The 2017-2018 Economic Benefits Committee held its first meeting of the year on Tuesday 12 September. The Committee has a number of new and returning members; its chair is Paul Hayes (Chemistry), a former ULFA treasurer. The membership of the 2017-2018 Committee is:
- Paul Hayes, Chemistry (chair)
- Andrea Amelinckx, Management (ex officio)
- James Byrne, Geography
- Paul Hazendonk, Chemistry & Biochemistry
- Chad Povey, Physics & Astronomy
- Olu Awosoga, Health Sciences
- Vishaal Baulkaran, Management
- Rumi Graham, Library
- Annabree Fairweather, Executive Director
*Photo 1 (L-R): P. Hazendonk, V. Baulkaran, A. Fairweather, P. Hayes, O. Awosoga
**Photo 2 (L-R): C. Povey, D. O’Donnell, R. Graham, O. Awosoga
In addition to the voting members of the Committee, the chair of the Handbooks Committee, Daniel O’Donnell, attended as an observer and resource.
The job of the Economic Benefits Committee is to research, prepare, and advise the Association executive on issues pertaining to the economic welfare of its members. This includes things like salary, benefits, premiums, Professional Supplement, the Tuition Benefit, and so on. These benefits are found in Schedule A and B of the Faculty Handbook. This work involves researching comparable settlements at other universities and in other sectors, discovering the needs of current faculty, and uncovering flaws and strengths in our current arrangements.
The first meeting of the Committee was largely devoted to a discussion of the new labour environment in the Alberta Post Secondary sector, focussing particularly on how this may affect our negotiating practice. Members also reviewed the ULFA code of conduct and familiarised themselves with the Committee’s terms of reference.
In the coming weeks, the Economic Benefits Committee will resume its work from last Spring and Summer: researching likely topics for investigation and reviewing last year’s faculty survey.
The Economic Benefits Committee has a vacancy for a member from the professional faculties. If you are interesting in participating in this capacity or as a (non-voting) volunteer or learing more about it for participation in future years, please contact the chair, Paul Hayes (p.hayes@uleth.ca).
