JACFA News v5 no 2 - John Abbott College

jacfa
news
John Abbott College Faculty Association
April 2006
Inside
this
issue
__________________
Jim’s Desk
Insurance
Renewal
1–2
3
Our New Contract
Resum
3, 14, 15
Legal Issues
4, 13
Special Insert
CARACAS
5–12
Special Dates
to Remember
12
Volume 5, Number 2
From Jim’s Desk
In Memoriam:
Ruth Taylor
We were deeply saddened by the news of
Ruth’s death on February 18th, 2006. I was
close to Ruth over the last ten years. I first knew
her as a student in my political science class in
the winter term of 1979. She came back to
John Abbott as a replacement teacher in the
English Department in April 1986. She was
quickly recognized for her passionate spirit and
her vivaciousness. She became devoted to the
sense of community that she found at Abbott.
She was a hard working member of the
Academic Council. As vice-chair of the Council,
she forcefully pursued the revival of the committee structure of Council.
Ruth could be difficult to deal with. She
could be moody and petulant. She is the only
friend I have ever had, that if you pissed her off,
she would write a nasty poem about you. I
would get back at her by calling her Ruthie
which she hated. If Ruth was in a playful mood,
she would present you with a comical poem
celebrating her connection with you.
Ruth could also be a supportive friend.
When I was feeling down about turning 50, and
lamenting my graying beard and declining
physique, she tried to cheer me up.
“You’re looking more and more”, she
said, “like Sean Connery.” “But
Ruth”, I replied, “Sean Connery is
nearly 70.”
In the late 1980’s, Ruth was a
vigorous supporter of our union
disaffiliating from FNEEQ. When that
proposal was defeated, she was part of a
rump group of JACFA members who styled
themselves as the internal opposition to the
JACFA executive who were pro FNEEQ. Those
post-disaffiliation vote JACFA General Assemblies tended to be raucous affairs as the
“opposition” appeared to be trying to refight the
disaffiliation battle. In a move toward reconciliation, Ruth was asked to run for the JACFA
executive. She joined the executive in the fall of
1994. In the early days of her mandate, there
was some lingering suspicion that she was an
agent provocateur who could not be trusted.
Those concerns were soon dispelled as Ruth
came to recognize that the executive was a team
of idealists devoted to defending the interests of
individuals in particular and the faculty in
general. This idealism appealed to Ruth’s
romantic nature. She became an executive team
player.
One of her major contributions was as a
faculty representative on the Labor Relations
Committee (CRT). Specifically, I will always be
(Cont’d on p. 2)
Student,
poet,
teacher,
colleague,
unionist,
friend...
jacfa
2
news
April 2006
Ruth...
grateful for her support during a difficult time when the
administration was trying to fire a teacher. It was during
the 2000 spring break. The other two faculty members on
the CRT were not available, leaving Ruth and I to cope. On
her own, Ruth engaged in some behind closed door
discussions that led to negotiations and a settlement of the
matter.
Ruth’s forte was her critical eye and her editing skills.
Until I met her, I never knew the value of editing. Ruth was
able to take union documents that I wrote, tighten them up
and make my message crystal clear. She claimed she got
to know how I thought. She would sometimes snicker at my
use of a thesaurus. Ruth’s command of the language was
such that she never needed one. I would have appreciated
Ruth’s editing of this piece about her.
Ruth left the executive at Christmas, 2000. She
realized that the increasing burdens of her life made it too
difficult for her to continue on the executive. Marriage
breakup, the death of her father, the accidental death of
her dear friend Bert Young, and chronic health problems,
all served to drag her down. She had a morbid fear of
hospitals and indeed all types of confinement. The demons
that haunted her would not leave her alone. She went on
sick leave in March 2005. At the end of June, I helped her
pack up and move from Ste. Anne’s to N.D.G. She was
looking for a fresh start. We talked a couple of weeks
before her death. She was planning to return to work on a
progressive basis in August. We spoke about her returning
to the executive after she was back full time. She seemed
more like her old self.
Ruth loved the Abbott Community and its institutions.
Ruth had ambitions to serve the community as President of
JACFA and Chairperson of the Academic Council. I’m sorry
she will never get that chance.
Faye Plans to Return
to JACFA
Faye Trecartin was re-elected JACFA President last May but
was unable to take up her mandate because she has been on
sick leave because of breast cancer since the beginning of the
academic year. Faye is eager to return to work in the fall and
has agreed to offer her candidacy as President at the May 10
annual JACFA election meeting. We have missed her this year
at the helm of JACFA.
Austerity Measures
for JACFA
As a result of the $160,000 spent on strike pay in 2005,
the JACFA Executive is trying to cut expenses in order to rebuild
the treasury for the next round of negotiations. For example, for
the recent sugaring off party, members were asked to pay half
the cost instead of the full cost being borne by the JACFA
treasury. This resulted in a savings of $2500 compared to last
year’s budget.
