About CUASA
The Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA) is a certified trade union representing over 850 faculty, professional librarians and Instructor employees at Carleton University.
CUASA is affiliated with the:
- Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT)
- the National Union of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (NUCAUT)
- the CAUT Defence Fund
- the Ontario Confederation of Faculty Associations
- the Ontario Federation of Labour
- the Ottawa District Labour Council and,
- the Canadian Labour Congress.
Purposes
The primary purposes of the Association are to promote the well-being of the academic community, to defend academic freedom and to promote the individual interests of its members, as well as to maintain the quality and integrity of the University as an academic institution.
The Association upholds the principle of equality of opprotunity irrespective of beliefs, ethnicity, race or sex and pursues the goal of achieving benefits and working conditions for its members comparable to those at other major Canadian universities. The Association is also dedicated to the maintenance of harmonious relations with the public.
Organization
The Association is run on a volunteer basis and depends on the active participation of its members. The magnitude of the participation required may be judged by referring to the list of CUASA committees. For more information on the organizational structure of CUASA, refer to the organizational chart.
The affairs of CUASA are managed by the President (elected by the membership and serving as President-Elect, President and Past-President over three years) and a Steering Committee whose members are appointed for two year terms by the Council of Representatives. Council members are elected for three-year terms from academic sub-units defined in the CUASA Constitution.
Membership
CUASA is the bargaining agent, certified by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, for the academic staff of Carleton University. All academic staff members hired with a workload of at least one-half are automatically members of the bargaining unit (with the exception of those specifically excluded by the certificate), and are eligible to become members of the Association and participate in its democratic activities (see New Member Information for information on joining). Membership affairs are handled by the CUASA Office.
Mil Rate
The current mil rate of 9.0 came into effect July 1, 2011. The mil rate will increase to 9.5 on July 1, 2012. A mil rate of 9.0 means that dues are assessed at a rate of 0.9% of nominal salary, deducted in equal monthly amounts when an individual is included in the bargaining-unit. Dues are income-tax deductable and include membership fees in CUASA's affiliates, including CAUT. The Association's financial year begins on July 1. According to data compiled by CAUT (2010), CUASA's 2010 - 2011 mil rate is the 17th lowest in the country (out of 62 Associations) and 5th lowest in Ontario.
CUASA's mil rate was 8.5 from 1998 - 2011, 7.0 from 1987-1998 and 5.5 from 1975-1987.
Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards
CUASA has endowed annual scholarships awarded by the Carleton University Awards Office to a student(s) in good standing. In addition, CUASA endowed a bursary fund of $70,000 that provides 10 to 11 bursaries every year. The bursaries are also administered by the Awards Office.
CUASA and the Carleton University Graduate Students Association have created the Graduate Students' Association Distinguished Lecturer Award. More information on the award is available at www.gsacarleton.ca including the terms of reference. Applications are submitted annually to the GSA Office.