Items of concern
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
I know you might be getting tired of hearing about this (and tired of living through it) but it is important to acknowledge that we are in the middle of a journey that is longer than any one expected; one which will continue to bring challenges in the coming months. I’m very proud of our members and their phenomenal response in coming together to rise above these challenges. The institution continues to state how much they value our contributions in these circumstances, and we look forward to the tangible expression of their gratitude when we meet at the bargaining table.
However, we must recognize that many of our current concerns are not new, but rather are magnified by the recent events. Even before the pandemic, faculty were facing a wide range of issues. The SAFA salary grid has had no new steps added to it over the past four years and members have not seen a cost-of-living increase to the salary grid since 2010. Additionally, there has been growing numbers of precarious adjunct instructors in the system who do not receive the assurance of job security which comes with a permanent position and often must reapply for their jobs after every contract.
Now with COVID-19 forcing the move to online teaching for many instructors, supports are not in place. At SAIT, we’re seeing increases to class size and a corresponding increase to workload. Additionally, there has been a slow roll out of supports for faculty that have moved from the traditional in-person classroom to the virtual one. This lack of support for online delivery (lack of equipment/technology, limited IT & ETS support, no time allocated for redesign) and increasing class sizes is compounded by drastic layoffs of support staff who are essential to the work of faculty.
In addition to all of this is external pressure in the form of provincial budget cuts. During last year’s budget, the provincial government cut funding to advanced education by 6.3 per cent and more cuts may be announced in the upcoming provincial budget expected this week (Feb 25). We have urged, and continue to urge, the government to reconsider this approach. It doesn’t have to be this way. These cuts are choices made by a provincial government that doesn’t understand the post-secondary system it is charged to lead. Sustainable operational funding will mean job security for faculty and strong educational programs for our students.
For all these reasons, SAFA supports the actions of the Public Interest Alberta (PIA) campaign (https://www.stoppsecuts.ca/action) to stop the cuts to Alberta’s post-secondary education system. I encourage you to visit the PIA website – https://www.stoppsecuts.ca/. As well, a lawn sign campaign will launch later this month – look for a future email with details as to how to request a sign. As it states on the PIA website:
We need to work together like never before to push for our world-class post-secondary education system to be funded like the essential public service it is. Not only for our economy today, but for the economy of the future.
Closer to home, I’d like to remind all SAFA members that, particularly in this time of uncertainty, there are many benefits to keeping SAFA in the loop on what’s going on in your School or program, as well as benefits to not letting questions or concerns simply simmer or be ignored. If you receive information that seems counter to our Collective Agreement or LOUs, contact SAFA for clarification. In general, if you think “why would SAFA agree to this?”, consider that SAFA might not know about it! So, please feel free to contact me if you have a question or concern.
In Solidarity,