(902) 585-1422 aufa@acadiau.ca

Issues

In accordance with the Canadian Association of University Teachers’ policy on childcare (see below), the AUFA recognizes that childcare is a fundamental equity issue and has been working toward the creation of childcare policies that reflect this. As such, we have advocating for child care on Acadia’s campus since 2009.

CAUT Policy Statement on the Provision of Child and Infant Care

Balancing work and family responsibilities is a concern for many members of the academic community. Child and infant care is integral to work-life balance, recruitment, and retention of academic and general staff, as well as students.

Universities and colleges should provide, either directly or by contract, child and infant care on or near campus for members of the academic community.

Such care should be affordable, high quality, accessible, and provided in a public or not-for-profit organization and by staff who are unionized and appropriately remunerated.

Furthermore, this care should reflect the demands of academic work by being available during the hours when academic and general staff are expected to work, as well as by being flexible enough to include casual and occasional care, and emergency care to accommodate the sudden illness of a child or infant.

Member associations should negotiate contract language which ensures that academic and general staff have access to child and infant care.

Approved by the CAUT Council, November 2007

The goal of Employment Equity is to ensure that no person is denied employment opportunities and benefits for reasons unrelated to ability. The Employment Equity Act of the Canadian Human Rights Commission currently requires employers to correct disadvantages in the workplace experienced by members of four designated groups: Aboriginal peoples; persons with disabilities; visible minorities; women. In addition, employers must agree to implement special measures that accommodate differences. Some examples of the special measures employers must provide are: disabled parking or a wheelchair ramp easily accessible to a disabled employee’s workplace; granting deferral of renewal, tenure and promotion decisions for employees on family leave; purchasing a computer screen reader for a visually impaired employee.

Realizing equity is both an individual and a collective responsibility. One of AUFA’s priorities for the next round of collective bargaining is to take a leadership role on our campus by negotiating strong equity provisions on issues such as an Employment Systems Review, elimination of systemic discrimination, and reasonable accommodation of differences. Such policies and practices should apply to all employee groups at Acadia, but our only means of ensuring that they are adhered to for AUFA members is to include provisions on equity in our Collective Agreement. This does not preclude us from continuing to work with other employee groups on campus to create a more equitable workplace for all students, faculty, and staff at Acadia.

In order for Acadia to become a truly inclusive university we need to be active in promoting equitable employment policies and practices. Many barriers to equitable employment opportunities continue to exist, such as unvoiced or systemic biases and assumptions, employment and education inequities, and lack of accommodation. We need to begin by acknowledging inequity and take a proactive approach to create policies and practices aimed at redressing the effects of systemic discrimination by negotiating strong, clear language in our Collective Agreement.

Employment Equity Plan (PDF)

Two members of AUFA sit on the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC). The two members participate in the regular activities of the committee, and also specifically representing the needs and interests of faculty members. They report regularly to the AUFA membership and AUFA executive to ensure that the membership is aware of JOHSC initiatives, and to gather information from the membership to ensure that issues are communicated to the JOHSC.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding health and safety on campus, please contact Brian Wilson or Teri Gullon.  You may also report an occurrence or hazard directly by clicking here.

The JOHSC website can be found here.

The AUFA Women’s committee engages in activism and promotes awareness around women’s issues and gender equity related to the collective agreement and, more generally, the workplace of Acadia University. Beyond Acadia, AUFA-W participates in the agenda of the CAUT Women’s Committee and its sister organizations across Canada, and is active within in the larger local community.

Annual Report on the Status of Women at Acadia

Article 28.10 Data Report: Each year, AUFA-W writes a report for The Communicator entitled “In Minority: The Status of Women at Acadia University” that examines the gender division of Acadia faculty by rank, position and salary.

Activities

December 6th Memorial Event (National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women): AUFA-W organizes a memorial event at Acadia each year. This event is open to the larger community.

International Women’s Day (IWD): AUFA-W organizes numerous events to celebrate and mark IWD. In recent years, we have sponsored a cafe featuring local women performers. Proceeds are donated to Chrysalis House, a non-profit grassroots organization that provides shelter, support, counseling, advocacy, and outreach for abused women and their children.

AUFA-W Networking Event: Each January, AUFA-W organizes a networking event, called F.E.W (First Ever Women), to celebrate the accomplishments of women faculty at Acadia.

Other

In addition to the events described above, AUFA-W organizes guest speakers, theatre productions, and similar events on topics that support and promote women’s issues, and promotes equity issues on campus in general through lobbying and advocacy.

Committee Members for the 2019-20 academic year:

Erin Crandall
Jennie Rand
Mary Sweatman
Britanie Wentzell

Acadia University is built on the traditional and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq Nation. We are all Treaty People.

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