Annual Loading
Hi Everyone:
At this time of year, when faculty are being presented with their course loading for the fall, I think it would be prudent to review the entitlements contained in the Collective Agreement.
Our Collective Agreement, which continues to be in place even during negotiations, protects you with restrictions on your scheduling and loading. Specifically:
36.08 (a) A class contact hour shall be fifty (50) minutes of scheduled instruction to students.
(b) Class contact hours shall not exceed the following unless agreed to by the instructor:
(i) The greater of twenty (20) hours or three percent (3%) of the applicable class contact hours, in any given week averaged over a sixteen (16) week period, (For instance, if your load is 656 CCH, the calculation is: 656 x .03 = 19.68. So, in this case, 20 CCH per week averaged over 16 weeks would be your loading.)
(ii) Six (6) hours in any given day, or
(iii) Four (4) consecutive hours in any given day.
Additionally:
36.09 Instruction on a Saturday or Sunday or after 6:00 p.m. will be by mutual agreement between the Dean or his designee (non-academic staff member) and the instructor.
36.11 Assignable Work:
(a) Assignable work shall include all instruction scheduled to take place up to 6:00 p.m. Assignable work shall also include evaluation, supervision, consultation, preparation, program, and course updating and maintenance and other related activities.
(b) Instruction which takes place after 6:00 p.m. shall be purchased on a fee-for-service basis. Such instruction shall be by mutual agreement between the instructor and Employer. Payment for such time worked shall be determined by agreement between the Dean or his designee (non-academic staff member) and the instructor.
(c) Instruction after 6:00 p.m. shall not count as part of class contact hours without mutual agreement between the instructor and Employer.
(d) Qualified permanent academic staff members shall have first right to participate in instruction given after 6:00 p.m.
And, of course, don’t forget:
35.01 The normal hours of work for academic staff members in the Instructor category shall not exceed 40 hours per week or the equivalent on a monthly or annual basis and for academic staff members in the Librarians and Educational Counsellors categories shall not exceed 36 1/4 hours per week or the equivalent on a monthly or annual basis.
We have no set hours in our collective agreement. In the Continuing Education and/or Corporate Training Letter – page 78 in the CA – is where we find any hint of a block of hours,”… during any hours between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm.” This gives SAIT a 50 hour window during the work week to assign class contact hours, meetings and assignable duties. Although our Collective Agreement does not stipulate that you must be present at the place of employment 40 hours per week, there is an expectation that you’re available for classes, meetings with your AC, colleagues, students as well as mentoring, etc.
The expectation is one of professionalism in that the work gets done, but the collective agreement states that our time is not to exceed 40 hrs (see 35.01 above). That infers that some weeks can be less and some more – hence the “on a monthly or annual basis”.
If you have any questions or concerns about declining a load, please contact the SAFA office – 403-284-8321, NN201.
Before you say “yes”, remember that you have the right to say “no”.
Best regards,
Al
Allan (Al) Brown
SAFA Labour Relations Officer
SAIT Room N201