The UOIT Faculty Association, UOITFA, is hosting a letter writing campaign to challenge the conditions faced by professors at Ontario Tech.
Click the link below to send a form letter to the University administration to avoid a strike at Ontario Tech. The details of the letter are quoted below:
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and intensified numerous challenges faced by faculty and students. As a result, many at Ontario Tech are facing burnout due to overwhelming workloads and an ongoing lack of support and resources from the administration. This status quo cannot continue. The Ontario Tech administration must step forward and make investments that support faculty and students.
The University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty Association (UOITFA) cares about the issues affecting faculty and students. UOITFA is currently working hard to negotiate a fair collective agreement to make Ontario Tech a more respectful, equitable, and transparent place to work that supports the teaching and research vital to the university and our students. Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions. That is why it is so vital that the Ontario Tech administration address the concerns of the UOITFA.
Unfortunately, the university administration has refused to meaningfully address these issues at the bargaining table and faculty have been left with no choice but to vote in favour of going on strike to show our determination to improve working and learning conditions. Faculty care deeply about our students and education quality at the university. That is why we voted 90% in favour of striking if the university fails to address serious issues such as workload, education quality, and equity.
Ontario Tech University has the second highest student-to-faculty ratio in Canada for undergraduate universities, according to Maclean’s magazine.Larger classes mean higher faculty workloads, less time for direct one-on-one interaction between faculty and students, and less time for research, which is a central part of this university’s mission. These same issues negatively impact mental health, which is a growing concern among all members of the university community. Faculty working conditions need to be addressed to improve student learning conditions at the university.
To avoid a strike, we must put pressure on the Ontario Tech administration and remind them that faculty members and the students we teach should be their first priority. Send the email below to Ontario Tech’s President and senior leadership team and ask them to negotiate a fair deal that prioritizes high-quality education and helps us avoid a strike at Ontario Tech.