About Us

Welcome to the online home of SFUFA.

The SFU Faculty Association is a member-driven trade union, professional association and collective bargaining agent for faculty, librarians and other academic staff at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C.

In addition to collective bargaining and member representation and advocacy, the Association undertakes a variety of activities and offers a range of services in its mission to:

1) assert the integrity of the academic profession;
2) defend academic freedom in teaching and research; and
3) promote the welfare of members and of public post-secondary education in general.

We hope this site will provide members with information on the work we do, the range of services provided, and current issues with which SFUFA is engaged.

Your feedback on this site or the work of the Association in general is always welcome.

SFUFA

The SFU Faculty Association is a member-driven professional association and certified trade union representing roughly 1200 faculty, librarians and other academic staff at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C.

Founded in 1965, the Association conducted collective bargaining under a framework agreement for many years, and certified as a trade union under the BC Labour Relations Code in 2014.

In addition to the collective bargaining, representation and advocacy roles provided by all unions, the Association actively engages in work to defend and enhance collegial governance, and undertakes a variety of activities and offers a range of services in its mission to:

assert the integrity of the academic profession;
defend academic freedom in teaching and research; and
promote the welfare of members and of public post-secondary education in general.

The Association is governed by an elected Executive, and its day to day services are provided by a mix of professional staff and member advisors.

Guide for Executive (and members)

Last updated September, 2023

Introduction

The following document is intended to provide a general overview of the structure, mandate, and day to day work of the SFU Faculty Association (SFUFA). This document is used as the Association’s guide for members of the Executive Committee, and is made available to all SFUFA members.

The organization has tried its best to cover the most important information for someone looking to understand what SFUFA is, how it is organized, and what it does. We welcome comments regarding oversights or clarifications. If there are any discrepancies between information provided here and the latest by-laws or policies of the Association, or any legal requirements, those shall take precedence; what is intended here is simply an overview and easy to access general guide.

Appended to this guide are various governing documents and internal policies that guide the Executive Committee in its work.

Current Executive

SFUFA is led by a volunteer board of directors elected by the Association’s members.

The SFUFA Executive for the 2024-2025 academic year starting September 1, 2024 is:

Kumari Beck	Faculty of Education	[email protected]	2-8599	President
Bertille Antoine	Department of Economics	[email protected]	2-4514	Acting Vice President/Treasurer

Adena Brons	Fraser Library	[email protected]	2-5033	Director, Librarians & Archivists
Michael Hathaway	Department of Sociology & Anthropology	[email protected]		Director
Janice Regan	Computing Science	[email protected]	2-6911	Director
Ljiljana Trajkovic	Engineering Science	[email protected]	2-1776	Director
Tamara O’Doherty	Department of Criminology	[email protected]		Director, Teaching Appointments

Claudia Wong	Department of Linguistics	[email protected]		Director, Human Rights & Equity
Ronda Arab	Department of English	[email protected]		Director
Tim Beischlag	Faculty of Health Sciences	[email protected]	2-3071	Director, Community Engagement

A LIST OF PAST EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS – 1965 to present

Staff

SFUFA’s day to day affairs are managed by a small staff team which works with the Executive to provide services to members and maintain the operations of the Association.

To contact Executive Director, Brian Green, write to [email protected].

For questions regarding member rights, SFU policies, or for assistance with any workplace-related issues, please contact Labour Relations Director, Jennifer Scott at [email protected].

For general inquiries or assistance with housing advertisements or to get on our member mail lists, please contact Office Manager, Melanie Lam at [email protected].

To contact us by telephone, please call the SFUFA office at 778-782-4676 and leave a message for the appropriate person.

Committees and Advisors

SFUFA’s work relies on the commitment and dedication of its member volunteers.

Bargaining Advisory Committee

The SFUFA Bargaining Advisory Committee brings together members from across Departments, Schools and Faculties to discuss potential bargaining issues in advance of negotiations. This ad hoc committee is convened in advance of each bargaining round via a general call for interest, and meets as required to help the Association identify priorities and consider possible bargaining positions. For information on the bargaining advisory committee, please contact Executive Director, Brian Green, at [email protected] or Chief Negotiator, David Broun, at [email protected].

Equity Committee

SFUFA’s Equity Committee monitors issues related to human rights and equity at SFU, bringing these to the attention of the Executive Committee and advising the Association on how it might best address these and work more proactively to eliminate structural inequities within the University and the Association.
The Committee’s webpage can be found here.

SFUFA’s current Chair of the Equity Committee is Claudia Wong Einwag (email:[email protected])

Renewal, Tenure and Promotion (RTP) Advisor

SFUFA’s RTP Advisor assists members with questions and concerns regarding Reappointment, Tenure and Promotion. While office staff provide advice and guidance on matters of policy and employment rights, the RPT Advisor is an experienced faculty member who is able to provide an academic eye to the process and assist members in navigating reappointment, tenure or promotion reviews.

SFUFA’s current RTP Advisor is Jeff McGuirk – [email protected] 778-782-3158

Chief Negotiator

The Chief Negotiator leads SFUFA’s team in collective bargaining with the University. As well as serving as spokesperson for the Association in negotiations, s/he works with the Executive Director and the Executive Committee to identify potential members of the bargaining team, and leads the team in development of proposals, networking with similar organizations around the province, and communicating with members regarding bargaining issues.

SFUFA’s current Chief Negotiator is David Broun – [email protected] 778-782-3159

Other Association Networks

SFUFA also maintains networks for specific groups of members who may provide feedback or advice on issues as they arise. Email lists are maintained and as-necessary meetings convened with:

Chairs and Directors

Indigenous Faculty

Departmental contacts (volunteers to facilitate SFUFA-unit communication)

An email list is also maintained for faculty Senators. SFUFA does not engage directly in convening Senators, but helps to facilitate spaces (virtual and physical) for members of Senate to meet and discuss matters that may come before them.

Members who are interested in any of the above should contact Executive Director, Brian Green, at [email protected].