FARDP Negotiations Update – May/June 2025
FARDP Negotiations updates for May/June 2025:
May 29, 2025
Bargaining on May 29th was open to spectators. FARDP had 8 faculty in attendance (the max agreed to in December 2024) and RDP had 1 associate dean. During the open session, FARDP presented a full package including all of the articles that have been agreed upon so far. Please note that these articles have only been agreed upon by the two bargaining teams, they have to be voted on by faculty before a new Collective Agreement comes into effect. The package also included a response to RDP’s monetary offer. Please see the update behind the log in for a copy of the full proposal and RDP’s last monetary offer.
After the spectators left, RDP provided a response to FARDP’s proposed definitions. There is still not an agreement on the composition of the Faculty Performance Committee, but tentative agreement on a 5 day work week (2 consecutive non-teaching days a week). RDP also provided counter language for a Letter of Understanding (LOU) on job descriptions (providing scope for faculty in a non-teaching role) and to create a committee to explore the impact of AI.
June 2, 2025
Bargaining on June 2nd was done in a smaller group, with the Chair of FARDP’s Negotiation Team (Stephanie) and FARDP’s Labour Relations Officer from ACIFA (Brian) meeting with the VP Academic (Lindsay) and RDP’s Labour Relations Officer (Bruce). Both sides met virtually with the rest of their team after the bargaining session. The bargaining session covered an update on RDP’s financial situations (see the update behind the log in) and a discussion on workload. FARDP left that meeting with the following takeaways: 1) RDP recognizes that workloads are too high for Trades and Nurses, 2) RDP agrees that the Faculty Workload Committee is an important component to our process, 3) in a workload model with streams (research, service, teaching focus), there needs to be adequate time for someone to prove themselves, as well as the ability to transition if it is not what they want, and 4) in a workload model structured like a calculator there cannot be +/- 15 hours on instructional hours (it has to be a max that people are adjusted down from). Please note that FARDP has not agreed to a teaching focus stream. We also reserve the right to revert back to an Article 8 proposal that has workload norms for each program instead of a calculator (which is why the proposal on May 29th was without prejudice). The discussion regarding workload continues.
June 11, 2025
Bargaining on June 11th was also done in a smaller group. At that session, each side provided their essential elements for what they needed to get out of bargaining (see behind the log in). Parties also agreed to resume bargaining on Friday September 5th.