The 2023 Seniority List is finally out and published on our website!
Do you know why a Union’s Seniority List is so important?
The seniority list is important because it plays a vital role in ensuring fairness and consistency within the organization. It serves as a reference point for various employment-related decisions. In many departments, seniority influences the distribution of teaching assignments and while we never want to think about it, seniority is an important factor in layoffs. There are 458 continuing faculty members on our December 2023 list! By accurately maintaining and updating the seniority list, we ensure Camosun upholds the principles of transparency, determining entitlements, benefits eligibility, and seniority recognition in our Collective Agreement.
But none of that matters if it isn’t accurate.
We get this information from the College, and the only way we can confirm it is accurate (and correct it when it isn’t) is YOU! We’re constantly playing catch up with the information the employer provides us. They rarely provide us your contracts on time, we almost never hear when folx retire, and it can be months before we learn that our Term faculty members finally regularize. An accurate seniority list helps us enforce employer compliance with the collective agreement and ensures that employees’ rights and entitlements are properly recognized and respected.
If you think your seniority isn’t accurate or if your step on the salary scale doesn’t increase at least +1 step for each FTE year you’ve been employed above your initial placement at the College we want to know and review it with you. Every week we learn of different College record keeping errors, failure of payroll to apply step increases, or folx not getting paid at all!
In fact, the College recently disclosed to the Union that they’d been unable to fill several vacant postings in the Finance Department and were willing to entertain short-term contractors, ex-employees, and retirees to get them back on their feet. So, if someone you know has expertise or experience in payroll, let them know Camosun is hiring or send me an email.
If this talk of payroll errors has you nervous… it should. Later this semester we’ll run our “Check your Cheque” and “Check your Pension” Infosessions to help you review and confirm if your information is accurate, so be sure to accept our invites!
Lynelle Yutani (she/they)
ac.ytlucafnusomac@tnediserp
President, Camosun College Faculty Association
Lynelle is a queer, leftist rabble-rouser galvanized to guard the rights of union members and is on a crusade to convince you that you get out of your Union what you put into it. Lynelle serves on Presidents Council of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE) and was elected to FPSE Executive as a Member-at-Large. She is on a number of FPSE affiliate committees, including the 2SLGBTQIA+ and Racialized Workers Caucuses for the BC Fed, and is active in the Victoria Labour Congress. Lynelle also serves as V.P. of her Strata Council & oversees a rooftop community garden which partners with Harvest & Share Food Aid Society to grow fresh produce for local foodbanks and community food security programs.
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