NEW HIRES MANUAL

Printable version - UMFA New Hires Manual (pdf - 96 kb)

UMFA HANDBOOK FOR NEWLY HIRED ACADEMIC STAFF

Welcome to the University of Manitoba Faculty Association. UMFA is the Collective Bargaining Agent for the full-time Faculty, Instructors, and Librarians at the University of Manitoba. Certified with the Manitoba Labour Board in 1974, UMFA was the first Faculty Association in a major English-speaking Canadian University to become unionized.

This handbook is intended to bring to your attention a number of matters which we think are important to a successful beginning for a faculty, librarian or instructor career at the University of Manitoba.

If you have questions about any of the materials in this book, contact the following UMFA staff members:

Louise Hébert: 474-8272
Jettie Zweip:474-8562

Name of your UMFA Representative: ____________________________________________

Phone: ___________________________________________________________________

If you don't know who your Representative is, ask Louise or Jettie!

All contacts with the UMFA office are confidential.
If you have any concerns relating to your employment, please contact the Association as soon as possible for advice. There are strict time limits that govern the Association's ability to take action on your behalf and your rights may be lost if you delay. All contacts are kept in the strictest confidence and no action will be taken without the agreement of the Member.

JUST WHAT ARE YOUR DUTIES?

Faculty Members: There are two job descriptions in the UMFA Collective Agreement for faculty members. The first is Section 19.A.2.3 through Section 19.A.2.5. The second is found in the Promotions Article 20.A.1 through 20.A.3.13. The promotions article spells out all the activities which your job requires and makes clear you will be evaluated on your performance. You should have received a copy of the criteria and weightings for tenure upon receiving your probationary appointment (19.D.1.6).

Librarians: See Section 17.A.1 to 17.A.3.3. Section 17.B outlines the rank structure for librarians' promotions.

Instructors: See Article 34.1 through 34.6 for information on rights, duties, and responsibilities, and 34.9 on promotions.

All Members should see Article 36.2 regarding service.

How will you be evaluated? You need to know the criteria and weightings used in your unit. The Head of your department or the Dean/Director of your faculty/school has an obligation to provide these to you.

Criteria: _______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Weightings: Faculty and Instructors

Teaching _____% Research _____% Service _____%

Weightings: Librarians

Professional performance _____%

Teaching _____% Research _____% Service _____%

TEACHING

Load: How many courses will you be teaching? The normal course load varies by faculty and library.

Normal load in your unit __________________________________________________
Your load _____________________________________________________________

Reduced Load: As a new faculty member, you may be given a reduced course load to allow more time for research.

Normal Load reduction ______ for ______ years.

Course Schedule: A Tuesday/Thursday schedule is seen by most faculty as preferable to a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule. But either is preferable to a Monday-Friday schedule. In some departments the schedules are rotated.

Schedule rotation in your department: ______________________________________

Teaching Assistance: Departments vary considerably! The more students in your classes, the more Teaching Assistant or Marker/Grader hours you should have.

Number of students in all your classes: ______________________________________
Teaching assistant hours warranted: ________________________________________
Marker/Grader hours warranted: ___________________________________________

Allowances for Resources:

Film and video purchase/rental: $ __________________________________________
University Teaching Services Course tuition: $ ________________________________
Special supplies for teaching: $ ___________________________________________

Librarians:

Reference work: Requirements vary between libraries. Each library has a schedule for public assistance.

RESEARCH

Facilities and Services: The university undertakes to provide you with the facilities and services you need for your research program.

RESEARCH FUNDING

Research Grants for New Scholars:

September: you should apply for New Scholar Research grants in the fall competition
January: apply for New Scholar Research grants in the spring competition

Application forms and advice: Research Services - 474-8390.

SERVICE

What counts as service?

See the definition in the UMFA Collective Agreement. Faculty members, see Section 19.A.2.4.3 and 20.A.1.2.3; Librarians, see Section 20.B.1.2.3; Instructors see Section 34.1.1.

Service workload expectations in your faculty:

•# of committees: ___________________ Hours ___________________________

•Department/faculty/university committees # ______________________________
  Likely hours per month required _______________________________________

•External committees/activities # _______________________________________
  Likely hours per month required _______________________________________

Reduced service workload? As a new faculty member, you may be given a reduced service activity load to allow more time for research.

Normal Load reduction of ______ for ______ years.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR JOB

Faculty: Prepare yourself for tenure and promotion.
Instructors: Prepare yourself for continuing appointment and promotion.
Librarians: Prepare yourself for continuing appointment and promotion.

Your work may be evaluated annually. Faculty members see Section 35 and Section 19.C.4.7 in the Collective Agreement. Librarians see Section 17.A.7.1. Instructors see Section 34.A.1. Review with your head or director the criteria that will be used to judge your annual performance. Consult with your Department Head, your Mentor, and your UMFA Association Office to check your understanding of the criteria and weighting that will constitute satisfactory performance.

PROMOTION AND TENURE

Do:

•meet job requirements
•document all your activities
•accept reduced teaching loads
•apply for new scholar research grants
•avoid excessive administrative service work
•familiarize yourself with ROASS (Responsibilities of Academic Staff towards Students) Policy, and the Respectful Work and Learning Environment Policy. Both can be found on the University website
•familiarize yourself with the provisions of the collective agreement and your Faculty's weightings and criteria.

Vacations: Don't miss yours! Faculty and Instructors have to take their 27 days before September 1 following the end of a year of service. Librarians have until March 31. Read Article 9 closely.

Salary: Is your salary level appropriate? The Association Office has yearly UM salary reports and recent copies of the report required by the Public Sector Compensation Disclosure Act. You can see how your salary compares to others at your rank. If you are underpaid, plan to apply to the Anomalies Fund for an increase.

ARE YOU BEING TREATED FAIRLY?

If you have questions, you can contact the Contract Administrator and Grievance Officer through the UMFA Staff:

Louise Hébert: 474-8272
Jettie Zweip: 474-8562

For more serious concerns, contact:

•UMFA Professional Officer Barbara Yapps 474-6034
•UMFA Executive Director Linda Guse 474-8282

New Members Reception

The Association schedules receptions for new Members. Information on dates, times and locations will be provided through email or by an UMFA Board Representative.