Pay Increase
We receive our increase on April 1 2018, which this year is 2%. To note, the Bank of Canada has inflation at 1.7% for last year, so we are *exceptionally* not losing purchasing power.
The Estates General on Higher Education
Fneeq is continuing to organize for the conference in May 3-5 here in Montreal in order to prepare our campaign for the provincial elections of October 2018. One step in this direction is educating teachers about the political effects on CEGEP education today. For those of you interested in learning more about the connections between private (international) financing, our local administration(s) and the commodification of education, you may consult the Fneeq “octopus” on the Knowledge Economy by clicking on the various windows:
http://www.thevcta.qc.ca/2018/02/16/estates-general-on-education-2018/
| Estates General on Higher Education 2018 | The VCTA – Vanier …
The “octopus” in the link below maps out the current state of affairs in Quebec when education is yoked to an economic mandate in “A Knowledge Economy.” |
- Let us know if you would like to participate in the conference May 3-5.
CRT Dates
The CRT (labour relations committee) dates for the Allocation Projet have been confirmed for April. Please save the dates for April 5, 12, and 26. All meetings will start at 2pm in the Boardroom.
Departmental Meeting Invitation
There are always complex issues that concern teachers and this year perhaps has even more than usual. If you would find it beneficial to have a VCTA Executive member come to your departmental meeting to answer any questions and hear your concerns, just send us an invitation.
Admin Reducing Workload Reduction
The Administration this year has changed how workload reduction is given in refusing it for an entire semester and in doing so the Admin veers from how the Collective Agreement (art. 5) designates this as a right for teachers.
- If you want to apply for a workload reduction for a semester, do it. Then send us the Administration’s response so we can follow up.
Paying our Respects to Deceased Colleagues
Following a General Assembly motion requesting that the Administration reestablish the moral and respectful practice of directly informing the Vanier community when a former or retired teacher passes away, the Director General has agreed and will do so for all former employees.
- Please inform the DG’s office if you learn of a colleague’s passing to allow the information to be shared in a timely fashion.
Increases to Quebec Pension Plan – Bill 149
On November 2, 2017, Quebec Finance Minister Carlos J. Leitão introduced Bill 149, An Act to enhance the Quebec Pension Plan and to amend various retirement-related legislative provisions (Bill 149). Quebecers will see their contributions to the province’s public pension plan start to rise in 2019, but with that increase will come an increase in their pension payouts when they retire. See below for English info.
CBC news report: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/pension-plan-enhancement-quebec-province-1.4384699
PQ web link: http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/travaux-parlementaires/projets-loi/projet-loi-149-41-1.html
Professional Development and College Forms – see the College policy attached
Please be aware that the College will require you to fill out a leave of absence request for professional activities if your PD event is during our teaching availability. You may only be allowed 2 days for professional development in a given year. The College will additionally require you to fill out a leave of absence report for all the days away from the College. If you exceed the 2 days currently allowed per year, your other days may be taken as personal days out of your sick bank, or you may ask for a transfer of availability. The College may also require that you fill out a travel form if you are travelling outside of Quebec. We are investigating all these requirements.
Newsletter
A great suggestion was made last year for the VCTA to resurrect our Newsletter. Newsletters in the past have included articles on topics from teaching life, union life in the world, women in unions, reports from conferences or student trips, environmental initiatives, financial issues, poetry, cartoons, and political crossword puzzles…
- Consider contributing a piece by the deadline May 15 2018!
Parking
After multiple complaints from teachers about parking spots being used by non-permit-holders, Loic Boyer has affirmed that Services is aware that this year there is a high degree of rule-breaking and that in response they are ticketing and processing towing requests several times a day. Thanks M. Kathwaroon for the info.
Teacher Lounges and Beverages
In addition to Fairtrade coffee, there is filtered water available at both Teacher Lounges, with easy-to-use spouts to refill your bottle. Enjoy.
Dates for Availabity and Vacation
Our last day of availability is June 12, 2018. Our vacation will be June 13 – August 14. Start your planning!
We wish everyone an excellent March Break!