Contracts & Summer
Vacation
Non-permanent teachers who will be away from their
permanent residences during the summer vacation period for
more than a couple of weeks should give Human Resources an
email address where they can be notified when their contracts
have been mailed to their home address. Teachers can advise
Human Resources by return email of their acceptance of the
contract. Upon return to their residences, the contracts must
be signed by the teacher and returned to the college.
Mark Review Committees New Members of FNEEQ
In accordance with the collective agreement and the
college IPESA, departmental mark review committees are
composed of three teachers including the teacher who
assigned the mark being reviewed. A mark review
committee must be legitimately constituted for its
decisions to be valid.
The teachers at Collège de Valleyfield have left FAC and are
joining us in FNEEQ Regroupement-Cégep as its 36th member.
Also Collège André Grasset has joined FNEEQ’s regroupement
privé as its 30th member.
Jim Leeke
fneeq
Our New
Contract:
insurance
April 2006
Insurance
Renewal
by Peter Solonysznyj
by Stephen Bryce
As we all know, last December the provincial government passed Law
142 which imposed salaries and working conditions on public employees
in Quebec until the year 2010. At the same time as the law was being
passed, FNEEQ-CSN was able to reach a limited agreement with the
government/federation of cegeps on a limited number of issues. Currently,
FNEEQ is also consulting local general assemblies on ratification of the
parts of our contract covered by Law 37 (“local issues”). When all this is
put together, we will have the contract that will regulate our working
conditions for at least the next four years.
Here is a brief summary and explanation of some of the key
components of our new “contract”:
It’s that time of year again…
N.B. These explanations are contingent on the final, legal wording, which
has not yet been finalized.
Salary:
Law 142 set the annual wage increases for everyone in the public
sector at 2%. For years now, FNEEQ cegep teachers have received their pay
increases on the first day of the Fall semester, much later than the
previous system where we got our increase two months after the rest of
the public sector. This delay in our increases was a “recurrent cost saving”
for the government to pay for our job security system which creates
permanent teaching posts as soon as numbers justify. FNEEQ-CSN
managed to negotiate an end to this “recurrent cost saving”. Therefore, we
will receive:
• 2% on December 1, 2006;
• 2% on October 1, 2007;
• 2% on the first day of the Fall semester 2008;
• 2% on June 1, 2009.
Therefore in 2009, we will be back where we began, receiving our
increase two months after the rest of the public sector.
Continuing Education:
•
•
•
•
Hourly-paid teachers will receive their pay increases on:
October 1, 2006,
August 1, 2007,
June 15, 2008, and
April 1st, 2009.
For hourly-paid teachers, 450 hours of teaching will now count for one
year of seniority (previously it was 525 hours).
(Cont’d on p. 14)
3
On May 31, our health and life insurance with
Industrial Alliance will be up for renewal again. Although we have not yet received a renewal offer
from them, our broker estimates that from our
past experience (given that our “loss ratio” of
claims to premiums was close to the company’s
target set last year), we can expect to receive a
proposal for increased premiums for next year, as
the industry projects inflation in drug costs (about
60% of our health costs) of about 13% next year.
Last year some members suggested that we
take a more serious look at the FNEEQ insurance
plan. For those who were not around at the time,
in 1993 JACFA withdrew from the FNEEQ group
insurance plan and set up its own. The main
issues were the high cost, poor coverage of
paramedical expenses, lack of flexibility in the
plan, and the difficulty in getting answers to
insurance questions from FNEEQ.
Members of the JACFA executive recently met
with the current FNEEQ syndical counselor
responsible for insurance. In the past few years,
because of changes in the payment of long
standing LTD claims, FNEEQ has accumulated a
significant surplus. This has allowed it to improve
coverage of paramedical expenses while freezing
health and LTD insurance rates until at least
January 2007. As a result, health insurance and
LTD rates are about 10% higher for the JACFA plan
than they are for FNEEQ; life rates are over 40%
higher. There are differences between the two
plans – FNEEQ provides more drug coverage and
travel cancellation insurance; JACFA provides
better coverage for some paramedical expenses
and more basic life coverage.
When we receive our renewal offer from
Industrial Alliance, we will provide all members
with a detailed comparison and analysis of the
two plans. There would also be transition issues
about individual coverage levels that would need
to be resolved if we were to move to the FNEEQ
plan. At our next JACFA General Assembly on April
26, the JACFA Executive will present a recommendation and we will debate and vote on where
we are heading with our insurance plan for next
year.
4
April 2006
legal
Why the CSN
will win this case
This is a digest of the legal arguments the
CSN will raise to obtain the annulment of Law
142, the law that decreed our working
conditions and breached our fundamental
rights guaranteed by the Charters. The
complete opinion, with references and
citations, now appears on JACFA’s web site.
