Many of the challenges that faculty in the Teaching Stream have been experiencing are described in detail above. The stream has been greatly impacted by the pivot to online teaching and by recent proposed requirements for synchronous and asynchronous learning. These pandemic-related challenges have exacerbated prior problems related to uneven and inequitable working conditions within the Teaching Stream.
This year the Teaching Stream Committee worked to build on the important work of previous committees, in documenting the needs and concerns of teaching stream faculty while advocating for improved working conditions and support for the stream. In recent years, UTFA has made great strides in areas important to teaching stream faculty, such as the professorial title, but our work is not finished.
Prior to the pandemic, the main issues that were the focus of the Committee’s work were:
Presentations from UTFA's annual workshop to assist faculty members in the Teaching Stream in preparing for promotion consideration.
Members of the teaching stream faculty convened at a social on February 2, 2017, to mark the newly created rank of full professor in the teaching stream and to celebrate the successful SJAC negotiations. While the gathering served to build community amongst the teaching stream, it also afforded members the opportunity to share their experiences and to help plan future advances.
Momentous changes have happened this year for full-time members of the Teaching Stream: Senior Lecturers and Lecturers have had the opportunity to elect to change their titles to Associate Professor, Teaching Stream and Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream. Negotiations are ongoing regarding policy language prescribing the process for promotion to Professor, Teaching Stream.
The firm deadline for full-time senior lecturers to opt in to the new appointments policy for the teaching stream is DECEMBER 31, 2015. UTFA and the University administration completed negotiations on this new policy almost one year ago, in December 2014.
Both UTFA’s Q & A and the University administration’s Q & A are meant to help you understand the policy change.
You will be covered by a new policy that offers the following:
The purpose of this document is to provide assistance and direction with respect to teaching stream workload matters.
Workload is now, like salaries, benefits, and pensions, negotiable under Article 6 of the Memorandum of Agreement. The right to negotiate a fair, equitable and transparent distribution of workload is a significant achievement in ongoing efforts to protect collegial governance and the quality of our research and teaching at U of T.
On October 20, 2015 UTFA filed an Association Grievance with respect to the University administration's implementation of the August 20, 2015 mediated agreement as it pertains to Teaching Stream PTR.
This has been an exciting year for full-time members of the teaching stream. The successful completion of the SJAC negotiations has brought about very positive changes for them. As Chair of the Teaching Stream Committee I joined the SJAC team in the final days of negotiation of the tentative agreement between UTFA and Governing Council in December 2014, and I was present at the Governing Council meeting on February 26, 2015, when the changes were approved in principle by a unanimous vote.