You are partial load if you have between 7 and 12 teaching contact hours every week. Typically this will mean 3-4 courses. If you are partial load it means you are part of the Local 350 bargaining unit.
As partial load, you’ll want to pay close attention to Article 26 which outlines your rights as a partial load professor.
Here is a great website from the OPSEU College Faculty containing Member Education and Resources.
Calculating Your Pay Step
If you are brand new to Georgian, HR/payroll will send you information to complete to determine your step calculation. Refer to the Collective Agreement on how the step is calculated based on your work and educational qualifications. The faculty salary evaluation process uses points to measure both education and experience, and the minimum step level that any new faculty member can start out at is Step 5. The section you will want to focus on is the Job Classification Plans located at the end of the Collective Agreement as an appendix. When filling out the salary calculation, be sure to include any and all relevant experience. Typically, once you are hired it’s not always possible to change the information you’ve provided to payroll unless you have new education or work experience. Make sure you are thorough the first time. If you have any questions, please contact a steward.
Benefits (Article 26.06 A,B, C)
As partial load, you will have access to life insurance as well as benefits for medical, dental and paraprofessional services. Information on your benefits and insurance can be found in Article 26.06. HR will send you information on waiting periods for eligibility as well as how to sign up. As with the pay calculation, reach out to your local union if you have any questions not answered by HR.
Bridging Benefits (26.06 D)
If upon termination of a contract there is a written contract for future employment as a partial-load employee, the employee, by paying 100% of the premiums for the benefits, may continue participation throughout the period between contracts in any group insurance plan in which that employee was participating. Where the College is anticipating re-employment of a partial-load employee, the College is encouraged, where feasible, to provide a written contract upon termination.
If an employee is re-employed within 6 months of the end of any contract, waiting periods for group insurance plans will be waived
Bridging needs to be arranged prior to the PL contract end date.
Priority for Full-Time Hiring (27.11 B)
Where a vacancy of a full-time position in the bargaining unit occurs consideration shall first be given to full-time and current partial-load employees or persons who have been partial-load employees within four (4) months prior to the posting. These applicants shall be considered internal applicants.
Seniority (26.10 B)
In order to move up the partial load salary grid, you need to know that ten months of on-the-job experience entitles you to one year of service and to progress one step on the grid. A month is any calendar month in which you’ve taught 28 hours or more.
Partial Load Registry (26.10 D, E)
Each year by April 30th, you must sign up for the partial load registry in order to be eligible for partial load teaching for the academic year. It is important to understand that Local 350 is not in charge of the partial load registry. The list is created and maintained by Georgian College. The Local 350 executive is working with the college to ensure the list is being collected, maintained, and executed properly.
The Annual Partial Load Registration is accessible through HR PeopleSoft under Self Service. HR PeopleSoft can be accessed through the Staff Intranet “Quick Links” menu. A guide which outlines the registration process is sent out by both HR and the union each year in advance of the deadline.
If your department determines that there is a need to hire a partial-load employee to teach a course that has previously been taught by that registered partial-load employee in the department/school, it will give priority in hiring to such partial-load employee if:
(i) They are currently employed, or if they have previously been employed as a partial-load employee for at least eight (8) months of service as defined in 26.10 C within the last four (4) academic years.
At Georgian, in order to be eligible for seniority priority of a partial load assignment you need to have taught at least one of the courses on the contract and you need to be able to teach the other courses that make up that contract.
Curriculum Development
Currently, the college does not combine curriculum development and TCH (teaching contact hours) when determining status for non-fulltime faculty. Meaning if you are maxed out at 12 TCH as a partial load status, it is possible for you to take on additional curriculum development should you so choose.
Record of Employment (ROE)
There are two scenarios in which the ROE for Employment Insurance (E)I) can be issued.
First scenario:
All NFT faculty are issued an ROE at the end of their contract, so long as this is their only contract with the College. This ROE is sent electronically to Service Canada and they could apply for EI at any time after it is issued. For example, at the end of the Fall semester, all NFT faculty who had a contract end December 15th would be issued an ROE, even if there was a new contract for January 7th. That is automatic in the system.
Second scenario:
NFT faculty who have a second contract (ie. PT support), would not be issued an ROE is the other contract continues between the faculty contract dates. For example, a NFT faculty who had a PT support role with continuous employment between December 15th and January 7th would not be issued an ROE. They can, however request one from Payroll for the reduction in hours, should they wish to try to receive EI for this time.
Teaching Contact Hours and ROE
There is a marking/prep, etc. factor attributed to partial load faculty for the issuing of ROEs. This is for EI purposes only and was implemented with Service Canada many years ago.
Non full-time teaching faculty receive an additional 1.17 hours per hour for EI purposes.
For example, an employee teaching 12 hours per week each semester, their ROE would be the following:
12 + (12 X 1.17) X 14 weeks = 364.56 hours per semester.
For the above example, 12 (is the employee teaching hours) + 12 X 1.17 (is the additional 1.17 for each teaching hour)