For Immediate Release

May 17, 2013

Faculty Association Expresses Concern over University Budget

Mount Allison University president Robert Campbell has announced that the Board of Regents has passed a balanced budget for the coming fiscal year, but not all constituencies of the university are impressed.

“There is a balance between revenues and expenditures but there is an imbalance when it comes to the priorities of the President and the Board of Regents,” says Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) President Loralea Michaelis.

Michaelis says that the Board of Regents is losing sight of the core mission of the university, which is to provide an excellent education to students and to make it possible for faculty to contribute to our understanding and appreciation of the world through research and creative activity.

“Right now we are seeing a decline in the number of tenure-track faculty and an increase in the number of students. Planning commitments to increase faculty complement in departments especially suffering from inadequate teaching resources are not being honoured and the university administration has fallen short in replacing faculty on leave. Meanwhile the President and Board are shifting operating money noticeably towards construction and renovations,” she says.

This includes an increase in the operating budget contribution this coming year to the new Fine Arts building, and most controversially, the expenditure of over $1.3 million dollars to restore Black House, which will serve as the new presidential residence.

“We are told that times are hard and we all have to tighten our belts and learn to do more with less. How can they justify this expenditure on a non-academic building at the same time that cuts to academic programs are being made?,” Michaelis asks.

Mount Allison does not have an operating or capital debt and its endowment is valued at more than $100 million. “Mount Allison is a well-off institution and the faculty want it to make every effort to offer the best undergraduate education in Canada and beyond,” she says.

MAFA represents 190 full-time and part-time faculty and librarians.

For more information, contact Loralea Michaelis or Vice-President Michael Fox at (506) 364-2289.

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December 18, 2012

Media Release

Faculty Association makes annual holiday season donations

The Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) has announced its 2012 donations to local charities.

“Every year the Mount Allison Faculty Association makes donations to local charities, as a way of supporting the good work going on around Sackville,” says MAFA President Stephen Law.

This yeai MAFA is donating almost $3500 to local charities. Earlier in the year, MAFA donated $2500 in support of a Mount Allison refugee student through World Universrty Services of Canada.

Local organizations receiving support include the Sackville Memorial Hospital

Foundation, Atlantic Wildlife Institute, Sackville Christmas Cheer, Habitat for Humanity Sackville Build, Tantramar Heritage Trust, Festival by the Marsh, Tantramar Adult Learning Centre, and the Tantramar Hospice Palliative Care Organization.

“This year our members decided to support a mix of organizations that provide help to those in need, as well as educational and cultural initiatives in the community,” Law says. “Having said this, we realize that each year we can only scratch the surface when it comes to worthy organizations doing good work in the community,” Law says. MAFA is the bargaining agent for over 190 full- and part-time professors and librarians at Mount Allison University.

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For more information, call Geoff Martin, (506) 364-2289.

October 1, 2011, Media Release

New sponsor of Lunch n’ Learn series provides exciting fall lineup

The Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) is the new sponsor of the Lunch ‘n’ Learn series at the Moncton Public Library and MAFA President Stephen Law is excited about the line-up for this fall.

“We have a good mix of experienced and new faculty presenting and it is a great way for our members to introduce themselves and their ideas to the greater Moncton community,” Law says. The talks normally take place on Tuesdays beginning at 12 noon in the multi-purpose room of the Moncton Public Library on Main Street. Coffee, tea and dessert is provided and members of the public often bring their lunches. The talks are free of charge.

MAFA is the exclusive bargaining agent for the 200 full-time and part-time faculty and librarians at Mount Allison University.

Car pooling may be available from Sackville. Please call Heather Patterson at 536-1323 or email [email protected].

The schedule for this term includes:

Oct 4. – Eldon Hay – “Reflections of a gay rights advocate”

I didn’t start out being a gay rights activist. My interest in gay liberation emerged from a number of human rights concerns – including women’s rights, bilingualism in Moncton, anti-Semitism, the plight of native peoples. The focus on gay rights was sharpened when my son came out. Founding and leading PFLAG chapters in Amherst and Moncton opened up the broad spectrum of gay and transgender issues and struggles – issues that are still ongoing.
The reflections will focus on – What are the factors that assist and block gay rights advocacy? What are some of the personal lessons learned? What are the rewards, setbacks, challenges?

Oct 18 – Jennifer Farrell — “Why Live Music Matters.”

We live in a society that considers music an extra, a frill, and our various levels of government continue to make cuts to funding for music education programs and to the budgets of established Canadian ensembles. I would like to explore the function of music in our society and offer some thoughts as to why people in our Western culture need live music to form an integral part of their lives.

Nov 22 – Judith Holton – “Rehumanizing Knowledge Work”

Persistent and unpredictable change is a defining characteristic of the twenty-first century knowledge workplace. In coping with such change, many knowledge workers speak of an increasing dehumanization in their work and work environments. My work explains how some knowledge workers overcome this sense of dehumanization through informal support networks. Positive relationships and intellectual challenge attract knowledge workers to such networks where their participation additionally offers a sense of protection and control in an uncertain work environment. These informal networks not only rehumanize the work environment but they also enhance the potential for creativity, experimentation, learning and innovation.

