TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Teaching Support Staff Union: Bargaining, Financial Realities, and Job Action

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors June 2012 August 2012

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Teaching Assistant (TA) Proposals Give students priority to TA work outside their dept. Use an already existing, campus –wide centralized posting system so TA’s can find jobs in other depts. Give equal pay for equal work: some TA’s currently make $1,000 less per TAship than TA’s in other depts for the same work. Protect tutorial preparation time Lower student to TA ratio in W (writing) courses Create a scholarship so that undergrad TA’s get equal pay for equal work

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Tutor Markers (TM) Modernize language in the contract – Language has not been updated since the 1980’s when TM work was completed on cassette tape and over the phone Create a straight forward system of supervision and mentorship Give TM’s priority comparable to TAs

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Sessional Instructor Proposals Create a seniority system for Sessionals – Reserve some Sessional jobs (15%) for graduate students Create TA triggers for number of students – A Sessional can receive a teaching appointment with 500 students and no TA’s Offer extra preparation time for writing (W) courses

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors ELC / ITP Proposals The Employer denies job security and benefits to English Language and Culture Instructors at Harbour Centre. The TSSU proposes that these instructors… Get the same benefits as comparable to other permanent workers on campus – full health and dental benefits – tuition waiver – pension plan Protect them from any attempt to eliminate the current employees

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Benefits Update the childcare bursary to a fund so it is distributed properly and is available to all members with children. Make our already-existing benefit of university-paid basic medical care (MSP) more accessible by automatically enrolling Sessionals, TA’s, TM’s, ELC/ITP SFU covers GSS dental plan and extended benefits plan

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Increase our scholarship as tuition increases Keep wages proportional to the Consumer Price Index Provide a 3% base increase to wages in 2013 and 2014 Scholarship / Wages

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Employer’s Response NO to all non-monetary items, NO to all benefits increases, NO to centralized posting, NO to improvements in graduate priority, but YES to a monetary increase of: – Year 1: 0% – Year 2: 0% – Year 3: 1.25% – Year 4: 1.25% A 1.25% increase over the course of 2 years equates to recovering 1/3 of your tuition back.

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Facts, Numbers and Statistics

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Why We Should Care... [5] “Living Costs,” TSSU research,

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Sessional Reality From Sessionals taught 5902 sections at SFU. These sections contained 264,675 students. These students paid $180 million in tuition to SFU. Sessionals received about $30 million in pay and benefits. Sessionals now do about 22% of the teaching at SFU. [11] “Sessiontal Teaching Load”,

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Is there money to fund teaching? Yes 1. Huge increases in international undergraduates (250% over 7 years) [7] 2. Huge increases in tuition revenue (58% over 7 years) [8] [7] [8] Calculation and excel spreadsheet available at

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Are students being respected? NO 1.TA budget has decreased as a portion of tuition revenue, (was 8% now 6.4% of budget) [9] 2.The percentage of TA’s going to students has decreased (was 95% now 90%) [10] [9] Calculation and excel spreadsheet available at [10] Calculation and excel spreadsheet available at

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Bargaining for 26 Months The TSSU put forward over 60 unique proposals to update the collective agreement. The Employer put forward 2 unique proposals and withdrew them both. As an act of good faith, the TSSU sacrificed 3 of their proposals in hopes of motivating the Employer to bargain. It took over 2 years of bargaining and 7 mediation sessions to get the Employer to sign off on updating Occupational Health and Safety Standards to reflect the law. The Employer has only signed off on two language changes: Health and Safety and changing the job title of an employee in HR from “director” to “executive director.”

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors In the summer 2012 Sessionals, TA’s, TM’s and ELC/ITP voted 91% in favour of job action (strike). The union sought the assistance of a mediator for 7 days with no substantive dialogue. In September Sessionals, TA’s, TM’s and ELC/ITP voted in favour of “booking out” of mediation and beginning job action. Job action is happening now. Where are we today?

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors Job Action The first stage of a strike is to commence job action – a creative tactic used to put pressure on the Employer to bargain with the Union. The TSSU does not want job action to interfere with students’ education. The more effective we are at accomplishing job action, the less likely the TSSU will have to escalate to a full work stoppage. Everyone wants to avoid a full strike. Examples of job action include: – Wearing a TSSU t-shirt or button to tutorials – Talking to students about the strike – “Working to rule” or following the outdated work contract exactly as it is written

TAs, TMs, Sessionals and ELC/ITP Continuing Instructors How can Faculty support the TSSU? Sign and display a Faculty Support Card on your office door. Ask your departmental steward for a card. Sign a letter to SFU President Andrew Petter expressing your desire for fair bargaining. You can find the Letter of Support here: Keep the lines of communication open with your TA’s Stay informed by talking to your departmental steward and by visiting bargaining.tssu.ca