The overlap acknowledges that for many of the contractual articles the conditions of appointment are identical. Most of the changes are of detail. The amendments acknowledge, for example, that legislation, in this case the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, takes precedence over the Agreement and that the Agreement will be applied in accordance with the principles of legislation. The changes to articles concerning Discipline, Unacceptable Academic Performance, Negotiation and Arbitration are of the minor technical variety clarifying timelines and procedural detail. Several of the changes to the Evaluation clause are of a similar procedural variety.
Several changes are of a more substantive nature.
The childbirth leave clause provides for an increase in paid leave from twelve to fifteen weeks. The recent changes to the Employment Insurance legislation had increased the amount the federal government would pay. The change to the Agreement provides that the supplementary benefit offered by the University will parallel the legislative change. The contract now provides that a staff member may accept teaching assignment during the special sessions under one of three conditions, either as overload teaching with remuneration, or as additional teaching as part of an agreed upon assignment of duties, or with release from some teaching duties during the fall and winter sessions. A staff member may apply to be considered for promotion to the rank of professor concurrently with an application for tenure.