October 31st: Update to Membership
Mutual Agreement: A Reminder
Did you know? The Mutual Agreement Form turns 2 years old this fall! This form was developed to provide better communication, transparency, and documentation around workload exceptions. Since Fall 2020, over 783 mutual agreement forms have been submitted, allowing SAFA to closely track the requests to make sure they are implemented correctly.
If you are asked by your Academic Chair to accept a workload assignment or teaching schedule that is outside Section 36 of the Collective Agreement, remember that you have a choice. Mutual agreement is entirely voluntary – there is no penalty if you decline, and you do not need to justify your choice to say “no”.
We also want to remind members that mutual agreement is not just for CCH – it appears multiple times in the Collective Agreement. You must also agree for any of the following to happen:
- Changes to your annual vacation plan, once documented in writing (S32.08).
- Changes to your approved personal day off – this is available regardless of operational requirements or scheduling/substitution issues (S34). These issues are to be managed by your Academic Chair or Manager.
- Full-time faculty do not have to accept assignment of overload class contact hours (S36.13).
- Nor do FT faculty have to accept substitution for another instructor’s course when they are fully loaded.
SAFA is here for you if you feel you are being pressured to work outside our current Collective Agreement – contact us at [email protected] if you have concerns.