President's Update
And just like that, it's August!
I hope you are continuing to do well and take care of yourselves. I'm giving a very special shout out to the Grounds team, whom I neglected to include in my last note to our staff community. They have been working hard on campus while most of us have been working from home. I have to say, the campus is looking really beautiful and I'm sad we are not there to enjoy it together. I'm including a few pictures to highlight some of their hard work. Thanks for calling me out Jamie Rose!
 
A welcome as well to our casual staff who are now under the fold of the MRSA and our Collective Agreement.
Some recent developments to make you aware of:
Mandatory Face Masks
As the University prepares for the reintegration of our Mount Royal campus, the Planning Ahead Team (PAT) have made the decision to require face masks for those coming to campus and the MRSA fully supports this decision. A joint communication from the University, MRFA and MRSA was sent out to the community on July 22, so check your email if you haven't seen this. There are approximately 125 employees currently working on campus. The PAT team and university are working to identify meeting rooms with appropriate spacing to conduct in person meetings since it has become very challenging to do this remotely (i.e., Collective Bargaining).
Furloughed Staff
A limited number of students and faculty are returning to campus on August 17 for compulsory labs as part of their studies. The intention is that all staff that provide support to students and faculty should start being recalled to work by the end of August. There are currently 28 furloughed staff and five furloughed staff have been recalled to work as of July 1. While we expect that our staff will be recalled to work, it is now apparent that for many employees working remotely will continue into the fall, if not beyond.
Abolished Staff
Over the next two weeks (deadline August 7), all previously abolished staff will be notified regarding the return of their personal items. They will be asked to provide a list of their items for HR to pack up and return to them (and this is the preference), however, if they would prefer to return and pack these items personally, this will be an option. HR will need to arrange a time for this to happen.
Sadly, there were two additional MRSA abolishments. These two members were supported by our MRSA Employee Relations committee and we are continuing to act in a supportive role while they transition.
Supplies and Equipment
Bringing home some supplies and equipment
On July 22, HR updated the COVID FAQ's for employees.
To appropriately support you while you work from home, you can coordinate with your supervisor to return to your office to obtain some office supplies or equipment that you and your supervisor deem necessary to more effectively work from home.
You can bring home:
- one external screen (monitor) and cables
- a keyboard and mouse
- office supplies, such as pens, paper and notebooks
- an office chair
We continue to discuss reimbursement of costs incurred by staff with HR. The following CBC news article is a great read:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-pandemic-tax-deduction-1.5658739
Bill 32
On July 7, 2020, the Government of Alberta introduced Bill 32, the Restoring Balance in Alberta's Workplaces Act, which proposed several key changes to Alberta's labour and employment legislation. On July 30, 2020, Bill 32 was passed and is expected to come into force in a number of stages which will bring several key changes that will impact unionized and nonunionized places of employment.
Please familiarize yourself with the proposed changes which could impact our collective bargaining priorities when we commence meeting again.
http://www.neumanthompson.com/bill-32-restoring-balance-alberta's-workplaces-act-2020
T2200 Forms
Why isn’t the University signing off on T2200 forms so that employees can claim the tax deductions available for people who work from home?
The University appreciates the flexibility of employees in adapting to work from home. The Canada Revenue Agency has signaled it is reviewing the pre-existing criteria and application of the T2200 – Employees’ Allowable Employment Expenses, in relation to COVID-19. The criteria have required that the employee spend 50% of their time at the remote work location and this has most commonly been interpreted to mean 50% of the calendar year. Mount Royal continues to monitor for changes coming from the Federal Government as we consider the applicability of T2200s in the current circumstances.
Employees may be able to have some expenses reimbursed with approval from their Dean or Associate Vice-President. In line with purchasing policies, these items would be considered appropriate:
- pens
- paper
- ink cartridges for personal printers if you have one
- postage or courier fees, if the sending of physical documents is required
We continue to monitor the environment and developments in our work environment.
If employees accept reimbursement for office supplies, does that make them ineligible for the T2200 if that option becomes available through HR?
Any potential T2200 deduction would be limited to expenses not reimbursed.
Dues Model
I'd like to take these last few lines to advise you of some very important upcoming MRSA business. Within the next month you will be receiving communication regarding our MRSA dues model. We are at a crucial impasse within our Association, which requires a dues increase. Our last dues increase was in 2013 and we cannot sustain our Association at the current rate. We must also collect dues from our casual staff and so this must be finalized as soon as possible. With these funds we hope to hire a Labour Relations position to help oversee business such as grievances, collective bargaining and daily governance issues. We further hope to buffer our funds for any job action or litigation that could possibly happen over the next few years. There will be a coffee meeting September 8, which we will use to answer any questions you may have regarding this matter prior to a vote. A Special General Meeting will be called for mid September to vote on the dues model.
Lastly, I want to commend all of you for being so involved in the community despite our distance. You are signing up for activities and attending coffee meetings with keen interest and this is awesome. We need to stay connected so keep signing up!! Now get out there and enjoy the heat of summer everyone.
--
Michelle LoGullo
President, MRSA
Coordinator, Student Recruitment
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