The CSN will raise five arguments: (1)
breach of our right of association guaranteed
under the Québec Charter, (2) breach of our
right of association guaranteed by the
Canadian Charter, (3) breach of our right of
communication guaranteed under both
Charters (4) discrimination against the FSSS
and finally (5) breach of international treaties,
protecting the citizens’ right to unionise signed
by Canada. As an association, the CSN has the
legal standing to plead for its members the
unconstitutionality of the law breaching their
rights guaranteed by the Charters.
The government has to justify the breach
of a guaranteed right by proving that the breach
was justified in a democratic society. If the
government fails to justify the breach, the law
is ruled unconstitutional and consequently
annulled. For example, the legal obligation to
wear a safety belt in an automobile is a breach
of our guaranteed right to our liberty, but is
justified by studies establishing that wearing it
reduces bodily injuries in automobile accidents.
Relevant sections of the Charters
Section 2 of the Canadian Charter :
2.
Everyone has the following fundamental
freedoms:
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
by Pierre M. Gauthier
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including
freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly;
(d) and freedom of association.
Sections 3 and 46 of the Québec Charter:
3. Every person is the possessor of the fundamental freedoms,
including freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of opinion,
freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of
association.
46. Every person who works has a right, in accordance with the law, to
fair and reasonable conditions of employment which have proper regard
for the health, safety and physical well-being.
Breaches of the guaranteed rights may be justified under
section 1 of the Canadian Charter and section 9.1 of the
Québec Charter:
1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights
and freedoms set out in it only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law
as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.
9.2 In exercising his fundamental freedoms and rights, a person shall
maintain a proper regard for democratic values, public order and the
general well-being of the citizens of Québec. In this respect, the scope of
the freedoms and rights, and limits to their exercise, may be fixed by law.
(1) Breach of our right of association
guaranteed by the Québec Charter
The Supreme Court indicated in the 2005 Chaoulli case that where
the Canadian Charter appears too restrictive, the parties would be well
advised to invoke the more extensive Québec Charter. Jacques Chaoulli is
the Québec physician who successfully invoked section 1 of the Québec
Charter (right to life, and security of the person) and section 7 of the
Canadian Charter (right to life) to challenge medical legislation set against
his home-delivered medical care service. The Québec Charter expressly
protects the economic rights of the citizens of Québec. Our right to strike
would then be protected under the Québec Charter.
(Cont’d on p. 13)
caracas
April 2006
5
Another World
is Possible...
by Michel Milot
JACFA-FNEEQ Delegation
to the World Social Forum
Recently (from January 23 to January 29, 2006), along with a
FNEEQ-CSN delegation of teachers, nine John Abbott teachers responded
to the appeal and went to the 6th World Social Forum in Caracas,
Venezuela. For this occasion the WSF was polycentric, it was held in the
three poorest continents of the world: Caracas (South America), Bamako
(Mali-Africa) and in Karachi (Pakistan-Asia, at the end of January). The
experience was found (by many) to be extremely energizing and
particularly stimulating when you are concerned by the impact of
globalization in every day life. From that part of the planet, we could feel
the motto of the WSF: Un Otro Mundo es Posible.
It was the first time that the forum was polycentric. Usually (except
in 2004 in Mumbai) the forum is held in Porto Alegre (Brazil). The
decision to have the WSF in Caracas was deliberate since Venezuela is
going through important social changes.
The World Social Forum (WSF) is an annual meeting of the
alternative globalization movement to coordinate world
campaigns, share and refine organizing
strategies, and inform each
other about movements from
around the world and their
issues. It tends to meet in
January when its “great capitalist
rival”, the World Economic Forum,
is meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
The WSF is an immense gathering
of groups, non-profit organizations,
unions and individuals that are
concerned and worried about the path
the world is being engaged in. For this
reason, it is a great place to be at least
once in a lifetime! It is also a perfect starting point for people to engage in
creating networks on common issues shared differently in different
realities.
Other than the members of FNEEQ, the Mission Québec gathered
300 people from the province. We were one of the biggest delegations at
the forum. People came from ATTAC-Québec, Alternatives, students,
feminists, activist organizations, other unions: (FIIQ, SFPQ, CSQ), etc. We
were also part of the 80,000 people that converged to Caracas for the
event.
Physically, the forum took place on different sites in the city. The
subway, impressively efficient, allowed forum participants to access the
different meeting places. The organization of the forum and workshops,
sometimes chaotic, was friendly and highly sympathetic. There is still a
long way to go to change the dominant discourse of Davos, but visibly we
could witness a real desire for change and a true movement to solve
problems of exclusion and social inequality. In fact, from Caracas, we could
feel that the world is changing.
The choice of Caracas has been questioned by many. Since
Venezuelan politics is very explosive and President Hugo Chavez very
popular, his contribution to the WSF was feared to be a threat to its integrity.
