Today marks the beginning of Fair Employment Week.  You can find some background from FPSE at www.fpse.ca/committees/nrfc/FEW

Also, The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has created a petition in support of the Fair Employment Week.  You can sign the petiton electronically at the following link:  http://www.fairemploymentweek.ca/take-action/

Here is what the petition says:

An Open Letter to University and College Presidents

More and more academic work at our institutions is being performed by people hired on a per course or limited term basis. These positions are often poorly paid, have little or no benefits, no job security and no academic freedom. This has serious implications not only for contract academic staff, but for students, their regular academic staff colleagues, and universities and colleges as a whole.

This October 21-25, I’m joining colleagues across the country in lending my support to Fair Employment Week to demand fairness for contract academic staff. I believe that all academic staff should have a job which:

• Recognizes academic freedom
• Provides an opportunity for research
• Provides equal access to campus resources
• Provides a voice in academic governance
• Provides fair compensation and benefits

It’s time Canada’s university and college leaders take a stand to end the increasing casualization of academic work and ensure the equal treatment of all academic staff regardless of their employment status.

Fair is fair.

Signed,

The nomination period has closed and voting starts at 9:00am on September 27, 2013 and ends at 4:30pm October 3, 2013.

Information on the cadidates, including their statements, can be found near the top right of the mylangara home page after you log in.

Background on the elections process and important dates is found on the Langara Website.  You can go directly to this information by following this link.

Come by to catch up, meet new people and share stories with each other!

Wednesday October 16th, 2013 at 2:30pm  in the Employee Lounge.

All faculty are welcome and light refreshments will be served.

The College Pension Plan Board has announced a change to the contribution rates that is material and relevant to all pension members.  You can find the communique by searching the news section of the College Pension Plan website.

The opening paragraph of the communique is as follows:

Pension contribution rates to increase September 1, 2013

Members and employers will pay more into the College Pension Plan (plan) effective September 1, 2013. This increase is the result of the recent actuarial valuation of the plan.

Member and employer contributions will each be increased by 0.66 per cent of salary.

The plan remains financially strong, and a contribution rate increase is just one of the many proactive steps the College Pension Board of Trustees (board) takes to ensure the plan remains fiscally sustainable and that the pension promise stays secure for all members.