A new professor of music, James Kalyn, will also present on November 15th, and his topic is to
be announced.

For more information contact Geoff Martin at 364-2289 or Heather Patterson at 536-1323.

Joint Press Release, Mount Allison on-campus associations

Mount Allison Unions pleased with “positive meeting” with Minister Olscamp

Representatives of four on-campus associations recently met with Tantramar MLA and Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Mike Olscamp to discuss issues of common interest to members of the Mount Allison community, and the participants came away with a positive feeling.

“Overall, the meeting was a positive one and we look forward to Mr. Olscamp’s continued support of Mount Allison and its staff, faculty, and students,” said Pat Joyce, President of the Students” Administrative Council and one of the participants in the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to express concern over the abolishing of the Advisory Council for the Status of Women, to seek assurances for continued provincial financial support for post-secondary education (PSE), and to express discontent over the introduction of parental contribution assessment for provincial student support. The presidents of the three labour unions also stressed the importance of the arms-length relationship between the provincial government and the universities and the importance of free collective bargaining.

“On the issue of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, we are pleased that Mr. Olscamp has agreed to raise this with the cabinet and Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney, though we are concerned that we may see no real action by the government,” says Bill Evans, President of the Mount Allison Staff Association. “My membership is particularly concerned that New Brunswick needs an independent advocate for the status of women within government,” he says.

“We are pleased that Mr. Olscamp places a high priority on increased operating grants for PSE institutions and limits to tuition increases, but we would like to see a firmer commitment for the future,” says Lorena LeBlanc, President of CUPE 2338, which represents custodial staff and outside workers at Mount Allison. “We recognize that employment levels and salary and benefits are linked to increasing revenues and good financial management,” she says.

“On the re-introduction of parental income assessment for provincial student loans, Mr. Olscamp maintained his party’s stance that parents must bear a burden of responsibility to finance their children’s education, and on that we will agree to disagree,” says Pat Joyce. “PSE is out of reach for many families and we must make it more accessible, not less,” he says.

“I was pleased we were able to advocate for an arm’s-length relationship between governments and the universities in labour negotiations, and we hope they will rethink the appointment of conciliation boards in collective bargaining,” says Stephen Law, President of the Mount Allison Faculty Association. “No other province in Canada uses conciliation boards for non-emergency workers outside of the public sector and their use delays settlements and makes it harder to finish negotiations,” he says.

“We are pleased that the four association presidents, representing over 2800 people, were able to cooperate in this manner and we plan to continue it in the future,” says LeBlanc.

For more information call:

• Bill Evans, 364-2471
• Pat Joyce, 364-2231 or 364-3230
• Stephen Law, 364-2289 or 364-2355
• Lorena LeBlanc, 364-2444

Sackville, NB — Members of the Mount Allison Faculty Association have voted overwhelmingly to ratify new collective agreements, after a nine-month bargaining process: 92% of the full-time unit and 93% of the part-time unit voted in favour of ratification.

The vote took place over two full days of voting, ending March 7th. The contracts for both full-time faculty and librarians and part-time faculty run for three years, retroactive to July 1, 2010.

MAFA President Richard Hudson expressed pleasure at the decision of the membership to ratify the agreements. Hudson said: “We achieved important improvements to the agreements, particularly with respect to working conditions for the full-time faculty and librarians, and to both salaries and working conditions for our part-time members.

Although the agreement will see full-time salaries fall further behind those of UNB and other New Brunswick universities, we decided to put off addressing the issue of parity to the next round of negotiations, two years from now.”

The vote arises from tentative agreements reached on February 16, 2011. Previously, the MAFA membership had voted to reject a report produced by a government-imposed Conciliation Board.

Mount Allison’s Board of Regents is expected to address the agreements in the near future.

The Mount Allison Faculty Association represents 160 full-time and 45 part-time academic staff.

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For more information, please contact Richard Hudson, (506) 364-2331 (work) or (506) 389-2239 (home).

Faculty and Mount Allison University reach tentative agreements

The Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) has signed tentative agreements with the Employer for both its bargaining units.

“This was one of the longest and most difficult bargaining periods in our history”, said Richard Hudson, MAFA President. Starting in May 2010, followed by two months of conciliation from August to October, and another three months of a conciliation board process, the negotiations finally reached agreement after the union rejected the proposals of the conciliation board.

Hudson says “I really want to thank our negotiation team, who put in hours of hard work, to finally come to this agreement.”

There are some minor implementation measures still to be worked out, but the tentative agreements mean that the risks of lockout or strike are now over at Mount Allison.

“I’m sure the students will be happy to learn that we finally do have an agreement”, said Hudson.

“The school’s spring break starts next week, and many students, and even parents, had indicated their concern.”

Once the final language of the agreements is worked out, the agreements will be presented for ratification by the union members and by the Board of Regents.

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For further information contact MAFA President Richard Hudson.

• (Work) 364-2331
• (Home) 389-2239

By a margin of 55% to 45%, Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) members rejected the Report of the Conciliation Board on the labour dispute between the union and the employer. The vote was held on February 8th and 9th.