The WSF has always claimed itself to be autonomous and outside political
parties. Despite what the medias have expressed, the WSF stayed the
master of its own destiny. We could say that the Venezuelan reality
transpired from the forum independence. On one evening, Chavez made a
speech in front of 10,000 festive listeners. Chavez speech was refreshing,
funny, spiritual and intelligent. (I was thinking about Paul Martin during the
speech…).
Consequently, it was impossible for the
participant to ignore the Bolivarian reality.
The Venezuelan Republic is funding,
mainly with its petrodollar, a true
revolution: the Bolivarian Revolution.
In Venezuela, 10 millions (among a
population of 27 millions) are living in
extreme poverty. The slums, called
barrios, are anchored precariously to
the mountains slopes surrounding
the city of Caracas. We went to visit
one of these barrios: La Vega. We could witness
what the Bolivarian revolution is doing concretely for these
people. The government has developed social programs, called the
misiones, to promote, among other things, food cooperatives (Mercal:
people can buy quality products for 70% of the price), health prevention and
education projects (Mision Robinson: 10, 000 cubans doctors and
professionals spread around the country to implement health programs),
and elimination of illiteracy programs. The last four years, 1.5 millions of
Venezuelans have learned to read! The Bolivarian revolution has improved
each level of the system of education: the Bolivarian university is public and
free; there exist assistance programs (free food and transportation) for the
less wealthy; the Bolivarian primary schools are providing the children three
meals a day; etc.
In conclusion, any militant who fights for a better world should live a
WSF experience. We felt our participation as a unique, mobilising, enriching
and energizing experience. We have learned from Caracas. It shows the
importance of creating international networks but also to be active at the
local level. The discussion must continue. The world must change. While we
elect conservative parties, it is comforting to see the elective contrasts in
the countries of the South. Undoubtedly, from Caracas we could feel that
un otro mondo es posible.
6
April 2006
caracas
Caracas IS
a dangerous
place
by Daniel Gosselin
Since each participant was expected to write a few thoughtful,
wise and profound lines about the WSF experience, this individual
thought he’d give a somewhat different and perhaps lighter perspective. This is not to say that this
individual doesn’t share the views of his distinguished colleagues.
It was all over the place. In tourist guides, in discussions with people who’d been before, on the
Internet, with friends, in meetings at JAC, etc.: Caracas is a dangerous place. The most dangerous city in
the Americas we could read between the lines. One can even vividly recall the smart remark at the
Assembly about wearing our bulletproof vests…
Actually, we were still in Montreal, when we got our first echoes of turmoil. The highway from the
airport to downtown Caracas, a 40 minute ride, was now impassable. The army was to accompany us
for hours through sinuous rocky mountain roads. Then the military informed us that they wouldn’t
escort us by night (too hazardous), so we’d have to change our flight schedules.
Once in Caracas, all natives cautioned us, in hotels, in restaurants, in shops, not to go here or
there, everywhere, mostly during hours of darkness. And every so often, even at daytime. At least, they
wouldn’t be caught dead trying. In fact, nocturnal ventures were a definite no no.
At one point, in the Parque del Este, a huge and gorgeous park overlooked by the grandiose Mount
Avila, where live parrots patrolled above your head, and where some of the WSF activists had their tents
set up in the parking lot, this walking writer was actually followed annoyingly by a strange anonymous
personage… As we slowed down, so did he, as we sped up, the predator’s pace hustled accordingly…
Closing up on its prey... It took a discreet halt in a packed area to bring this uncomfortable trail to a
close.
Essentially, far from the hostile mob of brood thirsty brigands, under the never-ending constant
warm rain, all residents were incredibly
welcoming and warm. Some colleagues were
pickpocketed in the metro, but had it coming
for them as they didn’t attempt to hide their
bulging wallet from their back pocket.
Just a few hours before leaving, between a
beer and a mango juice, with some of the JAC
horde, two colleagues from EdouardMontpetit were in fact attacked by armed
bandits, who took away their valuable
belongings. Thankfully, no one was injured.
So it turned out, alas, that Caracas was,
indeed, for a few unlucky travelers, a
dangerous place.
caracas
...
April 2006
7
Reflections
on the World Social
Forum
by Sarwat Vigar
The 6th World Social Forum, is an annual event which attracts on
the average 100,000 participants from social movements from all over
the world. Considering its size and the global reach of its agenda,
which covers all aspects of social, political and economic life, it is one
of the most under-reported events in the mass media. This fact alone
reflects the disturbing absence of discussion of social justice issues in
the mainstream media which has subsequently led to its absence from
dominant social discourse, including education. It is for this reason
that the opportunity to participate as teachers in the forum, very
generously provided by FNEEQ and the College Professional
Development Fund, was timely and valuable.
To me, the WSF is mainly about an attempt at inclusion which is
rarely seen elsewhere in comparable meetings and events. Whether it
is inclusion on the basis of regionalal representation, class, gender or
race, there is a strong will to address questions of representation and
recognize that it is the key to building any democratic movement.
