BUFA Collective Bargaining 2026

BUFA’s current Collective Agreement expires on June 30, 2026. In preparation for upcoming bargaining toward a new agreement, the BUFA Negotiating Team developed a mandate informed by the results of a member-wide survey that was circulated in November 2025, and nearly 40 unit-level and thematic meetings held with members throughout the fall term. The mandate was also informed by the clear trends and problems arising since the last round of bargaining.

The mandate was unanimously recommended to the membership by the Executive Committee in December and unanimously approved by the membership at the Special General Membership Meeting held in January 2026. To learn more about some of our bargaining priorities, click the links bellow.

*Click the icons above to see more information.

2026 BUFA Bargaining Mandate:

Restore and Prioritize the University’s Educational Mandate

• Increase and sustain BUFA member complement, including leave replacement for Professional Librarian members
• Create more capacity for teaching-intensive positions while decreasing allowable proportion of ILTA positions
• Explore ways to improve job security for contract members and potential for conversions
• Establish minimum guarantees for pedagogical supports

Invest in Research/Creative Activity

• Increase minimum course releases available for significant levels of research and/or creative activity
• Explore ways to increase member access to internal research funds

Expand Scheduling Flexibility

• Improve course scheduling-band options
• Facilitate course collection process that better addresses pedagogical needs
• Explore ways to better protect member work/life balance

Recognize and Support Members’ Work

• Propose workable mechanism to recognize unscheduled teaching
• Acknowledge “on-call” work of members
• Explore options to address burdens of significant course preparation
• Ensure adequate administrative support for new and existing administrative systems/processes and responsibilities
• Propose better incentives for Chairs/Directors/Program Directors/Heads

Strengthen Collegial Decision-Making

• Protect faculty and professional librarian representation on administrative search committees
• Remove Employer representative from professional librarian hiring committees

Address Equity and Equity Audit Recommendations

• Make optional student experience surveys as part of dossier for tenure and promotion
• Ensure greater recognition of “service” for tenure, permanency, and promotion
• Explore ways to enhance provisions that recognize Indigenous scholarship and pedagogies, and advance meaningful decolonization

Address Artificial Intelligence

• Respond to concerns regarding AI’s potential impact upon job security and intellectual property

Improve Compensation and Benefits and Expand Retirement Options

• Ensure a median position in total compensation compared to other Ontario universities
• Improve benefit entitlements
• Explore possibility of bringing more “benefits language” directly into the CA
• Incorporate the Retirement Incentive Program into the CA
• Waive required 6-month return following sabbatical leaves

Streamline and Clarify

• In addition to these above core goals, your Negotiating Team will streamline and clarify language where appropriate and engage in routine contract language housekeeping.

*Items on this list are not ranked-ordered

In order to secure these priorities, and more, we need you and your BUFA colleagues to be active and engaged throughout the collective bargaining process. For information on how to get involved, please contact your unit’s Contract Action Team Representative. If you do not know your unit’s Contract Action Team Representative, please contact: Jonah Butovsky, Chair of the BUFA Contract Action Team.

A better contract, makes a better Brock!