The union has informed the Ministry of Labour of its rejection.

The union negotiating team will contact the employer’s negotiating team to return to the negotiating table.

MAFA President Rick Hudson says “It is our intention to reach an agreement through free collective bargaining so that classes will not be affected. “ At the meeting of the union members preceding the vote, the following reasons for rejecting the report were discussed.

1. Members were concerned that the Conciliation Board process serves only to disrupt free collective bargaining;
2. The Conciliation Board report failed to provide specific recommendations for some important outstanding issues;
3. Issues of great importance for the part-time unit were ignored in the report, which recommended an increase which would bring part-time members to a salary of only $26,753 for the equivalent of full-time work, with virtually no benefits.
4. The report’s recommended salary offer would see Mount Allison’s salaries fall further behind those of other New Brunswick universities.

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For further information contact MAFA President Richard Hudson.

• (Work) 364-2331
• (Home) 389-2239

The Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) has announced its 2010 donations to local charities.

“Every year the Mount Allison academic staff makes donations to local charities, as a way of supporting our community,” says MAFA President Richard Hudson. This year MAFA is donating $2500 to local charities, after having provided financial support to educators in Haiti early in the year.

“In these difficult times it is important for individuals and institutions with the means to support the good work going on in our community,” Hudson says.

Local organizations receiving support include the Amherst Women’s Shelter, Sackville Food Bank, Sackville Public Library, Atlantic Wildlife Institute, Tantramar Heritage Trust, Lillian Albon Animal Shelter, and the Tantramar Hospice Palliative Care Organization.

MAFA is the bargaining agent for over 190 full- and part-time professors and librarians at Mount Allison University.

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For more information, call Geoff Martin, (506) 364-2289.

MAFA Reaction to Minister Coulombe’s action

Mount Allison Faculty Association President Richard Hudson reacted today to the decision of the Minister of Labour, the Hon. Martine Coulombe, to call a Aconciliation board@ in the labour negotiations between Mount Allison University and the Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA).

A conciliation board is a three-person panel which consists of a chair and two others, named by the two sides, which may recommend a final settlement. Its recommendation is normally non-binding.

Mr. Hudson said: “We are very disappointed in the Minister’s decision. After the failure of a two-month period of conciliation, from mid-August to mid-October, it isn’t clear what a Board will do. We’re also surprised that the government has enough money to pay the Board members over $600 a day each for something that she says will last three months, but may well last longer.”

It is extremely rare that a Minister calls a Conciliation Board. The previous Liberal government started their use in the university sector B an innovation that no other province in Canada has followed.

Although the Minister says she intends to compel the Board to report by January 31st, the two Boards called by the Graham government took months B the Board at UNB was called 9 months ago in February and still hasn’t reported.

“We believe that the way to arrive at a collective agreement at Mount Allison is to let the two sides negotiate at the table, without outside government intervention,” said Hudson.

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Contact information:

Richard Hudson

• (w) 362-2331
• (cell) 866-3137

Faculty Association holds Part-Time Research and Creative Activity Fair

In an effort to shed light on the research and creative contributions of part-time faculty, the Mount Allison Faculty Association recently held a Research and Creative Activity Fair of the work of part-timers.

“Our part-time members are paid by the course and they earn only a fraction of what our fulltime members earn,” MAFA President Richard Hudson told the crowd. “They are doing fine work outside the class room and it’s important for us all to acknowledge this,” he said.

Ten part-time members displayed their work, including well-known Drama designer Decima Mitchell’s costume designs and painted model of a theatrical set. Those in attendance heard a recording of a recent recital by Copper Ferreira (Music) and colleagues, as well as a visual and sound presentation by Lorne Altman. Other part-time members, including Rob Cupido, Philip Loosemore, San Patten, Toni Roberts, Jeremy Schmidt, and Michael Thorpe, displayed samples of their written work.

The event also included a launch of a new book by Geoff Martin and Erin Steuter, entitled Pop Culture Goes to War: Enlisting and Resisting Militarism in the War on Terror (Lexington Books, 2010).

Martin and Steuter say that the research shows that while popular culture is enlisting support for militarism, it is also serving as a major source of resistance to the War on Terror through the traditional mediums of music and movies and increasingly through the satire of The Daily Show, The Onion, The Simpsons and South Park.

“In our book we hope to educate and enlighten those who want greater insight about the role of Hollywood and the entertainment industries in rallying both the troops and the public for the war on terror,” Martin says.

Readers will learn how war toys serve to prepare us for military engagement, and how war games can serve as vehicles for effective military recruitment of our youth. The book documents the way in which post 9–11 patriotic fervor is communicated through collectibles and comic books that support swift and deadly retaliation against those who we characterize as our enemies.

“We examine the songs of dissent that are censored and the soundtrack for war that stirs hearts and minds for battle. The way in which Hollywood works hand in hand with the Pentagon to sell militarism on the big screen is explored,” he says.

The book is available locally at Tidewater Books in Sackville.

For more information, call Geoff Martin at (506) 364-2289.