Dear members,
Soon after signing the Letter of Understanding (LOU) COVID-19 Impact on Course Development and Delivery, the Central Administration and the APUO identified differences in how each party was interpreting Section 8 (Workload Reduction) of this document. As a result, the parties agreed to meet and, with the assistance again of Mediator William Kaplan, resolved these issues.
The APUO thanks Mediator Kaplan and the Central Administration for making themselves available and helping to resolve the issues.
The purpose of this communication is to update you about the clarifications brought to the application of Section 8 of the LOU, and the possibility of using Professional Expenses Reimbursements (PER) funds to hire a research assistant to help with the preparation and delivery of distance or online courses.
This LOU confirms, among other things, that teaching for the Fall 2020 term will be done remotely or online, with the exception of a few courses that necessitate in-person teaching.
The deadline for Members to apply for a workload reduction using Section 8 of the LOU is July 31, 2020.
Section 8 of the LOU (Workload Reduction)
As per Section 8 of the LOU:
If a Member does not consent to teaching remotely or online by reason of being unable to carry out their teaching workload, or a portion thereof, due to the exceptional circumstances, the Member shall inform their Dean in writing within twenty (20) working days (by July 31) following the effective date of this Letter of Understanding and may request that the Dean apply one (1) of the following four options:
| a. Members can request that some or all of their courses for the Fall 2020 term be reassigned to a regular term in the next three academic years. | Clarification: The fact that the LOU ends on April 29, 2021 does not invalidate this option. Members may request that some or all of their assigned courses be reassigned to a later term at any point within the next three academic years. To this end, we suggest clearly specifying to which future term(s) you would like the course(s) to be reassigned in your request to your Dean. |
| b. Members will be approved for a workload reduction as referred to in Article 30 of the Collective Agreementfor the Fall 2020 term, equivalent to 10% of their annual salary per three (3) credit course they were scheduled to teach in that semester. | Clarification: A member may request a workload reduction for as many courses as are assigned in the Fall 2020 term (1 course = 10% workload reduction; 2 courses = 20% workload reduction; etc.). |
| c. Members may request and be approved for a leave of absence without pay, as referred to in Article 29.3 of the Collective Agreement, for the entire Fall 2020 term. | |
| d. Any other exceptional measure deemed suitable and feasible by both the Dean and the Member. |
For those electing for the above option ‘b’, some additional considerations to inform your decision include:
- Salary: the first impact of option ‘b’ is a proportional reduction in annual salary. If you choose a 10% workload reduction (i.e., 1 course), your gross (prior to taxes and deductions) annual salary will be reduced by 10% for an entire year, from September 1, 2020, to August 31, 2021. Aside from the obvious impact on your net (take home) salary, you also should consider the impact on your pension.
- Pension: As explained in article 30.4.2 of the APUO Collective Agreement, members who avail themselves of the course reduction option may choose to contribute to their pension on the basis of their regular salary and receive prorated credits for years of service. Alternatively, members may choose to contribute to their pension on the basis of their nominal salary and offset the difference in pension contribution for the workload reduction percentage for both the Employer and themselves, thereby reducing their net (take home) salary.
- Academic leave: As stated in article 30.4.3(a) of the Collective Agreement, academic leave credits for a period of reduced workload shall be computed by the Dean, rounded to the nearest half (0.5) year. Members requesting one (1) or two (2) course reductions during the 2020 Fall term will still receive full academic leave credits. Your Dean should specify the exact number of academic leave credits you will gain in your reduced workload agreement. If you are unsure of the calculation, please feel free to contact the APUO.
- Progress-Thru-the-Ranks (PTR): As stated in article 30.4.3(b) of the Collective Agreement, each year of service during the reduced workload shall be considered as a portion of a year of university-level experience equal to the portion of a full workload. Given that the salary reduction partially overlaps over two (2) academic years, you should ask your Dean to specify the exact impact on your next two (2) PTR increases. Again, if you are unsure of the calculation, please feel free to contact the APUO.
We are also taking this opportunity to remind all APUO members that they should be comfortable requesting any of the four options listed above without fear of reprisal. Both pre-tenured and tenured members have a right to fair and equitable working conditions that accommodate the challenges with which one must contend. It is important to note that neither your colleagues nor representatives of the Employer (including Deans) need to be made aware of the individual and private circumstances surrounding your request. If Members have concerns regarding their request for a workload reduction, we encourage them to communicate with the APUO.
Professional Expenses Reimbursement and Research Assistants
As per the LOU, members will receive an additional one-time lump sum of $1,000 to their Professional Expenses Reimbursement (PER) account to facilitate the acquisition of equipment and services necessary for the preparation and delivery of online or remote teaching in the 2020 Fall term. This includes hiring a research assistant in accord with the procedures set out in Article 18 and Article 32 of the CUPE 2626 Collective Agreement. This additional PER and the possibility of hiring a Research Assistant also applies to members conducting research during their academic leave.