Another key element of the WSF is the absence of institutional
and corporate actors. This is a deliberate choice and is reflective of the
Charter of the WSF which rejects the exclusive legitimacy of centralized
power in determining our collective future. That being said, the Forum
is by no means perfect. The fact that this time, it was held in Caracas,
Venezuela with the enthusiastic backing of Hugo Chavez's left-wing
government did mean that there was a lot of institutional support. To
many, including me, that is not such a bad thing. In a world, especially
ours in North America, where governments are increasingly shifting
towards a conservative, right-wing agenda, getting the support of a
more progressive government for an event like the forum can be of
value. Within the Social Forum itself, this was a considerable issue for
debate and led to many contentious discussions and expression of a
great diversity of opinion. This is also one of the strengths of the
Forum.
The World Social Forum was initiated as a response to the World
Economic Forum which is held in Davos, Switzerland every year. It was
supposed to provide an alternative vision of organizing for social
change to the model of top-down economic progress which is dominant
in the World Economic Forum. One of the questions which is often
asked is 'What is the goal of the WSF?' The answer has been for years
the subject of debate in successive forums. There are those who reject
a goal-oriented approach as being too prescriptive and leading to the
danger of a homogenized alternative vision of the
world. On the other hand, after six consecutive
forums, there are serious questions that have been
raised about the changes that have actually come
about as a result of the WSF.
Through countless workshops, discussion
forums, panels as well as concerts, exhibits and
cultural events, there is no doubt that the Forum
was an astounding venue for the expression of many
different alternative visions of the future. From ways
of social organizing, alternative and more
participatory models of education to confronting war
and militarism and creating a different discourse of
global politics, there was a great diversity of topics.
The organization of such an event, while trying to
hold on to the principle of participatory organization
is no small achievement and was perhaps one of the
most important learning experiences for me.
Coming back to John Abbott with this
experience, my first instinct was to try and recreate a
'forum' in my class or at least try to introduce some
of the same principles of bottom-up participatory
approaches in the classroom. This has led to some
interesting situations and discussions in the
classroom, mostly positive. One of the lessons of the
WSF, for me, has been that developing a more
inclusive and democratic approach in decisionmaking, though a worthy goal, is an on-going and
possibly difficult process. It is not easy to dislodge
deeply entrenched ways of organizing which rely on
hierarchy, top-down control and ideas of 'leadership.'
In the classroom, however, giving students some say
in their education process and valuing their
knowledge can have surprisingly rewarding results.
jacfa
8
April 2006
news
caracas
April 2006
9
10
April 2006
caracas
__‘What I did on
My Vacation’ __ (in a nutshell)
by Marcia Kovitz
If only I could have begun my story like this... But I can't. Contrary
to those who assumed that my January trip to Venezuela must have
been a holiday, (why else would anyone go to Latin America at that
time of the year?) my attendance at the World Social Forum was far
from that.
Why did I go? Having taught about social inequality for over three
decades, much of what I knew – especially about global inequality –
was theoretical, paper-based. It was time to go and see for myself. And
so I became part of a teacher's delegation to the sixth World Social
Forum in Caracas.
Some of my goals were to bear witness, to show solidarity, and to
learn. Another goal was to meet and exchange ideas with various
groups struggling against the destructive effects of neo-liberalism and
globalization. These groups are working at various levels to address the
yawning global inequities between the minority of rich at the top and
the great numbers of poor and destitute at the bottom.
What did I see? Extremes of enormous wealth situated cheek-byjowl with grinding poverty. The steep mountainsides that surround
Caracas are home to grand, extensive villas interspersed with
unofficial 'favella' (shantytown) brick houses that perch, seemingly
precariously, one top of the other. The favellas seem to reflect, in part,
a lesser degree of regulation (and servicing) of certain aspects of
social life: stray dogs roam about, casually sampling refuse that is
heaped up on the sidewalk; garbage is tossed gratuitously out of
windows into a rivulet below that also serves as a sewer; pollution is
rampant which makes breathing difficult; in
the city, every available piece of sidewalk
becomes valuable real estate to be occupied
by those trying to eke out a living by hawking
every possible type of product on hastily setup outdoor stands. With no apparent concern
for sanitation, one vendor carefully lays out
large, transparent plastic bags of spices on
the sidewalk immediately in front of an open,
dusty storage room holding broken bags of
what appears to be dry cement powder, some
of which has spilled onto the floor.
What did I learn? That even the most extreme
and degraded conditions do not necessarily break
the human spirit. People can, and do, continue to
strive to maintain their dignity and improve their
lives and those of their children through collective
social action. Banding together, they establish
community daycares, schools, and healthcare
centers, along with food depots in order to improve
public services and meet basic needs. Community
newspapers are established to both assure
communication on issues of common interest and,
along with local committees, can act to help further
build community institutions and resources.
