January FA Newsletter
President’s Report
Every sixty years, the Year of the Fire Horse returns. On February 17, 2026, it arrives again—traditionally associated with intensity, vitality, independence, and a call toward bold action, creativity, and meaningful change. It is difficult not to notice that this energy already feels present.
Often attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—“The time is always right to do what is right”—and to Mark Twain—“You’re never wrong for doing the right thing”—the phrase there is never a wrong time to do the right thing has echoed frequently in the halls of the Faculty Association House in recent months.
In early fall, the Faculty Association was notified of the University’s intention to move divisions of campus security into two vacant offices in UH2. Many FA members—particularly BIPOC members—raised serious concerns about safety, confidentiality, and the message such a move would send in a space intended to be one of trust, advocacy, and care. These concerns were formally brought forward to the Acting University President on November 27, 2025. At that time, we were assured that Pamela Richards would be able to navigate the transition process appropriately.
As of January 28, 2026, the Faculty Association is still waiting.
During this same period, the regular monthly meetings between the FA President and the University President were cancelled to “preserve the integrity of the bargaining process.” These meetings exist precisely to maintain open communication and address issues outside of bargaining—particularly those related to trust, safety, and the effective day-to-day functioning of the Association. Their suspension has only deepened concern at a moment when clarity and relationship-building are most needed.
It has been an honour to serve this membership as Vice-President and Acting President. In my twelve years at UVic, I have taken only one six-month study leave and am now at a point where it is truly a matter of use it or lose it. I delayed its start by one month to provide continuity and support during a particularly challenging period of bargaining.
As of February 1, 2026, I will begin a six-month study leave. At that time, Lynne Marks will resume her role as President of the Faculty Association, supported by a strong and dedicated team: FA staff, Shanne McCaffrey (Vice-President), Sarah Nutter (Secretary), and Tony Vickery (our new Treasurer). We warmly welcome Elise Cote, who will be filling in for Sabrina Chang, our Administrative Coordinator, while she is on leave.
Thank you for your trust, engagement, and solidarity. There is never a wrong time to do the right thing.
In solidarity,
Adam Jonathan Con, Acting President
Bargaining Update
Dear Members,
I hope that all is well with you. First, thanks to all of you who have signed the petition. As of now, we have 473 signatures, which shows clearly your concern about these crucial bargaining issues, and your support for the FA bargaining team. It will make a real difference at the table. If you haven’t yet had time to sign the petition, but are still planning to do so, it would be great if you could do so soon, as the petition will close at noon on Tuesday, February 10th. If you have any questions about the petition or its contents, please reach out to me.
We have not bargained with the Admin team for over a week due to illnesses and travel commitments (on both teams), but your team continues to meet at least three times a week for bargaining preparation. As the administration gave us the costing numbers we needed two weeks ago, we are now working carefully on our monetary proposals. While the administration has refused to accept our existing proposals regarding technological change and surveillance, the Association’s Negotiating Team continues to support them and are working on ways to move those issues forward. We are still hoping to enter into productive collaborative discussions with the administration regarding workload. We have been clear, however, that these discussions are not possible without a commitment from the administration that additional funding to address workload must be part of this discussion. We are awaiting their response on this issue. If they won’t make this commitment, we will reluctantly abandon efforts at collaborative solutions to this crucial matter, and continue working on our own revised workload proposals.
We hope that the administration has abandoned its efforts to bring us to mediation prematurely. At this time, as I have noted, public sector unions across BC, including all unions in the postsecondary sector, are waiting to see if the government’s negotiations with some of the other bigger public sector unions will lead the government to move away from the current “two tier” mandate that seems to exist, in which BCGEU received more funding than what is being offered to most unions. As I have noted, this means a difference in millions of dollars in government funding that could be available to improve provisions in our collective agreement, which would make a big difference in what could be on the table for us in terms of workload protections and supports, CPI and benefit improvements, and other major issues. We have been asked by members about any impact such improvements would have on the university’s financial status, and we can assure you that since any improvements would be funded by new money from the provincial financial mandate, they would not negatively impact the existing financial position of the university.
The Negotiating Team is committed to bringing an agreement that is as strong as possible back to you for your consideration, which means that we need clarity on what the mandate will be before an agreement can be finalized. And we need serious engagement from the administration on your key issues.
With deep gratitude for your support, which makes a significant difference to our power and leverage at the table. We will be hosting a Town Hall on bargaining on zoom on Monday, February 9th from 3:30 to 4:30. At the town hall, I will provide a short bargaining update and will ensure that there is lots of time for your questions.
All the very best,
Lynne Marks, on behalf of the FA bargaining team
Lead Negotiator, UVicFA
Do you have a question about bargaining that hasn’t been answered by recent bargaining updates and/or the recent town halls? If you’re unable to attend the upcoming town hall, or have a preference for asking your question anonymously, please submit your question anonymously at this link. If time permits, we will answer common questions at the upcoming town hall session. Otherwise, we will do our best to answer these questions in the next newsletter.
Late Breaking Accommodation Update
The FA was very pleased to see the Provost’s announcement this morning, stating that UVic has “prioritized funding to establish a centre for accommodated assessments to support students with registered accommodation needs.” The FA leadership has been strongly advocating for such a centre for three years. It was the number one recommendation of the Joint FA-Admin Working Group on Student Accommodation and Faculty Workload. At the time we were told that this was not fiscally possible, so we are very pleased to see that the situation has changed. A centralized assessment centre was also a major demand of the recent joint union/student society accommodation petition. In addition to the FA and other union and student society advocacy on this matter, we also acknowledge the work of faculty and student senators in making the administration aware of the problems with existing accommodation systems, as well as the work of Deans, Associate Deans, Chairs, instructors, staff and students in identifying the major need for such a centre. We also welcome other improvements to the student accommodation system announced today by the Provost. We look forward to seeing this crucial initiative move forward.
UVic FA Poster Campaign!
A huge thank you to those of you who have demonstrated your support for the FA and our bargaining team by displaying posters on your office doors. In December, we had some wonderful volunteers walk around campus to take pictures of posters displayed in hallways and windows. The image above represents a small number of the many doors, windows, and bulletin boards on campus showcasing support for the FA and our Negotiating Team.
Don’t yet have a poster and would like one (or more!) delivered to your office? Complete this survey to request an FA poster and one will be delivered to you.
We also encourage members to use our zoom background or email signature, which can be found here, under “digital downloads.”
Know Your Rights
As members across campus prepare to submit their salary evaluation materials, we want to take the opportunity to remind you of the support available from the FA in this process. The collective agreement provides the foundation for faculty evaluation policies, and outlines expectations that assessments consider career stage and reduced or alternative workload arrangements. If you have any concerns about your evaluation, our membership services team is here to support you.
FA Updates and Vacancies
University House 2 Upgrades
The windows and exterior doors of UH2 are being replaced in the month of February. To accommodate this work, FA staff will need to work remotely. Therefore, there will be few, if any, in person meetings at UH2 throughout February.
FA Vacancies
The FA is currently seeking volunteers for two roles. Please reply to this email if you are interested in serving the FA in either of these roles.
- Executive Committee: 1 Member-at-large (term ending June 30, 2026)
- Deputy Speaker for a term ending June 30, 2027
