During non-teaching periods (such as start-up week and Reading Week), meeting invitations should be declined. You are invited to adapt either of the following messages, to suit your purposes:
Unfortunately, I am not in the position to attend any meetings this week, as CAAT-A faculty are currently in Phase 2 of the work-to-rule campaign. Engaging in struck work at this point would be equivalent to crossing a picket line. I hope that this work-to-rule job action will demonstrate the value of faculty work, get the employer back to the table to negotiate the issues important to faculty, and make a full strike unnecessary. In accordance with the work to rule plan, I will not be attending college meetings or activities this week, nor any that are not specifically recorded on my SWF with appropriate time attributed. While It gives me no joy to refrain from campus activities, I believe in the collective bargaining process and the rights it has provided me and countless others. Until the bargaining team directs otherwise, this is my position.
For full-time faculty: during a teaching period (also called a SWF period; look at the dates at the top of your SWF), if you have been assigned time on the 2nd page of your SWF, then you can attend meetings up to that amount of time. For example, if your SWF says "Department Meeting - 0.5 h", it means that you are assigned to attend up to 30 minutes of meetings each week. Unused hours do not carry forward, so if you did not have a meeting this week, your time cap for meetings next week is still 30 minutes. If you do not have assigned time for meetings, then you do not attend meetings.
For non-SWF'ed faculty, including librarians, counsellors, and some Program Coordinators: if meetings are a part of your work arrangement, then attending meetings is fair game. However, how you prioritize your work duties remains your choice. For example, if you have a 35-hour work week, meetings may be low on your priority list. If it happens that your other work duties take up your 35 hours that week, the meeting can be struck. Priorities will vary person to person, so as long as you can justify your RSVP, you're good. Feel free to contact us for further discussion.
For Partial-Load faculty: only meetings where attendance is paid can be attended. Unpaid meetings fall under volunteer work, which is struck work.