President's Update 
           

Hey MRU family! Like me, I'm sure you've been enjoying the last few weeks of August like the beginning of summer, not the end. How is this now September?? 

I trust you have read the Comms Updates regarding recreation, food services and parking opening up for business again. Kudos for your emails regarding additional parking payment options; the result of your efforts is a choice for a payroll deduction payment. While many of us will  continue to work remotely for now, for those who are working regularly on campus this may provide a more convenient and economical option. Good work!

Furloughed Staff

As the fall semester begins, we have a number of colleagues that continue to be furloughed. Some have been recalled to work but for those that have not, the MRSA Employee Relations Committee and HR have negotiated a new Memo of Understanding (MOU). These terms apply until Dec. 31, 2020 with the University continuing to pay 100% of employee benefits. We continue to advocate for the recall of our staff, but this is ultimately a management decision. A meeting with impacted staff was held to present and explain the terms of the MOU. A reminder that any MOU agreements need to be negotiated into our Collective Agreement once negotiations resume. We currently have no language around layoffs and recall in our CA.

Negotiations

Collective bargaining continues to be on hold at this time. This means that we will continue to adhere to the 2019/2020 terms of agreement until we have ratified a new agreement.

Dues

FYI, casual staff are now represented by the MRSA. This means we must start collecting dues from these members as per the Rand Formula which infers:

" All members of the union benefit from the wages and benefits negotiated in their collective agreement,  the professional representation provided by the union, and other benefits of membership. These activities  are funded by the payment of union dues". 

We have not increased our dues since 2013 at which time dues payments increased from $21/monthly to $34/monthly. We are no longer able to sustain our operational budget on this model and this payment practice does not align with our post secondary colleagues. A proposal for a percentage dues deduction will be presented Sept. 8 at our scheduled coffee meeting. This has been scheduled for 11:30 to allow for time to continue the conversation over the lunch hour for those interested and able to remain with us. A Special General Meeting (SGM) will be called with notice, for a call to vote on the proposed dues change.

Bill 32

As you have heard in the news, on July 29 the UCP government passed the Restoring Balance in  Alberta's Workplaces Act (Bill 32). This Bill still requires union members to pay dues for what the government considers "core union activities" but mandates that employees opt-in if they want to pay fees related to general social causes or issues, charity donations, or any organizations linked with a political group (Category/Bucket A). 

What does this mean for us? It means that each individual member of our MRSA must now opt-in to have additional dues deducted to support any of the above mentioned activities. We will not be able to use operational/representational money collected  (Category/Bucket B) to support Bucket A. While we do not currently pay fees to any political groups, we do offer $2500 in scholarships to students, and make donations to such social causes as Big Bob's BBQ to support the Transitional Vocational Program and various community causes (Season of Caring). You will now need to indicate whether you wish to contribute to any of these causes and the budget to support these causes will be dependent on the money approved by the membership. 

Here are the  highlights of Bill 32.

Coffee Chat

Join us Sept. 8 at 11:30 as we present the proposed dues structure for review and consideration. A Special General Meeting (SGM) will be called to formally present the call to vote and you will receive an invitation to join us for this virtual meeting. I do want to take this opportunity to encourage your attendance and consideration of this very important action item. The sustainability of the MRSA is dependent on the dues we collect. Consider that one hour with our Labour Relations lawyer equates to what you currently contribute for one year of dues. You are worth more than one hour of time!!

Continue to care for yourselves and your loved ones. Don't forget to check in with your colleagues and stay connected....this is more important than ever.

--

Michelle LoGullo | President

mlogullo@mtroyal.ca

Mount Royal Staff Association

Treasurer's Report

Happy September everyone! 

Here is a summary of a few of the things the Audit and Finance committee have been working on over the summer. 

1. Revitalizing the committee: We have three new members on the Audit and Finance committee, Mariberth Blanco, Johanna Franconeri  and Rona Reitsman. Welcome to Mariberth and Johanna and welcome back Rona!

2. Work has begun on finalizing the year end and gathering information for the annual auditor's report. 

3. A lot of work is happening in order to address the Association’s sustainability. Work to date has been focused on revisiting the dues structure.

4. Continuing the work of moving the EDT database to MyMRU which brings it into the Mount Royal servers and all that entails, including higher levels of security, firewall, backups, avoiding “guessable” PINs etc. The database will then also be part of a single sign on.  Currently we are looking at developing a Service Level Agreement with the University to define the relationship.

5. We are also conducting an insurance review looking at both the Association's business and executive liability coverage including ensuring we have adequate liability coverage. We are also looking at price comparators.

6. The Association’s occupancy lease with the University is coming to an end so we are in the process of reviewing and connecting with Mount Royal Finance to discuss renewal. 

7. Finally, this fall we hope to start a review of both the Association’s level of  compliance with PIPA (Personal Information Protection Act) as well our records management practices.  

A big thanks to the past treasurer,  Elena Ryabova, for her help with the transition as well as the Association’s executive assistant, Christine Pepper for her on-going hard work, patience and support!  

In Appreciation of Baset Zarrug's Service

Committee Update

Fall EDT Application Period is Open: Off Campus Recreation Courses Now Eligible
If you have any professional or personal development courses that begin between
September 1 - December 31, you can apply for funding through the MRSA EDT Committee. 

Applications are submitted via the EDT database. The fall application period closes on November 15.

New this semester: 

Effective as of the fall semester, EDT funding of recreation courses will no longer be limited to Mount Royal University. Eligibility applies to recreation courses only; gym memberships to other recreation facilities will not be covered.