One immediate and larger lesson of being in
Caracas is that people may inhabit the same planet
at the same time point in time, but we nevertheless
live in entirely different worlds. The balance is
tipped so unfavourably to benefit the West and
North that it almost seems that there is a chute
funnelling wealth, goods, and resources from 'them'
in the poorer parts of the world to 'us' in the richer
parts. In the West, we seem to be lulled into apathy
regarding these inequities and social problems such
as child and adult poverty, native misery, etc.,
possibly mesmerized by the profusion of goods
which fill shelves and everyday
consciousness and leave so little room for
critical questions, such as: what do we
need all of this stuff for? What is the cost,
human and material (and to the planet) of
producing it all? And, how long can we go
on this way? How do we get past our own
blind spots that camouflage the
contradictions in our own lives, and help
our students to do the same?
caracas
April 2006
11
On Collaborative Process:
Applying Lessons from WSF in the JAC Classroom_____
by Mark McGuire
I have built my Humanities Knowledge course (“Reel History: History,
Film,Politics”) around the principle of collaborative process because I am
committed to creating classroom spaces where participatory democracy is a fact
on the ground. Please allow me to elaborate.
As future workers, citizens in a democracy, and members of an increasingly
interconnected global civil society, our students’ ability to communicate clearly
and effectively to diverse audiences is indispensable. Without these skills or
know-how, they will lack a voice in matters concerning all facets of their lives and
risk becoming disposable, disempowered, and disaffected, which is how
increasingly large numbers of citizens in North America are being made to feel.
This is a feeling that people in the “global 2/3 world” have been all too familiar
with for some time now.
If our students seize opportunities to conduct independent research, share
their findings and views with student peers and teachers, and develop the ability
to engage challenging social and political issues, they will have a reservoir of
social confidence and experience to draw from in their lives beyond graduation
from college. Instead of being overwhelmed and frightened by the world outside
these doors, they will instead, I hope, feel as if they can make a contribution
and, more importantly, respond with humility and creativity to the complex
problems shaping up outside our (sub)urban bubbles of consumption. This is a
project I have committed myself to since our trip to the WSF in Caracas last
January.
On a pedagogical note, students are able to remember and apply what they
learn in their courses much better when they are actively engaged in activities
such as independent research, hands-on & interactive discussion, and preparing
for and giving in-class presentations. As many of you may know, anyone is
welcome to give a workshop or panel at the World Social Forum. There is not
overarching selection committee which vets individual or group proposals. By
making presentations a continuous feature of my Humanities course, I provide
regular opportunities for anyone who wishes to practice public speaking,
listening (really listening and not simply biding one’s time until one can then
speak again), and learning from the diverse opinions represented in the class.
Students are much more likely to overcome the fear of speaking before a group
and/or expressing controversial views when they have had chance to practice.
This reduces the likelihood of groupthink or sentiments such as, “I was just
doing what everyone else was doing,” which has been the hallmark of the major
wars and genocides we’ve witnessed in the past century. And it is in keeping
with the first principle of the WSF Charter:
“The World Social Forum is an open meeting
place for reflective thinking, democratic debate
of ideas, formulation of proposals, free exchange
of experiences and interlinking for effective
action, by groups and movements of civil society
that are opposed to neoliberalism and to
domination of the world by capital and any form
of imperialism, and committed to building a
planetary society directed towards fruitful
relationships among Mankind and between it and
the Earth.”
Studies from the Concordia Center for
Learning and Teaching suggest that, on average,
students can remember 80-90% of what they SAY &
DO themselves. When you compare this with the
percentages of what they can recall and apply from
what they HEAR & SEE (more passive learning)
(Cont’d on p. 12)
12
April 2006
caracas
On Collaborative Process:
Applying Lessons from WSF in the JAC Classroom_____
during presentations or traditional lectures by their teachers (20-30% according
to the same study), the decision to give opportunities for group collaboration
becomes obvious.
Some examples of group collaboration that students do in our classes:
_ Discussion in small groups at the beginning of the semester to select which
films we will view during class and for which groups will make presentations;
_ Creative collaboration to produce fake ads (a la Adbusters) & uncommercials.
_ Group presentations of films & interactive discussions. Students assign short
homework assignments & readings to each other.
_ Shopping for organic and fair trade food, drinks, and other products; sharing a
meal together to discuss the high costs of low price and the effects upon the
environment and human community and natural environment of biotechnology
(GMOs) and chemical inputs like fertilizers and pesticides.
_ Interviews and fieldwork around the JAC campus to identify and analyze the
presence of corporate messages and how they work in educational settings.
_ Producing short documentary films on subjects of students_ choosing in order
to get a hands-on understanding of representing other people and their stories.
_ Interactive, on-line discussions using the course forum in Omnivox. We use
these both as a springboard for class discussions (I bring in excerpts of
interesting exchanges) and as a way to process leftovers from heated
discussions that never came to full boil. Or as a way for less
vocal class members to have a forum to express their thoughts.
