Contract Academic Staff Conference Agenda

Canada’s post-secondary education sector is at a critical juncture. Years of chronic public underfunding have entrenched a system that relies on the precarious labour of contract academic staff. To counter this, we need a coordinated and collective response.

Through focused discussions and practical workshops, participants will acquire the tools necessary to build solidarity, strengthen organizing, and collectively bargain better working conditions for contract academic staff. The Contract Academic Staff Conference brings together activists from academic staff associations across the country to share strategies, strengthen collective action, and advance fair employment.

08:00 — 09:00

Breakfast (provided)
Registration

09:00 — 09:15

Welcome, territorial acknowledgement and opening remarks

09:15 — 10:30

Session one
Roundtable discussion: International dimensions of precarious academic work

10:30 — 11:00

Refreshment break

11:00 — 12:30

Session two
Panel: Making gains for contract academic academic staff at the bargaining table
Panelists from associations that have recently made gains or are actively bargaining will share strategies, challenges, and lessons learned.

12:30 — 13:30

Lunch (provided)

13:30 — 15:00

Session three
Panel: Combating precarity in the age of AI
Discussion of strategies to close loopholes in collective agreement language related to job security and to protect CAS rights in the context of technological change, including generative artificial intelligence.

15:00 — 15:30

Refreshment break

15:30 — 17:00

Session four
Building solidarity for contract academic staff
Chronic underfunding has led to program cuts, job losses, rising tuition fees, and reduced student support. In this context, building strong, cross-campus coalitions is more important than ever. This workshop will explore strategies for bringing together workers across bargaining units and students to sustain collective action in defence of high-quality education and to advance fair working conditions for contract academic staff.

08:00 — 9:00

Breakfast (provided)

09:00 — 10:30

Session five
Building power: Campaigning for fair employment
This session focuses on reviewing CAUT’s Fair Employment Now! campaign with the aim of exploring new tactics and strategies to build participation and sustain momentum. Participants will explore strategies to pressure employers and governments to deliver fair employment outcomes and ways to deepen member engagement to achieve organizing and bargaining goals.

10:30 — 11:00

Refreshment break

11:00 — 12:30

Session six
Workshop: Troubleshooting the challenges of organizing contract academic staff
Organizing contract academic staff presents distinct challenges due to their fluctuating employment status, heavy workloads, precarious working conditions, and, in many cases, remote work environments. This session will support participants in identifying the key barriers to effective outreach and engagement. Through facilitated discussion, participants will share practical strategies for mapping, connecting with, and mobilizing contract academic staff, with the goal of strengthening their involvement in union activities.

12:30 — 13:30

Lunch (provided)

13:30 — 15:00

Session seven
Workshop: Getting the word out about Fair Employment Now!
Participants will acquire skills to develop clear, persuasive public messaging on the challenges facing contract academic staff and the solutions that could improve their working conditions and protect high quality education. This training will ensure participants can write strong press releases, attention-grabbing opinion editorials and other publicly facing campaign content to advance their advocacy goals.

15:00 — 15:30

Refreshment break

15:30 — 16:45

Session eight
Regional roundtable discussions
Participants will meet with colleagues from their province and regions to share experiences, discuss challenges and successes, and strengthen solidarity.

16:45 — 17:00

Wrap-up and concluding remarks