University of Western Ontario Staff Association

This is the first of what I plan to be a regular bulletin to UWOSA members. I will try to use these bulletins to collect information and updates wherever possible (rather than sending out frequent emails). Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Position Elimination's Complete

As I reported last week, the UWO has now notified all 28 UWOSA members whose positions have been eliminated. For privacy reasons, we cannot publish a list of those members; however, we can relate a few facts about them:

• All but two positions were in academic departments (rather than support units), and half of the total are from two faculties.
• There was one sessional position; the remainder were continuing.
• Ten of the positions were in technical classifications; the remainder were in administrative ("SG", "Secretary", "Clerk") positions.
• The average seniority of a member whose position was eliminated was about 14.5 years. While this is slightly longer than the average seniority, it is skewed by a small number of very senior members.
• The demographic characteristics of those members affected are comparable to the remainder of the bargaining unit.

The Executive has begun to respond to what we believe is the unnecessary elimination of these positions. At the same time, however, we must begin to work with each of the members affected. Our strategy has several components:

• Representing affected members on an individual basis as they move through the process.
• Demanding a meeting with departmental leaders for each job eliminated. These meetings, convened under Article 13.01(c) of the Collective Agreement, provide an opportunity to question the UWO's decisions and what alternatives to layoffs were considered.
• Challenging, through the grievances, a number of the position eliminations (where UWOSA believes the UWO's choice was motivated by improper motives, or where seniority does not appear to have been duly respected).
• Continuing to press the UWO on these issues in any public forum we can.

Additional commentary on this issue can be found here.

At this time, it is difficult to predict when the impact of the displacement process will be felt, though I anticipate it is a few weeks away. UWOSA will provide further updates as soon as there is additional information to report.

Position Elimination Information Session

As a result of the recent budget cuts, there have been a large volume of calls and emails to the UWOSA office about the position elimination process. As a result, UWOSA has scheduled a repeat offering of the presentation held in January to explain this process. Topics will include:

• What is a position elimination?
• What options does a member have when his or her position is eliminated?
• How do displacement, preferential placement, and recall work?
• What is the Union's role?

This session will he held on Monday, May 25 from 12-1pm, and again from 1-2pm, in SSC 3022.

All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. No registration is required.

UWOSA Float Day

All UWOSA members have one "floating" holiday each contract year (July 1 - June 30). This floating holiday cannot be carried forward if it is not used. If you haven't used your 2008-09 day yet, don't forget to book and take it before June 30!

Dependent Tuition Scholarship

Dependents of UWOSA members who attend the UWO are eligible to apply for a Tuition Scholarship. The deadline to make application for the 2008-09 year is June 30, 2009. The application form may be downloaded here. The application form the the 2009-10 academic year will be available in late August.

Jim Stanford's Presentation

UWOSA was happy to sponsor a presentation by CAW Economist Jim Stanford on May 12. For those unable to attend, Jim has graciously provided a copy of his presentation, which can be downloaded here. In addition, video of similar presentation to the Toronto and York Regional Labour Council can be viewed here.

Response Times

Our response times to email and other inquiries has been slower than is usual over the last few weeks, and we anticipate that this will continue to be the case over the next few as well. We ask for your patience during this particularly busy time. If you have an urgent inquiry, please use the "high importance" or "urgent" flag to let us know that it is urgent.