If you have any questions, please contact the EDT Committee at edtmrsa@mtroyal.ca

MRSA EDT Dependant / Spouse MRU Credit Course Bursary 

Dependent / Spouse Bursary Applications for the Fall 2020 semester are being accepted until November 30. 

As defined by the MRSA Collective Agreement:

• A dependant is an Employee’s child or step-child who is less than twenty-five (25) years of age on Sept. 1 for the Fall Semester or Jan. 1 for the Winter Semester and is dependent on the Employee for support.
• A spouse is the person to whom the Employee is legally married, or a partner who has cohabited with the Employee for a minimum of twelve (12) consecutive months.

MRSA Office Closure Notice

In keeping with guidelines from Alberta public health officials, the MRSA office is closed until further notice. During this time, MRSA operations continue as the Executive and Committees shift to working remotely.

Your calls and questions are important to us. Please do not hesitate to contact the MRSA office at 403.440.5993, or via email at mrsa@mtroyal.ca, or any member of the MRSA Executive. Please be assured that MRSA office voicemail and email are monitored regularly.

Take good care, and be safe; we wish you and your families the very best of health.                                                      

Did You Know/Question of the Month

Did you know that the Collective Agreement includes a Memorandum of Agreement on workload review discussions? We encourage you to bring any workload issues or concerns forward to your supervisor to discuss solutions. While negotiations have been stalled during COVID, our 2019/2020 Collective Agreement remains in effect. If the workload concern has broader implications, we would encourage you to contact the MRSA office. 

Please verify the meaning of a medical appointment. Is massage therapy or chiropractic adjustments considered a medical appointment?

Massage therapy and chiropractor appointments are eligible for appointment time use so long as they are deemed medically necessary by a medical doctor and you are unable to schedule these appointments outside of your regular work hours.  For more information on employee medical and dental appointments can be found in our collective agreement, Article 22.

Submit your question of the month here.

For information on COVID-19, updates, and links to government resources and other supports, please see the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information page on our website.

MRSA Events

MRSA Coffee Chat

Join us for coffee and conversation on Sept 8 from 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. via Google Meet. Please click on this link or copy and paste this URL in your browser: https://meet.google.com/tez-yoqq-dxi?hs=122&authuser=0
 

PD Sessions

Emotional Intelligence and You! 

If you missed the "Emotional Intelligence and You!" session with Gina Botelho on July 29, the slide deck is available. Read more about the five distinct aspects of emotional and social functioning, key competencies, and emotional self-awareness.

Shifting Your Side Hustle into a Business

Thursday, September 3, 2020, 10:00 am - 11:00 am MDT

Have you ever considered starting your own business, or transforming your side-hustle into full-time work? Join the Mount Royal Library and our panel of experts as we explore what it takes to move your entrepreneurial ideas into reality. This conversation is sure to inspire your innovative spirit and provide sound experience around what you can expect when building a business.

Register Here

Our Panelists:

Ray DePaul

Ray DePaul is the inaugural Director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University. He has been a successful entrepreneur, selling his company to Intel, and was also a key member of the team that brought the iconic BlackBerry to the world. He is proud to be a mentor, advisor, and board member to many entrepreneurial individuals, companies, and organizations. 

Emily Knight

Emily Knight is the Entrepreneur Development Officer at Mount Royal's Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She is also a Mount Royal alumna with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a double minor in social innovation and entrepreneurship. Today, she plays an integral role in fostering community and opportunities for innovators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across campus.

Ryan Wenger 

Ryan is the builder, barista and roaster behind Barrow Coffee Roasters. Before Barrow, Ryan worked as a licensed heavy equipment technician while also working as a barista for over ten years in various cafes from Calgary to Sydney, Australia. With a long standing goal of opening a cafe, Ryan used his mechanical ability and curiosity to repair and restore old coffee grinders, espresso machines and coffee brewers bringing them back to new condition. While studying entrepreneurship at Mount Royal Ryan saw an opportunity to operate a small coffee cart (a Barrow) at the Bissett School of Business. With his collection of equipment ready to work, Barrow was born in the summer of 2016 and has grown into the unique coffeehouse you see today.

Dustin Paisley     

Dustin is the co-founder of Local Laundry - a social purpose. Local Laundry has committed to donating 10% of their profits to local charities that their customers help choose. They produce only made in Canada garments to support Canadian manufacturing, Canadian jobs, a diversified Canadian economy and to reduce their carbon footprint. Local Laundry was founded in 2015 as a way to use clothing to bring people together while creating a positive impact on the community. 

Angela Urquhart Osborne

Angela is the Co-Founder of The Atelier Collective—curated business workshops, lifestyle events and online community for ambitious women in business. Angela is passionate about designing and executing memorable events, and has been involved in the events industry for over a decade. As a published author, she has an affinity for writing and prides herself on her natural storytelling abilities. Angela finds inspiration in art, nature, traveling, her incredible friends and family and most importantly, her husband Mark and sons: three-year-old Dreyson and one-year-old Keaton.

General Announcements

New Tool for Remote File Access

GlobalProtect and Webfiles are the new tools to upload and download files on the Mount Royal network remotely. They will replace SRAS and Pulse Secure. If you are using these tools, please move over to the new tools as soon as possible because the others will no longer function as of September 7. Learn more. 

If you are working from home and are having difficulty setting up your workstation to be ergonomically comfortable, reach out to Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS@mtroyal.ca) for a virtual ergonomic assessment. Ergonomic hazards can often be solved with a few minor adjustments, and it's better to catch concerns before they become significant issues.

In the News

Bill 32 is our focus this month:

• Bill 32: Fixed that for you fact sheets

• Restoring balance in Alberta’s workplaces

• Bill 32: Restoring Balance in Alberta's Workplaces Act, 2020