Halifax, October 2–3, 2026
Submitted by Pranay Malusare, Communications Officer, CUPE Local 3912
10th October 2026
I attended the Saturday, October 3 sessions of the Canadian Association of University Teachers’ Contract Academic Staff Conference in Halifax. I am grateful for the opportunity to represent CUPE Local 3912 and to learn about approaches to organizing, member engagement, and public communications. This report focuses on Saturday’s sessions and their relevance to my work as Communications Officer.
The strongest takeaway for me was that effective union communication is about more than distributing information. It is also about building relationships: understanding members’ concerns, helping them recognize their connection to the union, and providing meaningful opportunities to participate. For a Local whose members work across different institutions, departments, and contract arrangements, this is particularly important. An email can share information, but an ongoing relationship can help turn that information into collective action.
BUILDING POWER AND CAMPAIGNING FOR FAIR EMPLOYMENT
Saturday’s opening session focused on CAUT’s Fair Employment Now! campaign and strategies for building participation and sustaining momentum. The campaign connects improvements in contract academic staff working conditions with the broader defence of high-quality, accessible public education. Its materials identify possible priorities such as greater job security, fair compensation, access to benefits, and recognition of work performed beyond classroom teaching.
One useful idea was the “ladder of engagement”: a gradual progression from raising awareness and identifying supporters, to growing participation, developing leadership, and taking collective action. Rather than expecting members to become highly involved immediately, this approach creates opportunities for people to build confidence and take on responsibilities over time.
The organizing demonstration and role-play materials made these ideas more concrete. They explored conversations with both a contract academic colleague who is uncertain about becoming involved and a regular academic staff member who supports fairness but does not yet see how contract staff issues connect to their own working conditions. The approach involved asking questions, identifying the concerns that matter to the person, discussing potential employer pushback realistically, and agreeing on a specific action and follow-up.
For me, this reinforced the importance of listening before asking for participation. A general invitation to “get involved” may be less effective than a conversation that connects someone’s experience to a clear, achievable next step.
ORGANIZING CONTRACT ACADEMIC STAFF
The session on troubleshooting organizing challenges examined barriers created by short-term employment, heavy workloads, remote work, and gaps in contact between appointments. The workshop used a fictional university to explore situations involving new hires, online instructors, members between contracts, quiet supporters, and trusted colleagues who remain skeptical of their association.
Two organizing tools stood out:
- Member mapping identifies informal workplace networks: whom people trust, who influences opinions, and how information travels across departments and other work groups.
- Charting systematically records outreach and engagement, including work location, employment status, members’ concerns, conversations, and participation.
Together, they can support a more consistent approach than repeatedly relying on the same small group of active members.
This connects directly with the Communications Officer’s responsibility to assist Vice-Presidents in developing departmental representative networks. It also raises an important question for our Local: how can we maintain meaningful contact with members throughout the year, including those working remotely or between contracts? Regular updates are valuable, but they work best alongside personal contact, accessible opportunities to participate, and reliable ways for members to share their concerns.
GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT FAIR EMPLOYMENT NOW!
The afternoon communications workshop was particularly relevant to my position. It focused on developing clear public messages about precarious academic work and the changes needed to improve working conditions.
The media-release materials emphasized an attention-grabbing headline and a short opening paragraph answering who, what, where, when, and why. Quotes should explain why the issue matters and communicate its human significance. Additional facts should support the central message rather than distract from it, and the conclusion should make clear what happens next.
For CUPE 3912, these lessons could inform newsletters, membership bulletins, website articles, and campaign materials. We need to explain members’ working conditions in language that is accessible to people outside our bargaining units, while showing how fair employment supports the education students receive. Member stories can help make that connection, provided they are shared with consent and with attention to the risks faced by precariously employed workers.
REFLECTIONS FOR CUPE 3912
Saturday’s program brought organizing and communications together in a way that was useful for thinking about my role. Public messaging can build awareness, but sustained participation depends on members feeling heard, connected, and able to influence the union’s work.
I came away with three questions for further discussion. First, are our communications reaching members whose connection to campus changes from term to term? Second, do our messages offer clear and manageable ways to participate, rather than only providing updates? Third, how can we better support trusted colleagues in connecting members across departments and bargaining units?
Overall, the conference strengthened my understanding of communications as part of ongoing organizing rather than a separate task. My main takeaway is that stronger communications should help members understand not only what the union is doing, but how they belong to it and how their participation can shape its direction.
In Solidarity,
Pranay Malusare
Communications Officer
CUPE Local 3912