I am the first to admit that group collaboration can be quite timeconsuming, messy, frustrating, and can occasionally lead to passionate
arguments. But so is participatory democracy and collective bargaining. In fact, I
would argue that exactly these kinds of concerns and outcomes ought to give us
strong reasons for embracing collaborative process, just as they are evidence for
why we strive for a participatory democracy and organized labor struggles.
Collaborative groupwork also requires more thought and effort to plan for and
facilitate than straightforward lectures or Powerpoint presentations. You never
really know what will happen because every class is different. Every day is
different.
These are only some of the obstacles to introducing new possibilities in the
classroom, workplace, or your community. Proceeding in this way with an
openness and respect for collaborative process, that is, commitment to
experimenting with new possiblities even when one is not assured of the
outcome, is far more interesting and productive than top-down decision making
or delivery of knowledge and skills to docile
students too inert to think for themselves or take
responsibility for their own education.
At the World Social Forum in Caracas we met
inspiring, courageous, and creative people of all
ages, backgrounds, genders, nationalities, and
occupations who insisted that “Another World is
Possible!” In my relationships with students and
colleagues here at John Abbott, I have been striving
to embody this ideal and make it a viable
alternative for the future.
In closing, I offer the eleventh principle of the
WSF Charter as another signpost for exciting future
possibilities in the way we organize ourselves in our
various communities, local and global.
“As a forum for debate, the World Social
Forum is a movement of ideas that prompts
reflection, and the transparent circulation of the
results of that reflection, on the mechanisms and
instruments of domination by capital, on means
and actions to resist and overcome that
domination, and on the alternatives proposed to
solve the problems of exclusion and social
inequality that the process of capitalist
globalization with its racist, sexist and
environmentally destructive dimensions it is
creating internationally and within countries.”
In solidarity.
legal
April 2006
13
Why the CSN will win
& have Law 142 annulled
(2) Breach of our right of association as guaranteed by the
Canadian Charter
(4) FSSS discriminated against: the
law can not discriminate.
The CSN faced the Supreme Court of Canada in 1987 with three
former rulings where it was decided that section 2 of the Canadian Charter
guaranteed the individual right of association only, not collective rights
such as the right to strike. With respect, the proper ruling should have been
that by restricting the right to strike, we are in fact restricting the citizens’
guaranteed right to unionise by joining an association.
But the door now seems open for a recognition of our right to strike
under the Canadian Charter. In the recent 2001 Dunmore case the
Supreme Court stated that the former rulings could evolve with the times,
in other words that former cases might be decided otherwise today. In
Dunmore, the Supreme Court held that a law forbidding Ontario
agricultural workers to be unionised was unconstitutional. Then the Court
submitted a new 2001 test to ascertain the constitutionality of the (labour)
laws:
“Has the state precluded the activity because of its associative nature,
thereby discouraging the collective pursuit of common goals?”
Bill 142 decreed on the Fédération des
services sociaux et de santé (FSSS)-CSN
members (100,000) lower working conditions
than those obtained by workers doing similar
work but belonging to different unions because
the FSSS failed to reach an agreement on time.
This is discrimination against the FSSS. The law
cannot discriminate.
(3) Breach of our right of expression guaranteed by both
Charters
The purpose of the strike and picketing is to solicit the support of the
public in order to put pressure on the government.
The right to publicise their demands protects powerless workers. The
publicity of the collective demands has two aspects: the message itself and
the message revealed when the workers exercise their right to strike. The
weight of public opinion in public negotiations counterbalances the power
of the government and is an important part of collective bargaining. The
purpose of Bill 142 was to put an end to the protests and public unrest.
The right to strike is still the best if only tool to bargain reasonable working
conditions.
The Supreme Court recognised the importance of public
communication in labour disputes was in the 1999 KMart and the 2002
Pepsi-Cola cases where secondary picketing (picketing outside the
employer’s premises) was considered a right guaranteed by the right of
expression, enlisting public support as an essential aspect of collective
bargaining. In KMart, striking employees were peacefully distributing
leaflets in other KMart stores, and in Pepsi-Cola, strikers were picketing
retail outlets.
(5) Violation of international labour
laws and treaties.
Canada signed a number of international
treaties respecting the right to negotiate
collectively and the right of its citizens to strike.
Dunmore enumerates a few of these
instruments forming part of international
human rights law.
Will the government succeed in
justifying Bill 142?
The government will have to prove an
unprecedented financial crisis as in the 2004
Newfoundland case where the Supreme Court
warned that invoking simple budgetary
constraints will not suffice to justify laws
breaching the guaranteed rights.
14
fneeq
April 2006
Our New Contract:
by Peter Solonysznyj
Departments will name a representative to
participate in Cont. Ed. hiring in their discipline.
