Today marks the beginning of Fair Employment Week.  

Also, The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has created a petition in support of the Fair Employment Week.  You can sign the petiton electronically at the following link:  http://www.fairemploymentweek.ca/take-action/

Here is what the petition says:

An Open Letter to University and College Presidents

More and more academic work at our institutions is being performed by people hired on a per course or limited term basis. These positions are often poorly paid, have little or no benefits, no job security and no academic freedom. This has serious implications not only for contract academic staff, but for students, their regular academic staff colleagues, and universities and colleges as a whole.

This October 21-25, I’m joining colleagues across the country in lending my support to Fair Employment Week to demand fairness for contract academic staff. I believe that all academic staff should have a job which:

• Recognizes academic freedom
• Provides an opportunity for research
• Provides equal access to campus resources
• Provides a voice in academic governance
• Provides fair compensation and benefits

It’s time Canada’s university and college leaders take a stand to end the increasing casualization of academic work and ensure the equal treatment of all academic staff regardless of their employment status.

Fair is fair.