Windsor University Faculty Association.

(Last updated Oct. 3, 2008)

Benign Unless Provoked

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. How much is strike pay?
A. Strike pay is $539 per week based on five (5) shifts per week (Monday to Friday) of strike duty with three (3) hours and ten minutes per shift.

Faculty, librarians, and sessional instructors all get the same pay.
Strike pay is not taxable for purposes of income tax.
There is no provision for “part-time” or “occasional” picketing. You must attend your scheduled picket duties to qualify for strike pay.
E-mail wufa@uwindsor.ca or call the WUFA office at ext. 4259 if you are unable to fulfill your picket duty. Please leave a message and someone will call you back.

Q. What if I can't do picket duty?
·       If you cannot attend your scheduled picket duty for short term medical reasons, such as a doctor’s appointment, just let your picket captain know or e-mail the faculty association office (wufa@uwindsor.ca).
·       If you have previously scheduled travel to attend conferences, you will be exempted for that time. If possible, please notify your picket captain. If that is not possible, e-mail the faculty association office.
·       If your scheduled picket duty does not fit with your other commitments outside the University and you can find another member to switch (trade) shifts with, you may do so by informing the respective picket captains. Do not switch shifts without informing both or your affected your picket captain or else you will not receive credit for your picket duty! There is no unilateral changing of shifts without substitution at this stage of the strike.
·       If you have physical restrictions and cannot do picket duty, we can use your help in the WUFA office. E-mail wufa@uwindsor.ca or call the WUFA office at ext. 4259. Please leave a message and someone will call you back.
·       If you are employed full time elsewhere and cannot picket daily, strike pay is less essential to you and we hope you will understand that we must conserve our limited financial resources. We hope that you will still come out and support the strike when you can as your support is still important in securing a better contract for us all, and because we intend to have some fun while on strike, and we would hate for you to miss out on it!
·       If you are unable to perform stirke duty your medical and dental benefits will still be covered.

Q. Where can I park for picket duty?
A. Members are urged not to park in their regular lots because this means crossing our picket lines.

Park by the river or in the Pay-and-display lots under Ambassador Bridge or on Union St. between Sunset and California Ave.

Q. What about my medical and dental benefits?
A. In the event that the university adminsitration cancels our coverage, WUFA will pay the premiums.

Q. I have lab animals or plants to attend to. How can I do this without crossing a picket line?
A. In cases where failure to cross a picket line will cause animal suffering, a strike pass can be obtained from the picket captain, allowing you to enter the campus for a specified reason. This is distinct from, say, crossing a picket line to teach a class, meet your T.A's, etc., which are considered part of the employment that is being withheld.

Q. If I'm on Sabbatical how will I be paid and will I be required to be available for picket duty?
A. Sabbaticants are not required to do picket or other strike duties during the strike. We are working to achieve a protocol agreement with the university administration which would ensure that faculty on sabbatical are paid your normal sabbatical salary by the university. If we are unable to negotiate such an agreement, you will receive strike pay for this period.

Q. How long would a faculty strike at the University of Windsor last?
A. The length of a strike is hard to determine precisely, but faculty strikes are usually very brief. Historically, they have lasted, on average, between 7 and 15 days, and it is rare in Canada for a faculty strike to last longer than one month.

Q. Won’t a strike hurt students?
A. WUFA believes that the administrations current proposals would hurt students more [and in the long run] than a faculty strike. Faculty and librarians are fighting for the quality of both the educational experience of students and of a degree from this university. Historically, no faculty strike in Canada has ever resulted in the loss of an academic semester for students. Students' overall education will not be compromised by a strike.

Q. Are negotiations with the university administration continuing?
A. Yes. Although the first two months of negotiations have proved rather unproductive, we are meeting with the administration in early September.

Q. What are the main issues?
A. From our perspective: Fair compensation for all our members; working conditions for sessionals; retirement options; employment equity; anomalies. Things we object to in their package: (1) the attempt to significantly weaken the Windsor Salary Standard;(2) the attempt to dilute the role of full time faculty which will a) diminish the research focus of the University; b) damage the quality of our teaching and curriculum; and c) negatively impact on the viability of our graduate programs; (3) various clawbacks.

Q. Is WUFA asking for too much?
A. No. Our contract proposals are comparable to most Ontario universities; in fact, several comprehensive universities [Brock and Guelph, for example] have settled with substantially more compensation and benefits than WUFA has been offered. We are only seeking parity.

Q. What is the Union doing to Prevent a Strike?
A. We are being reasonable (but strong) at the Negotiating Table
We are consulting with CAUT and our membership in an attempt to ensure the best possible Collective Agreement for our members
We are mobilizing our members to get a strong strike vote which is the BEST way to prevent a strike.

Q. What can students do to help?
A. Student support is essential to any job action by faculty; as we fight for the quality of education and working conditions at the University of Windsor, we have student concerns in mind. As class size expands and more and more courses are taught by non-research faculty, we understand that students’ experiences are further impoverished. Without a fair and equitable collective agreement [our contract], we won’t be able to recruit and retain excellent faculty, and the university and its reputation will suffer.

Students are encouraged to attend information rallies and pass motions of support through full-time and part-time, graduate and undergraduate councils. You might also contact the administration and urge them to conclude these negotiations in a timely manner so that there will be no disruptions, however brief, to the university.

For more information, please see uwindsor.ca/wufa or call ext. 3366 or email us your questions wufa@uwindsor.ca

WUFA • Benign Unless Provoked