Victory in the TechBC Campaign!

On March 19, 1998 the Board of Governors of the Technical University of British Columbia (TechBC) reached an agreement with the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), and the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia (CUFA/BC) to end the eight-month boycott of the institution.

As a result of the agreement, the TechBC Board of Governors has:

• Adopted a strong policy on academic freedom, that will apply to faculty, librarians, other academic staff, and students.
• Guaranteed that there will be continuing appointments (which for all practical purposes are tenured appointments) and that people will be hired on these appointments.
• Created an Academic Planning Board (APB) as a sub-committee of the Board of Governors, which will be comprised of 1/3 faculty, 1/3 program advisory committee members, 1/6 students and 1/6 other university employees. The APB will have authority over those academic matters explicitly given to the Board of Governors and the President in the Technical University of British Columbia Act, will advise the President on the budget and other matters, and will have other powers delegated to it over time.
• Adopted a strong policy supporting the rights of academic staff as employees, and guaranteeing the non-interference of the Board of Governors in the selection of a bargaining agent, as they are required to do under law.
• Committed itself to on-going discussions and cooperation with CAUT and CUFA/BC on all matters relating to TechBC, but specifically, collegial governance, academic freedom, polices regarding appointments, and legislative issues.

This agreement does not solve all the problems at TechBC, but it does answer the most important questions, and it commits the parties to continued discussion and cooperation. CAUT and CUFA/BC will continue to monitor the situation at TechBC, and work with the administration and Board of Governors on implementing the agreement.

Full Text of the Agreement
CAUT and CUFA/BC Joint Media Release - March 20, 1998
Background on the TechBC Campaign

Academics interested in employment at TechBC are encouraged to contact CAUT or CUFA/BC for further information about the agreement and its application. Please contact any of the people below for further information.

	Robert Clift	E-mail cufabc@sfu.ca	Phone (604) 291-5201
	Bill Bruneau	E-mail william.bruneau@ubc.ca	Phone (604) 224-3889
	Jim Gaskell	E-mail Jim.Gaskell@ubc.ca	Phone (604) 822-5826
	Jim Turk	E-mail turk@caut.ca	Phone (613) 820-2270