Taking Back Article 14 Departmental Rights

Taking Back Article 14 Departmental Rights

This short essay was first published in our spring 2024 Voice newsletter.

Members of the School of Business + Media (SOBM) Department recently came to the FSA with questions regarding Departmental selection committee processes and rights. In some cases, newly formed selection committees were not comprised of members with the necessary expertise and knowledge of the program area that Department members expected. The story of this Department subsequently coming together to establish new practices that did suit their interests speaks to some of the broader educational goals of the FSA. In particular, it highlights just how much power FSA members, as a collective, have over the day-to-day functioning of their workspaces when they choose to enact their rights.

As we’ve highlighted in numerous media over the past two years, Article 14 of the BCIT/FSA Collective Agreement provides members with a host of possible rights—almost 40, by our count. If any of these rights go unexercised by the Department, however, they may instead fall within management’s scope. This was the case in the SOBM Department regarding the selection committee process for FSA hires. Article 5.2.3 of the Collective Agreement provides FSA members the right to choose selection committee representatives how they see fit, and therefore to fill the committee with individuals who best understand the qualifications and skills necessary for the available position.

Under the guidance of FSA staff in Operations, Labour Relations, and Member Engagement, the Department was advised they needed to meet to make and approve a motion to take back this responsibility from management, allowable under Article 14. The Department created a Terms of Reference (ToR) for selection committees, consulting with and working from the template of another BCIT Department that had already done so. The SOBM Department members working on the ToR then called a meeting of the Department (all the FSA members and the related manager), giving required notice, allowing for feedback, then coming together as a group via recorded Zoom meeting to vote. The new ToR passed unanimously, giving members reclaimed control of selection committee appointments, which had defaulted years ago to management.

In the FSA’s view, this short story has wider implications. FSA members’ ability to control Departmental practices extends well beyond selection committee appointments. Our members have robust rights when it comes to Departmental planning, including but not limited to coverage/workloading, vacation scheduling, performance appraisal, PD release, backfill, and several notification and consultation rights.

The FSA provides Departmental Rights and Responsibilities training if your Department is interested in better understanding and utilizing your Article 14 language. Write your Member Engagement Officer for more.