In our Collective Agreement (Article 8-4:01 -Type 1 activities ), there are a certain number of tasks that are considered “contractual obligations” that all teachers are expected to do, from tenured teachers with lots of seniority to brand new non-tenured teachers. The most important duty we must perform is teaching our full courses, but know that holding office hours and attending department meetings are also notable contractual obligations.*
Although this may seem obvious, it bears repeating that teachers are expected to give all of the classes, labs and stages. If you are unable to do so, you must officially either cancel your class on Omnivox or signal your absence on Omnivox and get a substitute teacher. You may also replace the class with a field trip, or guest speaker, etc., having clearly indicated this change to the students. When you are unsure if you are contractually permitted to do something, play it safe and consult your Dean to see if he or she accepts the activity. Furthermore, be aware that the teacher is expected to give the whole class, lab or stage and should students complain that a teacher does not show up, comes late or cuts classes short, there could be a serious problem for the teacher, since this is a violation of your contractual obligations.* (As a courtesy, teachers should end their class 10-15 minutes before the end of the block to facilitate timely arrival to following classes).
Should you find yourself called in to talk to the administration about this or any other disciplinary matter, make sure that you take a union rep with you. However, if you are not upholding your contractual obligations, the administration has the right to apply disciplinary action and the union can do little except ensure that the teacher has due process and is treated fairly, according to the articles of the Fneeq Collective Agreement. In the past year or so, we have had incidences where teachers were found to have violated their contractual obligations and in consequence faced pay cuts, summative evaluations and even withdrawal of the hiring priority for a non-tenured teacher. These situations hurt our profession and are painful to go through for all of us and so we urge you to avoid them.
* For the full list of contractual obligations, look at Art. 8-4.01 (p. 184): http://www.thevcta.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2015-2020-Convention-Collective-FNEEQ-2015-2020-EN.pdf