“There is no formula around how much money one department gets vs. another, it’s at the whim of Administration. It leaves us all fighting for Administrative support, it creates inequities and leaves departments underfunded.”

-FA Member

During our consultation meetings and in the bargaining survey distributed last fall, many of our colleagues expressed concern that UPEI’s academic staff are increasingly marginalized from important academic decisions that impact our university. 

These include concerns that:

• Decisions are now almost universally being made by administrators behind closed doors, without input from academic staff (for instance, the “Vacancy Committee” which makes final decisions regarding what academic vacancies will be filled, regardless of instructional need)
• Decisions affecting our ability to perform our academic function – teaching and research – are increasingly governed by spreadsheets rather than resource requirements
• Timelines and deadlines appear to be governed by the needs of administrators, rather than by the academic schedule 
• UPEI Senate has been relegated to a “rubber-stamp” body, retained primarily to give legitimacy to decisions already taken by senior administrators, with little to no accountability 
• All of this is leading to an erosion of academic and research standards that is having a negative effect on the UPEI campus community.

What can we do?

While provincial legislation establishes the bicameral governance structure that enables academics to contribute to the academic trajectory of our institution, as members of an academic labour union, together we can secure fair and reasonable working conditions for academic staff, including the ability and resources to participate in collegial decisions that have a direct impact on individual areas of our university, and on the institution as a whole.

Collective bargaining helps secure the foundation for collegial governance and ensures that we are involved in decisions that shape our University now and in the future.

You are UPEI

Here’s how you can do your part:

•  Attend the AGM on Friday, April 8th – Register HERE
• Talk to us: Tell us how these issues have been affecting you HERE.
• Get involved: Join us for regular meetings and consider joining an FA committee or serving as a grievance officer.
• Show your support: Use our downloadable logos as your photo for online meetings and lectures. Download them HERE.
• Stay in the loop: to prevent communications disruptions as we head into negotiations, share your personal email address HERE.
• Stay social: share social media content to help spread the word. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook by clicking on the icons below. 

 
Together, We Are UPEI.