Information for Prospective Candidates in the Upcoming CUFA Election

The following positions are up for election to the CUFA Executive for a 2-year mandate (Jun 1, 2025 – May 31, 2027):

  • President
  • Treasurer
  • Two (2) Members-at-large

What does the CUFA Executive do?

The role of the CUFA Executive is to administer the affairs of the Association, including the management of funds, the application of the Collective Agreement, drafting the mandate of the Negotiation Committee, overseeing the progress of negotiations, and protecting the rights of CUFA members, which includes managing the grievance and arbitration procedure. Between negotiations, the Executive deliberates and addresses matters affecting the membership. Finally, the Executive is also responsible for maintaining the office for the Association and human resources matters related to its personnel.

What is involved in the different roles up for election this year?   

PRESIDENT

The President leads and oversees the Association’s operations as well as representing the Association to the Employer and the broader community. The President’s duties include, but are not limited to:

    • Chairing the Executive, Council and General meetings
    • Chairing joint meetings of the Executive and the negotiating team
    • Representing CUFA at outside organizations
    • Meeting monthly with the University President
    • Attending monthly liaison meetings with the University Provost
    • Attending CAUT training workshops
    • Attending CAUT Council twice per year
    • Managing issues that arise between meetings
    • Responding to the large volume of queries from various stakeholders and taking appropriate action.

TREASURER

The Treasurer is responsible for overseeing all the Association’s financial affairs, and other duties including but not limited to:

  • attending Executive, Council, and General Meetings;
  • attending joint meetings of the Executive and the negotiating team;
  • drafting the budget and overseeing expenses;
  • working with the auditors;
  • chairing the investment committee;
  • preparing financial reports for Council
  • serving in various capacities on two or more other committees. Please see below.

 

MEMBER-AT-LARGE

Members-at-large support the Executive body in various ways in accordance with their particular skill sets and the Executive’s needs, including but not limited to:

  • attending Executive, Council, and General meetings;
  • attending joint meetings of the Executive and the negotiating team;
  • taking responsibility for portfolios within the Executive;
  • serving in different capacities on two or more other committees. Please see below.

 

As noted above, Executive members also assume additional duties, such as:

  • visiting departments;
  • attending an annual CUFA Executive retreat;
  • helping with grievances;
  • preparing reports on various issues;
  • chairing or participating in standing or ad-hoc committees of CUFA (e.g., the elections committee, the EDI committee);
  • • chairing or participating in committees arising out of the Collective Agreement (e.g., 11.02 Joint Equity Committee (JEC); 11.04 Liaison Committee (LC); 11.10 Joint Committee on Faculty Clerical Work (JCFC);
  • organizing workshops for members (e.g., tenure, contract renewal)
  • representing CUFA on university committees (e.g., Inter-Union Council, STRIVE)
  • representing CUFA on committees of affiliated national university associations such as Fédération Québécoise des Professeures et Professeurs d’Université (FQPPU) and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), CAUT Defense Fund.

These additional committee assignments will normally be made at the start of the mandate but may also be added as needs arise.

 

Time commitment

Serving on the CUFA Executive is work intensive and the time commitment can vary throughout the year. The President’s role is particularly demanding. The Executive meets every other Monday morning from September to June in the CUFA office on the Loyola campus. Candidates for positions on the Executive Committee must commit to being available during this timeslot. Executive meetings run approximately 3-3.5 hours but can be longer during collective bargaining. There are also 6 (required) Council meetings during the Fall and Winter terms that normally run approximately 2 hours each, and 2 (required) General meetings in December and April (2.5-3 hours each).

In addition, when we prepare for negotiations in the year prior to and during actual negotiations, there are additional meetings of the Executive dedicated solely to negotiations; these meetings can run between 2 hours and a full day, depending on the status of negotiations. The Executive also caucuses with the Negotiation team after every negotiation session.

The time involvement for managing CUFA portfolios and serving on outside committees will vary depending on the committee. Executive members serving on these committees are expected to report on these activities to the Executive at its regular bi-weekly meetings, and as applicable, at Council (e.g., EDI Committee, STRIVE).

 

Compensation

According to the current CUFA Policy on Course Remission, all CUFA Executive members receive two 3-credit course remissions, except for the President, who receives four 3-credit course remissions. This policy is revised every three years and is due for review in 2025-2026.

For further details on the functions of the Executive (and Council), please refer to the CUFA Constitution.