The Affiliation of Professors of the College of Ottawa (APUO) says the varsity is understaffed and its college is overworked, and is looking on directors to rent extra.
The union held a rally Wednesday after submitting a criticism to the Ontario Labour Relations Board on Oct. 24, claiming the administration is bargaining in unhealthy religion. The 2 sides have been in collective bargaining since June after their earlier settlement expired on the finish of April.
The APUO says the college’s present student-to-professor ratio is forcing its members to do extra with much less, and is demanding the college rent extra full-time college to ease their workload. That features professors, librarians and instructing assistants who can undertake “shadow work” reminiscent of lesson planning, marking and administrative chores.
College spokesperson Jesse Robichaud stated directors have met with the union over 20 occasions in bargaining periods that he stated have led to “substantive settlement on a variety of proposals.”
Doing extra with much less
Jennifer Blair, a mobilization officer with the union and an affiliate professor of English on the college, stated retirements in her division have left remaining employees overwhelmed.
“It signifies that we work on a regular basis. I work greater than my friends on the different U15 universities, I educate extra lessons,” she stated. “Whereas I love instructing college students, the very fact is that once we’re stretched that skinny, it’s extremely, very troublesome to have a high quality expertise.”
Blair stated she has no instructing assistants at her disposal, so she does all of the marking. She stated she struggles to supply extra detailed feedback or meet extra continuously along with her college students.
Professors and different college members collect for a rally on the College of Ottawa on Wednesday. (Michel Aspirot/CBC)
In line with the college’s truth e book, the registered pupil inhabitants grew by 2.9 per cent between 2021 — when the final collective bargaining settlement was signed — and 2023, reaching 48,259.
The scholar-professor ratio within the 2021-2022 tutorial yr was about 34 to 1, the fourth-highest present in Ontario by one calculation from the Ontario Confederation of College School Associations (OCUFA), a non-profit advocate group representing 30 college associations, together with APUO.
Neither the union nor college may present more moderen numbers.
Whereas the union isn’t at the moment in a strike place, president Dimitri Karmis stated in a media launch that it’s ready to make use of “each device out there to defend our college’s core missions.”
The union says its key calls for haven’t been met. Each events are scheduled to enter into conciliation on Nov. 5.
“We’re optimistic that the events can attain a settlement by mediation and or conciliation,” stated Robichaud.
