Hello everyone,
Welcome back to a new year at SFU, and my best wishes to you and your family for 2025! I hope that your time of the holidays was peaceful and relaxing.
When I write my message for the new year, I like to review what I wrote the previous year. Last January, I noted that 2023 had been a difficult year for many of you at work, but also in the world as a whole. I also noted that the University’s signals about budget woes in 2024 had a sense of foreboding. Very unfortunately, after further messaging from the University later this past fall, 2025 already resembles 2024: budget difficulties continuing, and world events not exactly looking promising. It looks like tough sledding still.
Despite the signals from the University about its budget, I want to assure you that my team and I remain ready to assist you where you’re at. You could be facing issues of overtime, workload, health, or a myriad of other things that affect your working life. We rely on good information from APSA members like you to learn what’s happening on the ground at the University — how you’re being affected by changes (good or bad) in the workplace. We use the issues that you bring to us, not only to advocate directly to the senior administration, but also to prepare our proposals for things like bargaining (more on that in a moment). Again, we’re always here for you, and, as usual, your communications with us are always 100% confidential, ensuring your privacy and comfort in sharing your concerns.
We also have some excellent PD events upcoming for you, too. We have some key sessions for you designed to help with any tough times that may emerge: Conflict Management and Courageous Conversations: Navigating the Conflicted World just to name a couple. If you’re finding that the courses have filled early (as they tend to), know that our presenters usually limit the number of participants. We try to have as many sessions as our budget will allow. As always, if there are sessions you’d like to see from our PD events, please do reach out to my team.
And also on the good news front, we are bringing back our APSA Winter Social. If you haven’t signed up already, please do! The Winter Social is on January 15, 2025, from 3-5 p.m. at The Study and you can RSVP here. There will be food, live music and, of course, plenty of good conversation.
Lastly, as many of you know, our current bargaining contract with SFU ends on June 30, 2025. This spring, we’ll be refreshing our Salary and Benefits committee to prepare for APSA’s next round of bargaining. I’m anticipating that bargaining will likely begin in the coming fall, and, of course, we’ll be surveying you all to learn what issues are at the top of your mind. While we always wish that we could begin negotiating earlier, we do rely on receiving the B.C. government’s mandate, which prescribes the general wage increases for the public sector. We anticipate that this bargaining mandate from the NDP government will come later in the spring.
We’ll be sure to send you more on all things bargaining as we forge ahead.
Meanwhile, my very best wishes for your 2025! If you have concerns about your working life at SFU, please do reach out to me or my team. We’re here to advocate for you throughout 2025 and beyond.
Take care.
Andrew