Dear Colleagues. You may have received a statement from your Dean that “department heads are management” by virtue of their supervisory roles in performance assessment and approval of leave. The message includes the following quotation from a Labour Relations Officer:

“The Department Heads are management. That is why they assess performance, approve leave, etc. They would be able to exercise authorities at the level 6 as per the conditions in the delegation instrument. Since they are not excluded they cannot hear grievances, but they can accept them on behalf of management by signing in section 4. There is nothing that says non excluded employees can’t be supervisors.”

I am not sure what the intention of this statement is, or why it was deemed necessary to issue it right now, but the Association has always held that Heads are not supervisors. We believe that this terminology, which may be fitting for other organizations in the public sector, is inappropriate for a university that operates on the principles of collegial self-governance and academic freedom.

We would like to remind all members–which includes Heads–of their right to academic freedom. Academic freedom includes “the freedom to express one’s opinion about the institution, its administration, and the system in which one works” and “the right to fulfil their functions without reprisal or suppression by the employer, the state, or any other source” (CAUT’s Policy Statement on Academic Freedom, https://www.caut.ca/about-us/caut-policy/lists/caut-policy-statements/policy-statement-on-academic-freedom).

In fact, the rights and protections of academic freedom extend to the Deans and Vice-Principals as well: “This protection extends to all academic administrative staff, irrespective of rank, up to and including the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of post-secondary institutions. It extends to all academic staff excluded from the academic staff bargaining unit by virtue of administrative office” (CAUT Policy Statement on Academic Freedom for Academic Administrators, https://www.caut.ca/about-us/caut-policy/lists/caut-policy-statements/policy-statement-on-academic-freedom-for-academic-administrators).

The reason is simple: “The exercise of academic freedom serves the common good of society and should not be constrained by appeals to such notions as loyalty to administrative leadership, cabinet solidarity, management rights, commitment to a team, or speaking with one voice.”

Bottom line: Regardless of what management decides to call department heads, heads are CMCFA members and enjoy all the rights under the Collective Agreement. Moreover, all UTs enjoy the full rights and protections of academic freedom, whether or not they are members of the CMCFA.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Helen Luu

CMCFA President