Every fall, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and its member associations including the UBC Faculty Association, organize and host a week-long celebration of contract academic staff. The events and activities during this week are designed to highlight issues affecting contract faculty on campus and, in particular, how contract academic faculty working conditions are far more precarious than they should be. 
In previous years, the Faculty Association has sponsored a lunch for Contract Faculty during Fair Employment Week and we continued the tradition in 2025 by holding a luncheon for Contract Faculty at the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. Committee members, FA Executive and Staff also attended both events to talk about Contract Faculty issues.
Additionally, in 2025, 
we offered two “Know Your Rights” sessions for Lecturers and Sessionals. These on-line orientation sessions were specifically targeted to contract faculty wanting to learn more about their rights under the Collective Agreement.
Although Fair Employment Week events are important, equally so is the opportunity to remind our university decision-makers of the critical role contract faculty academics play in the life of the University. We once again sent a letter to UBC’s President, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor & Principal (UBCO), reminding them of some of the difficulties faced by contingent academics as well as highlighting just how important contract faculty are to the institution.
The UBC Faculty Association remains committed to working on behalf of our Contract Faculty members. Fair Employment Week is a means to bring to the attention of the university administration, faculty and students just how important Contract Academics are to the functioning of UBC, and a way for us to continue our efforts to bring fairness to our workplace.
(Photo: CFC Volunteers at the Fair Employment Booth at The NEST, UBC Vancouver Campus, October 2019; additional graphics – posters and postcards from FEW in previous years)
