Canada

The Continuing Saga of College Faculty Forced to Choose Between Food and Shelter

With no job security and low pay in one of the most expensive cities in North America, hundreds of employees at a world-class university are struggling to simply pay their bills. This article is only available to subscribers. If you're a subscriber, log in. To subscribe,...

Colleagues Abroad: Shattering Myths About Contract Academic Staff

The more than 2,600 survey respondents challenged the institutional line that most low-paid, short-term and part-time teachers love the flexibility of their contract employment. Instead they have shed a gloomy.

In Ontario, Bill 148 Guarantees the Province’s Part-Time Faculty Equal Pay

Ontario passed Bill 148 — the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act — in November 2017. The labor legislation includes a range of changes such as an increased minimum wage and.

I Teach University Physics, But I’m on Government Assistance

by Andrew Robinson Recently, I had a perfectly reasonable request from a student who wanted to review an exam from last term. I was unable to comply with this request because to do so would be to give my employer more of my time for...

New Study: Small Percentage of Ph.D.s End up Employed as FT Profs

by Becky Rynor Graduates themselves are often unsure of where to look for opportunities outside academe. Valerie Walker admits it wasn’t so long ago that she was “that grad student”.

Part-Time FacXplotation "Coming to a Boil"

There are a mere 40,800 college faculty in Canada, and 50-60 percent of them work off the tenure-track. According to a piece published in the Calgary Herald, the overuse of.

Things Are Humming Along…For Now

January was a little scary...ok...a lot scary. We watched, more than slightly terrified, as sales dropped and dropped and, well, you get the picture. February, normally a slow month for sales of books, subscriptions and job postings, was a record month in terms of sales....

Podcasts

Last Friday, we added an absolutely wonderful podcast interview with Smokey Thomas, President of OPSEU. In the 20 minute interview, Thomas talks at length about the union's drive to organize.

OPSEU is Smokin’ in Ontario

Untitled Documentby P.D. Lesko Just like the lyric from the “West Side Story” song, it’s “alarming how charming” Smokey Thomas is. He has a strong Canadian accent, speaks rapidly and.

OPSEU is Smokin' in Ontario

Untitled Documentby P.D. Lesko Just like the lyric from the “West Side Story” song, it’s “alarming how charming” Smokey Thomas is. He has a strong Canadian accent, speaks rapidly and with a folksy warmth. Thomas laughs easily, and doesn’t hesitate when he calls the democratic...