All FSA members are employees of BCIT. The FSA is a union made up of BCIT technology instructors, assistant instructors, technical staff, academic support staff, and a variety of auxiliary instructors and staff. The web of membership types and employee categories can be difficult to untangle unless you are aware of all the pieces.
It can also be unclear whether a particular assignment or course should be regular or temporary versus auxiliary. If in doubt, it never hurts to ask. If you are unsure what BCIT employee category, or FSA membership rights apply to you, please do not hesitate to contact the FSA.
Regular Employees are hired ‘without term’ or end date, and their employment at BCIT is “continuous” (Article 4.1.1). This is often described as ‘day school work’, which has historically meant that work is performed within “normal hours of work” (Article 8.1.1) in a program not considered to be in “Part-Time Studies”. A Regular Employee can be employed on a full time or part time basis, depending on the person’s full time equivalent (FTE).
Temporary Employees have been employed to fill a temporary vacancy that is itself not permanent or ongoing, and which will last for a specific stated term (Article 4.2.1). A common type of temporary vacancy is a backfill for a Regular Employee who is on a term specific leave from BCIT (Article 4.2.2.1). Other scenarios are temporary vacancies that arise because the existing staff cannot reconfigure to address a temporary and unanticipated need for increased staffing or because of a temporary increase in workload or a shortage of expertise in the area (Articles 4.2.2.2 and 4.2.2.3). As with Regular Employees, a Temporary Employee can be employed either on a full time or part time basis, according to their FTE. The employment of Temporary Employees is also sometimes described as ‘day school’ or ‘green contract’ work. Temporary Employees who are employed continuously for a sufficient period of time will regularize as a Regular Employee (Article 4.6).
Auxiliary Employees are employed on an hourly and term contract basis, meaning that there are start and end dates to the term of work. This type of employment is sometimes referred to as ‘yellow contract’ work. Auxiliary Employees are described in Article 4.3 and in a 1999 Memorandum of Agreement (Memag) according to the type of work performed, and include the following categories:
- Instructor and Laboratory Assistant (sometimes called “teaching assistant”) in BCIT’s Part Time Studies (PTS) programs (Article 4.3.1);
- Curriculum development (Memag 99FSA15);
- “PTS administration” (Memag 99FSA15);
- Marker (Article 4.3.2);
- Student Employee (Article 4.3.3); and
- Guest Lecturer (Article 4.3.4).
Student Employees are hired to work as a “supplementary work force” to assist Faculty, Assistant Instructors, Technical Staff or researchers. See Article 4.4 for a fuller description of the role played by Student Employees and the limits on the sort of work that can be assigned to them.
Guest Lecturers are hired to augment course content under the supervision of the regular course instructor. See Article 4.5 for a fuller description of their role.
Employment for all of these types of Auxiliary Employees is confirmed in a contract for the number of hours specified. The rates of pay for all of these Auxiliary Employee groups are set out in Articles 15.7 (Student Employees and Markers), 15.8 (Instructors/Lecturers and Lab Assistants), 15.18 (Curriculum Development), and 15.19 (PTS Administration).
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