FARDP Negotiations Update - January 2026

FARDP Negotiations updates for January 2026:

January 7, 2026

In a November post on this website, FARDP identified the following items as still outstanding at the bargaining table:

Article 7: Part Time (PT) and Sessional Contracts
Article 8: Workload
Article 10: Salary
Article 14: PD
LOU 1: Health Spending Account
Article F: Academic Freedom

On Tuesday December 16th and Friday December 19th, FARDP and RDP resolved ALL BUT ONE of these items.

The team was really hoping to send you an update before you went off on holidays telling you that we had an agreement for you to vote on. But that did not happen….

The Good News…

RDP has offered an $850 Health Spending Account / Wellness Account (it is currently $500). Faculty will allocate money between the two at the beginning of each academic year. Note that Wellness Accounts allow for reimbursement of gym memberships but are taxable benefits. This change would begin July 1.
RDP has offered a 12% salary increase including back pay (3% for 2024-25, 3% for 2025-26, 3% for 2026-27, and 3% for 2027-28). This is the same salary everyone in the public sector who has made an agreement (teachers, nurses, colleges) obtained.
RDP has offered an overload pay of 0.55 times your pay on the Full Time grid times a proration of your workload norm (if more than 450) or proration of 425 (if your workload norm is less than 450). This is more than the current overload pay but not as high as the overload pay in 2016-19. However, it is more than the institution was offering on December 16th.
RDP has agreed to add 2 rows to the Part Time grid.
RDP has agreed to merge columns D and F on the grid at the time of ratification. If you are D or F, you will receive the higher of the two for that step. Note that this does not change back pay.
Instructors who are registered as a Licensed Practical Nurse or a Registered Nurse teaching in a program where the designation is required will receive an additional 5% salary increase upon ratification. This does not change back pay.
Instructors who teach in the Trades will move two steps up the grid upon ratification. This does not change back pay.
Instructors who are at the top of the F grid will receive an additional 1.25% salary increase upon ratification. For instructors currently on the top of the D grid, your salary will increase an additional 0.59% upon ratification, as the D and F grids are combined.
RDP has agreed to leave PD at 5%. The LOU that partitions PD funds into scholarship and non-scholarship will cease to exist.
RDP has agreed to leave Article 8: Workload as status quo with the exception of:
- Overload pay (mentioned above),
- Increasing the stipend for supervising student researchers (from 250 to 300),
- Ensuring courses with multiple instructors have workloads allocated based on contact hour expectations,
- Inclusion of Chairs in strategic decisions,
- Protecting a 5 day work week, and
- Ensuring faculty teaching online are given appropriate technology.
In exchange, FARDP has dropped their Academic Freedom Proposal, as well as proposed changes to Article 8 (Workload) and Article 10 (Salary).
FARDP has also agreed to drop proposed changes to Article 7 (Part Time and Sessional Contracts), with the exception of the following:
- Programs with at least 1 cohort of students and at least 2 full time faculty, shall normally have at least 1 continuous faculty member as of June 2026.
- The Association will receive the number of PT, sessional, probationary, and continuous members by school. As well as the number of sessionals converted each year.
- Clarification on what if means for a sessional position to remain eligible for auto rehire.
- Conversion from sessional to probationary happens after 2 years instead of 3. Please note that budget remains a reason for not converting a position.
The Faculty Performance Committee will retain its current makeup by renewing the existing LOU (3 Admin and 6 Continuous Faculty)
A committee of Faculty and Admin will investigate workload streams. How should workloads be adjusted for those entering a teaching focus or research focus stream? How do Faculty enter the streams?
The LOU for Workload and Scholarship Requirements for Degree Programs (i.e a research workload of 8 courses) will stay in place. Please note that the LOU states “FARDP and the Polytechnic will submit proposals to the Faculty Workload Committee to propose instructional hour norms for new programs under Article 8.5 for each of the Baccalaureate degrees.”

And now the BAD News….

While RDP has agreed to leave Article 8.5 untouched, they continue to threaten the integrity of the Faculty Workload Committee. For those not familiar with Article 8.5, the Faculty Workload Committee which is made up of 2 Faculty and 2 Admin, review proposals to establish the workload norms for new programs. The committee also reviews recommendations from Faculty or Admin to revise workloads. Last round of bargaining, FARDP went to formal mediation (one step before strike) to protect the continued existence of the Faculty Workload Committee. Faculty having an equal say in what workloads should be, is something FARDP SHOULD NEVER give up.

Now… RDP wants to change the Terms of Reference of the Committee. The issue…If the 2 faculty and 2 admin cannot agree on a workload norm, then the Terms of Reference have them agree on a third party (someone who is not faculty or admin) to break the tie or propose a compromise. When this happened with a recent proposal, RDP felt the third party forced them to accept a workload that they would have never agreed to. They are proposing the 2 Admin and 2 Faculty on the Workload Committee rewrite the terms of reference (that is ok, the current Terms of Reference say this is who should write the Terms of Reference). What is concerning is that if the Faculty Workload Committee cannot agree on the new Terms of Reference, RDP wants the President of RDP, or the head of People and Culture, or someone in an administrative position to decide what the Terms of Reference should be. FARDP CANNOT lose their equal say on establishing workload. We will continue to defend the integrity of the Faculty Workload Committee.

So where does that leave negotiations? The Faculty Association is back at the bargaining table on Thursday January 8th. We have given RDP the winter break to reconsider their proposal. If they don’t withdraw their proposal, the next step is formal mediation to resolve this one last BUT VERY IMPORTANT issue.

The Negotiations Team will be hosting town halls later this month once we have more information for you. Stay tuned.