Season’s Greetings from Your KFA

Season’s Greetings!

Dear Kwantlen Faculty Association Members,

Season’s Greetings! We hope this message finds you and yours safe and well.

At the close of 2021, we would like to share an update on the work of your Union. But first, we would like to thank you for your exemplary dedication to our students and the KPU community throughout this difficult year. In the midst of remote work, uncertain pandemic conditions, heat domes, fires, and flooding, you have taken on the increased emotional and other labour that results from working in such extreme conditions.

We also wish to thank all of our colleagues, especially those on the Executive and other KFA committees, who volunteer on behalf of the association and our membership all year long.

We especially wish to recognize our support staff, Kyla Rand and Gill Jones, who do extraordinary work to support the KFA Executive and membership. Thank you both. We also welcome Amy Nagi back to the office at the start of 2022.

Some Updates: Fall 2021 General Meeting

Policy Changes

At our Fall 2021 General Meeting, members passed important bargaining-related motions to support bargaining in 2022 and beyond; these motions included a motion to raise the cap of the KFA Defense fund and a motion to transfer a modest amount of money into the KFA Defense fund.

Executive Elections

The results of the Fall 2021 KFA Elections were announced at the Fall General meeting, and we are pleased to again announce and thank the following members for stepping forward in their new roles:

• Dan Lett, Social Sciences
• Ann-Marie McLellan, Humanities
• Cameron Lait, Professional Development and Scholarly Activity

At the December 9th, 2021 KFA Executive meeting, the following representatives were appointed until the Spring Annual General Meeting. Thank you to these members as well for stepping forward to serve our colleagues!

• Lisa Hubic, Learner Support and Co-op
• Kathy Fitzpatrick, Non-Regular
• Rebecca Yoshizawa, Ombudsperson

Only one Executive position remains to be filled: Qualifying Studies and Access. Please be in touch if you are interested.

Other Updates from 2021

• Your KFA continues to advocate that Micro-credentials at KPU be developed by faculty members, and, once developed, that they are taught by faculty members for fair wages and fair working conditions as per the Collective Agreement. These and other matters such as duplication and credentialing are being addressed in the grievance process to ensure work is not taken out of the bargaining unit.
  Time Releases: A number of time releases have recently been searched for the development of Micro-credentials and other initiatives. We want you to be aware that should you accept a release from the Employer to develop curriculum or initiatives, what you develop on such a leave will not be your intellectual property. Informed consent is important, so please contact a Table Officer if you have any questions.
• The LOU#13 discussions and arbitration came to a close with the LOU #13 Settlement Agreement reached in mediation. Rather than an imposed arbitration settlement, the agreement maintains class size and allows Departments to overenroll courses on a voluntary basis in exchange for modest compensation.
• Kristie Dukewich, KFA Occupational Health & Safety Committee Chair, created a wonderful interactive document to help explain what your union, the KFA, is and does.
• We have continued to meet with the Employer regularly to advocate for COVID-19 related concerns about working conditions. We have worked with the Employer to address issues ranging from ventilation concerns to the reimbursement of expenses when faculty are required to teach from home, to the ability to carry forward Vacation and Professional Development Days in recognition of the many “pivots” faculty have had to do between online and face-to-face work.
• For those who wish more information about the Public Health framework for post-secondary institutions, please see the Public Health Office Town Hall with Post-Secondary Unions and Administration from Wednesday, December 8th.

Coming in 2022

In 2022, please look forward to several KFA Presents workshops including the pension/retirement workshops of There is More to it than Money, Financing your Future, as well as a Parliamentary Procedure Workshop on how to make your meeting a successful one.

Stay tuned for KFA Open Office Hours, when you can ask your union questions about working conditions & the Collective Agreement.

As always, if you are interested in volunteering for a position or in becoming involved with the KFA, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Please Note:

The KFA virtual office is closed as of Wednesday, December 22, and will reopen on Monday, January 4th. If you require urgent assistance during this closure, please email any of the Table Officers. We will be checking email intermittently over the holidays.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you a restorative break,

Your KFA Table Officers

Gillian Dearle, KFA President

Diane Walsh, VP Grievances

Mark Diotte, VP Negotiations

Rachelle Hollaway, Member-at-Large

Betty Cunnin, Member-at-Large

Emma Baggott, Secretary Treasurer