP decreases it. RDP is expected to respond to the FARDP proposal on March 17th or April 14th. FARDP also provided a counter regarding probationary period. FARDP would rather have the probationary period remain at 3 years rather than have a system that 1) removes the public pressure for admin to support continuous appointment that comes with a Continuous Appointment Committee (made up of faculty and admin) and a process determined by the Faculty Performance Committee (made up of majority faculty); and 2) reduces the developmental nature of the process by having observations done by admin multiple times a year (instead of peers).