Department Assemblies:
The functions of departments remain
basically the same. They now have to take into
account the College’s Strategic Plan, the
Student Success Plan, and the Institutional
Policy on Evaluating Student Learning (IPESA), in
their activities. Also, the contract will state
clearly that departments designate
representatives on program committees.
Withdrawal of Hiring Priority for
New Teachers:
Previously, hiring priority could be
withdrawn from a new teacher, without that
teacher having the right to grieve, if that teacher
had less than three years seniority. Now, the
teacher can grieve withdrawal of hiring priority if
any one of the following three conditions is met:
one-year full-time workload, or 50% workload
over two consecutive contractual years, or 1.5
years seniority. The College must then show just
cause for the removal of priority.
Job Security / M.E.D.s:
The government has succeeded in
introducing a new category in the list of hiring
priorities for a post, called a “voluntary M.E.D.”
A “MED” is a permanent teacher who no longer
has a post, and is therefore eligible to be moved
to another college in the same zone as the
college of origin. A “voluntary MED” can choose
to move both within and beyond their zone, to
exercise their priority over an available post.
Also, a teacher who has been MED for at
least two years can be moved to a college within
their sector (a larger area than the zone). If the
MED teaches in the main discipline of a closed
program, then after two years they can be
moved anywhere in the province. These
provisions are, however, better than those
present in Law 142, which would have greatly
extended the government’s power to move MED
teachers across Quebec.
Additional Allocation:
John Abbott College will receive an annual,
recurrent allocation of 5.2 FTEs (full-time
equivalent). This additional allocation must be
used each year to help in the realization of the
College’s Strategic Plan in the area of program
activities, professional development, organizing
stages and workshops, improving student
success, technology transfer, and research
professional upgrading. This allocation covers
teacher workload in volets 2 and 3. This
additional allocation may also help take some
pressure off volet 1 tasks, i.e. teaching students,
and put some additional teachers back in the
(Cont’d on p. 15)
classroom.
fneeq
jacfa
news
Some Highlights
by Peter Solonysznyj
Professional Development Funding:
•
The annual amount per FTE has been
increased by $25.00.
•
Arbitration:
Only the union can file a grievance for
arbitration. A process of accelerated arbitration
to settle grievances will be established for
certain cases. Also, with the agreement of local
parties, mediation will be available. For all
arbitration of grievances filed after the signature
of the contract, with the exception of grievances
concerning disciplinary measures, the loser
(union or employer) will pay the arbitration costs.
Academic Council:
Currently, the rules concerning the
mandate, composition, and function of
Academic Council are subject to a “local
arrangement” that ends with the expiration of
the contract. The new agreement places this
“local arrangement” fully into the collective
agreement, assuring the continuing existence of
the Academic Council as currently constituted in
each college.
Evaluation of Teaching
A new Annex on evaluation is included,
where:
•
the parties recognize the importance of
evaluating the teaching done by teachers;
the local parties (College and union) are
encouraged to develop and apply formative
evaluation whose objectiv is to facilitate
tasks related to teaching, integration and
participation in departmental affairs and in
the life of the institution, and to permit the
professional development of teachers;
evaluation should include the contributions
of all those involved, including teachers,
department coordinators, academic
administration, and students.
Other changes of less immediate
significance have not been listed here, but the
above points cover the principle modifications
to our contract. Overall, we can say that what
we now have is better than the provisions of
Law 142 concerning cegep teachers, but is a
very long way from being a “satisfactory
collective agreement”. We will have to live with
this situation for the next few years, while we
continue with the legal and political challenges
to Law 142, the struggle to regain our free
collective bargaining rights, and the continuing
fight for quality college education for our
students.
April 2006
15
jacfa
16
news
April 2006
John Abbott College
Faculty Association
Penfield-105
P.O. Box 2000
Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue
(Québec) H9X 3L9
Phone:
(514) 457-6610
ext. 5506
Mark
these
dates
in your calendar...
you will find more information at the JACFA office.
April 3 — 21
JACFA Omnivox Survey for all teachers
April 12
Demonstration in Montreal to mark the
3rd year since the election of the
Charest government.
–
“J’AI JAMAIS VOTÉ POUR ÇA”
April 26
JACFA General Assembly
–
Insurance Renewal
April 27 & 28
Journées de réflexion: (organized by FNEEQ)
–
sélection élèves;
–
école publique/privée;
–
financement enseignement supérieur.
April 29
May Day Demonstration in Montreal
May 10
JACFA General Assembly
–
Elections;
May 24, 2006
JACFA’s Annual BBQ
Fax:
(514) 457-9799
Email:
jacfa@johnabbott.qc.ca
Website:
www2.johnabbott.qc.ca/~jacfa
Fédération nationale des
enseignantes et enseignants
du Québec
Over 160 Declarations of Resistance were returned.
A big thank you!
It is still possible to return yours...