About QUFA

Contents

Who We Are

QUFA is the certified bargaining agent for approximately 1500 Faculty, Librarians, and Archivists at Queen’s University. Our purpose is to promote the following:

  • the interests of Queen’s University academic staff (faculty, librarians, and archivists);
  • equity in recruitment and hiring of academic staff;
  • a positive working environment for academic staff, free of discrimination, interference, restriction, or coercion relating to any term or condition of employment;
  • the provision of appropriate representation for all members of the Association;
  • academic interests at Queen’s and in the broader community.

See Executive, Council, and committee members on the Contact page.

Membership: Bargaining Unit & the Association

Bargaining Unit Members: Faculty, Librarians, Archivists, and Adjuncts are all automatically dues-paying members of the Bargaining Unit and covered by the Collective Agreement. Members of the Bargaining Unit can vote for ratification of a Collective Agreement and in strike votes.

Association Members: Membership in the Association (Union) is voluntary and open to all Bargaining Unit members. Association membership can be obtained by completing a Membership Form. Association members can participate in the decision-making processes of the union, run for office on the Executive Committee or Council of Representatives, and serve on any other QUFA committee. No additional payment of dues is required to be an Association member.

Governance & Administration

Two governing bodies, the Executive Committee and the Council of Representatives, are responsible for QUFA’s policy development and decision-making and meet monthly from September through June. Electoral units representing all Faculties and Schools at Queen’s appoint representatives of their constituency to the Council.

QUFA has staff who provide information and serve as resources to the Association’s officers, committees, and membership. Office hours are normally 8am and 4pm, Monday to Friday, except in July and August when the office closes on Fridays. Check the Contact page for more details.

Important acronyms for QUFA and the Queen’s Community.

Activities

  • Representing the interests of members in discussions and interpretations of the Collective Agreements with Queen’s Administration via the Joint Committee to Administer the Collective Agreements (JCAA).
  • Reviewing and participating in implementation and formation of University policy on issues directly affecting members, including renegotiation of the Collective Agreement.
  • Representing the collective view of members to the University administration, the Board of Trustees, the Senate and its committees, and other groups.
  • Transmitting the collective view of our Association to parliamentarians and to appointed bodies concerned with the development of policy on university education.
  • Holding at least two general meetings annually to exchange information and views on any of the above activities.
  • Sponsoring an annual speaker on topics related to academic freedom.

Benefits to Membership

  • QUFA works to improve salaries, benefits, and working conditions on behalf of all Members.
  • QUFA advises Members who believe that they have been treated unfairly with respect to their employment. This includes assisting in the initiation and pursuit of grievances.
  • QUFA sponsors annual workshop for Members who are applying for renewal, tenure & promotion and for Adjunct Members to help navigate right of reappointment.
  • QUFA produces the QUFA Voices newsletter and other electronic bulletins to keep members up to date on issues in the academic community.
  • QUFA members are automatically members of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). Both organizations have regular publications that cover national and provincial developments affecting higher education. The CAUT Bulletin provides the only country-wide listing of positions available for all disciplines. The CAUT Defence Fund provides strike benefits and assistance to associations engaged in a strike or lock-out.

Dues

Union dues are automatically deducted from monthly salary by Queen’s Financial Services for members of the bargaining unit. Dues are a percentage of members’ salaries. The current rate is 1.0%, which includes membership in CAUT and OCUFA. There is a minimum yearly fee of $50.00. For example, a member with a gross annual salary of $50,000 would pay $50,000 X .010 = $500.00, or $41.66 per month. QUFA Members, with the exception of Term Adjuncts, pay a $8.00 a month Levy to the CAUT Defence Fund. Once a Term Adjunct becomes a Continuing Adjunct, the Levy will be applied. For Income Tax purposes dues are reported on the T4 form you receive from the University and are deductible from Total Income on your Income Tax return (“Annual union, professional or like dues”).

History of the Bargaining Unit

In 2007, Members in QUFA’s Faculty Librarian and Archivist (FLABU) and Sessional Adjunct (SABU) Bargaining Units amalgamated to form the current Bargaining Unit. The Queen’s School of Religion Bargaining Unit (QSR BU) certified in 2009 under QUFA, then merged with FLABU in the spring of 2012. Membership in the bargaining unit is defined in Article 1 of the Collective Agreement. As noted above, there are two types of QUFA memberships: in the Bargaining Unit and in the Association (Union).