The Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) is the certified bargaining agent for all faculty and professional librarians, contract and regular, full-time, tenured and tenure-track. It is composed of two bargaining units, one for contract faculty and librarians, officially known as ‘Contract Academic Staff’ (CAS), and one for full-year limited-term appointments (LTA) and tenure-track and tenured faculty and librarians, referred to as ‘Full-Time’.
We recognize that ‘Full-Time’ as a designation for regular faculty and librarians and the designation ‘Part-Time’ for ‘CAS’ appointments implies that the latter (i.e. CAS) do not work ‘full-time’. In reality, many contract faculty (i.e. CAS) work full-time hours and beyond, but their pay and conditions are ‘part-time’.
Also, the term ‘CAS’ belies the fact that contract appointments are faculty rather than staff because they perform the exact same role that ‘full-time’ or regular faculty do, and students benefit from their enthusiasm and engagement in teaching, research and service, to the university and the broader community.
Although the term ‘CAS’ is one used in the certification process in the labour relations process in Ontario and therefore is one that we ultimately have no control over at present, we feel it is important to recognize that the CAS are faculty who play an integral role in the provision of higher education in this province and throughout the country.
For more information please visit our main site at http://www.wlufa.ca/
The WLUFA Advocate Blog 