CUPE 3908 includes more than 600 workers who work as contract faculty, part-time course instructors, workshop leaders, and markers. Contract faculty already earn less than half the average hourly rate of their similarly qualified full-time colleagues and the gap has widened over the past decade. Because of the difficulties in organizing this part-time, insecure labour force, universities have been able to keep wages low and resist demands for benefits.
Contract faculty are excluded from the University’s pension and health benefits plans, their wages don’t increase with experience, and their jobs can disappear at any time. In fact, they aren’t even eligible for the discount on parking passes offered to other groups at Trent!
Contract faculty already provide a massive subsidy to the university through their lower compensation and lack of job security. Requiring them to increase this subsidy through a wage freeze is unfair.
Please help contract faculty at Trent University reach a fair collective agreement settlement that does not include a wage freeze.