Congratulations to DFA President Dave Westwood! Earlier this month, Dave was presented with the CAUT Dedicated Service Award for his commitment to the DFA Membership. In his fourth term as President, Dave has served the DFA Membership for many years in various different roles: President-Elect, President, Past-President, Grievance Chair and officer, DFA representative to the Pension Advisory Committee, appointee to the Association-Board Committee and as a member on various DFA committees. He is a multi-term Senator at Dalhousie and also attends the Board of Governors meeting in his role as DFA President. Thank you, Dave, for your leadership excellence.
The timeline for applications for the 2022-2023 Anomalies Fund year has been extended. Applications were due on October 31. The Committee's decision will be sent to the Member in writing by November 30. Anomalies fund salary adjustments will be retroactive to July 1, 2023.
In recognition of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, DFA hosted a virtual presentation on Thursday, October 5, 2023. Thank you to for presenter Dr. Margaret Robinson, DFA member, for sharing her experience and perspective during "Truth-Telling and Reconciling Identity" . A recording of the presentation can be found on our public-oriented website, at https://www.WeAreDal.ca.
Professors, instructors, librarians and counsellors - our valued DFA members - are dedicated to their students, providing the best possible post-secondary education and experience for the Dalhousie community. The success of this university relies on the commitment of our members.
The DFA negotiates and protects one of the strongest collective agreements in Canada’s university sector. Bargaining on behalf of more than 950 members, our volunteers and staff work tirelessly advocating for Members’ rights, making your concerns heard by the Administration. Year after year, we challenge the Administration on issues that affect our members, our students, and our fellow workers at Dal.
For a history of the DFA, read 40 Years of Activism: Working for a Better Dalhousie.
Together, we are Dal.
We welcome your questions, concerns and feedback.
Email dfa@dal.ca or call 902-494-3722.
You can also email the DFA President anytime at dfapresident2022@gmail.com.
The Anomalies Fund exists to adjust the salaries of DFA Members whose salaries are judged to be anomalously low, when compared with the salaries of other Members accounting for experience and rank within their Faculty. See Article 31A.06 in your Collective Agreement. This year, the deadline for applications is October 21, 2023. Contact dfa@dal.ca for info.
As a member of DFA, you are also a member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers. CAUT’s online Member Travel Benefit Program with Local Hospitality Inc. offers significant savings on hotels, car rentals and select entertainment events. Instructions on how to access the platform can be found at Affinity Program for CAUT Members | CAUT.
As a DFA Member with a full-time position, you have 25 vacation days each year. The number of days is prorated for Members on limited-term appointments of less than 12 months. This formula will help you calculate how many vacation days you have each year: Length of Employment (months)/12 x 25 vacation days x FTE percentage = vacation days (Clause 30.01 & 30.02 in your Collective Agreement)
Under our Collective Agreement (Clause 32.18 b), all DFA Members have access to a Health Spending Account of $1000 for medical expenses not covered under your benefits plan. Unused balances carry forward for one year only, so be sure to use your full entitlement. For details and to see your balance, visit Medavie Blue Cross.