If you teach more than 6 hours and up to and including 12 hours per week on a contract basis (in a day and/or night program 7 and 12 hours a week, you are in the category of Partial Load.
Categories of Contract Faculty:
| Contract Category | Teaching hours per week | Unionized? |
|---|---|---|
| Part time | Less than 7 hours | No |
| Partial load | 7-12 hours | Yes |
| Sessional | more than 12 hours | No |
The below paragraphs provide commentary and advice on frequently asked questions:
Am I Partial-Load faculty?
If you teach more than 6 and up to and including 12 hours per week on a contract basis (in day and/or night programs) for an Ontario College of Applied Arts & Technology (CAAT), you are a partial-load faculty member and are part of the OPSEU bargaining unit covered by the Collective Agreement for CAAT-Academic faculty in Ontario.
Why do I have to renew my Union membership in each contract period?
Because your partial-load contract is short-term and not permanent, you must rejoin the Union when your employment with the college is interrupted. Our advice is to contact us shortly after you are hired, or rehired on a partial-load contract.
How do I contact a steward?
Your local officers and stewards are an source of information and guidance. If you wish to ensure confidentiality when communicating with your Union local, we advise that you use a private email address, rather than using your George Brown email account.
Wages
Following passage of the Pay Equity Act (1987), OPSEU was able to negotiate improved rights for partial-load employees starting in 1990 under the Academic Pay Equity Plan. Partial-load faculty are paid for teaching contact hours, although a portion of the new hourly pay rate is in lieu of vacation pay. Every time the full-time faculty salary has increased through contract negotiations, the same percentage increase has been applied to the salaries of partial-load faculty.
However, changes in the college system, such as dramatically increased class sizes and an increasing reliance on partial-load faculty, have resulted in the creation of a large underpaid and overworked segment of partial-load faculty whose workload is restricted only by the maximum limit of 12 hours of teaching per week, unlike that of full-time faculty whose workload is limited in terms of many other factors such as class size, teaching contact hours, and the number of course preparations and sections