Brock University Faculty Association
MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS STRONG
The Brock University Staff Association was founded in 1965, just one year after the university itself was established.
It was only in December 1996 that the Brock University Faculty Association became a union, certified under the Labour Relations Act of the Province of Ontario, representing all faculty and professional librarians at Brock University.
In the summer of 1998, we signed a three-year contract, retroactive to July 1, 1997 and remaining in effect until June 30, 2000. This contract specified terms and conditions of employment, as well as salaries and benefits, for faculty and professional librarians. BUFA ‘s present collective agreement (2020-2023) expires on June 30, 2023.
BUFA Activities
1. Advice for members in the event that they have a dispute with the University, investigates complaints against the University, acts on members’ behalf in resolving grievances.
2. Appointment of members conjointly with the University to committees which influence conditions of employment, including promotion, tenure, sabbaticals and research grants.
3. Establishment of committees from its own members to work for improvements in salaries and benefits, pensions, terms of employment and working conditions, public relations, equity, and other areas of concern.
4. Representation of faculty and academic librarian interests through participation in the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). All members receive copies of their publications, CAUT Bulletin and OCUFA publications which address issues of interest to faculty members and academic librarians at the federal and provincial levels. In May 2006 BUFA also became a member of the National Union of Canadian Association of University Teachers (NUCAUT) which enabled BUFA to become an affiliate to the Niagara Regional Labour Council and member of the Canadian Labour Congress.
5. Preparation and distribution of the BUFA Voice – News and Views, which informs the membership about local issues that could affect faculty and professional librarians directly (see the most recent issue on this website).
BUFA Q and A
BUFA’s top priority in collective bargaining is to protect and enhance the quality of education at Brock. For that the faculty and professional librarians need to be more fully involved in the decisions that the administration is making to ensure that the focus remains on what in the final analysis really matters, the quality of learning at our University. It is not about faculty and librarians trying to get ahead on salaries.
Q: What is the Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA)?
A: BUFA is the certified bargaining agent for 581 full-time faculty members and professional librarians at Brock University. BUFA negotiates terms and conditions of work for its members as part of a collective agreement between BUFA and Brock University. The current collective agreement expires on June 30, 2020.
Q: What is the Brock University Board of Trustees?
A: Brock University is governed by two bodies – the Board of Trustees and the Senate. The Senate is responsible for academic policy and procedures at Brock, and the Board of Trustees is responsible for the administrative management of the university. The membership of the Board of Trustees is made up of elected and appointed members, mostly from the corporate sector. The Board is responsible, among other things, for tuition increases, the approval of the university’s budget, and ratification of negotiated contracts with university staff.
Q: What is BUFA doing to give back to the university community?
A: BUFA members give back to the university each and every day. Last year BUFA members voted to establish $35,000 worth of scholarships for students in each Faculty over the next 5 years. BUFA has made $12,000 worth of donations to the Rosalind Blauer Daycare Centre on campus, and individual members collectively donate thousands of dollars each year to Brock’s United Way campaign and other charities that support the Niagara community. Moreover, BUFA members are involved in many volunteer Advisory Boards that serve the Niagara community as part of a collective commitment to community service.