PSAC 901 UNIT 2 COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT FOR POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS During training sessions on the Postdoctoral Fellow Collective Agreement, and in the time since, several questions have been raised and answers provided. This is a summary of Q & As which you may find useful. The questions and corresponding answers are organized as follows: Inclusions/Exclusions from Bargaining Unit Appointments Processes and Documentation Pay and Hours Benefits Discipline and Discharge Evaluation Other Inclusions/Exclusions from Bargaining Unit QA1. Is there a minimum top-up AA1. you are referring to a payment by a Faculty If by “top up” that puts someone into the Supervisor to a Postdoc, the answer to the question is, no, Bargaining Unit? because the recipient of any such payment would not have a sole source of funding and would, therefore, be included in the bargaining unit. QA2. If a Postdoc is funded AA2. No. Persons who secure their own transferable funding entirely through a grant and, from external grant-funding agencies and for whom this is under the terms and the sole source of funding are excluded from the conditions of said grant, Bargaining Unit, meaning that their terms and conditions he/she is eligible to transfer of employment are not set out in the PSAC Unit 2 to another University and the Collective Agreement. If, however, by way of example, funding can transfer with the Faculty Supervisor provides any top-up to the them, would this Postdoc be Postdoc, such payment would result in the Postdoc being included in the Bargaining included in the Bargaining Unit because the Postdoc’s Unit? funding would not be sourced solely from an external grant-funding agency. QA3. Some Postdocs are AA3. They would be in two Bargaining Units ( i.e., PSAC Unit 2, appointed as Term Adjuncts and QUFA) and should receive two, separate Letters of for teaching. How does this Appointment, one offering an appointment as a Postdoc, affect Postdocs and which the other offering an appointment as a Term Adjunct. Bargaining Unit are they in? Is there an upper limit to the There are no such limits prescribed in the Collective QA4. AA4. number of years a Postdoc Agreement. Stated differently, this means that the can be an Employee in the Collective Agreement does not currently constrain the Bargaining Unit? to appoint by setting a limit on years. University’s ability
PSAC 901 UNIT 2 COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT FOR POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS During training sessions on the Postdoctoral Fellow Collective Agreement, and in the time since, several questions have been raised and answers provided. This is a summary of Q & As which you may find useful. The questions and corresponding answers are organized as follows: Inclusions/Exclusions from Bargaining Unit Appointments Processes and Documentation Pay and Hours Benefits Discipline and Discharge Evaluation Other Inclusions/Exclusions from Bargaining Unit QA1. Is there a minimum top-up that puts someone into the Bargaining Unit? AA1. If by “top up” you are referring to a payment by a Faculty Supervisor to a Postdoc, the answer to the question is, no, because the recipient of any such payment would not have a sole source of funding and would, therefore, be included in the bargaining unit. QA2. If a Postdoc is funded entirely through a grant and, under the terms and conditions of said grant, he/she is eligible to transfer to another University and the funding can transfer with them, would this Postdoc be included in the Bargaining Unit? AA2. No. Persons who secure their own transferable funding from external grant-funding agencies and for whom this is the sole source of funding are excluded from the Bargaining Unit, meaning that their terms and conditions of employment are not set out in the PSAC Unit 2 Collective Agreement. If, however, by way of example, the Faculty Supervisor provides any top-up to the Postdoc, such payment would result in the Postdoc being included in the Bargaining Unit because the Postdoc’s funding would not be sourced solely from an external grant-funding agency. QA3. Some Postdocs are appointed as Term Adjuncts for teaching. How does this affect Postdocs and which Bargaining Unit are they in? AA3. They would be in two Bargaining Units ( i.e., PSAC Unit 2, and QUFA) and should receive two, separate Letters of Appointment, one offering an appointment as a Postdoc, the other offering an appointment as a Term Adjunct. QA4. Is there an upper limit to the number of years a Postdoc can be an Employee in the Bargaining Unit? AA4. There are no such limits prescribed in the Collective Agreement. Stated differently, this means that the Collective Agreement does not currently constrain the University’s ability to appoint by setting a limit on years.
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