Submitted by I. Fearon, VP SMU PT
Oct. 5 2026
In my mind, the mark of a useful conference is that it leaves participants both with new and useful information AND with unanswered questions to help shape future reflection, inquiry, discussion, and planning. By this measure, the recent Contract Academic Staff (CAS) conference was, indeed, very useful.
Conference sessions provided information on a variety of topics central to the work of our Local and our SMU PT Bargaining Unit. This included information about the kinds of rights and protections other CAS have won through collective bargaining, such as access to health care plans, more helpful and structured hiring practices and the right to participate in University governance bodies such as Academic Departments and Boards of Directors. Did you know, for example, that some CAS have the option of signing on to group health insurance once they reach a specified level of precedence/seniority?! Or that some get paid by their Universities for their work on behalf of their Unions? Or that some Collective Agreements say new CAS must have a meeting with a Union Rep to review their rights before signing their first contract? Other sessions shared strategies for working with our tenure-track colleagues and for supporting member development – that is, supporting members in developing their skills, confidence, and engagement in leadership with he union. Yet others provided information and discussion around the role of AI in academic work and its potential impact on the post-secondary sector.
And throughout all these activities, there was the invaluable opportunity to hear about the various ways the roles of CAS play out (or could play out) in different regions and different institutions. I am left with deep curiosity about three questions in particular: First, what do people envision as the ideal role for CAS in the context of post-secondary education? For example, should our work be “the same” as our tenured colleagues? Or should it be more complementary? Should CAS have the same qualifications as their tenure-track colleagues? Or should they have different skills and knowledge? In an ideal world, would all CAS eventually convert into full-time and/or permanent employees of their Universities?
Second, if we can come to a shared understanding of the ideal role of CAS, what do CAS need to work to the full scope of that ideal and how can collective bargaining help us create and sustain these kinds of conditions? And third, if the role of CAS were both clear and valued, and if the conditions for full professional engagement and success were present, what would the impact of this be on the quality of education our students receive, and on the quality of their future work as health care providers, leaders, parents, citizens, etc.?