News
Read the latest news in BC post-secondary education.
2020: A Momentous Year for our Federation
2020 marked both the start of a new year and the additional excitement that occurs with the launch of a new decade. For us at the Federation of Post Secondary Educators, it also marked our 50th year of advocacy for improvements in the learning and working conditions for post-secondary students and educators. You can learn…
On last day of work for inlingua workers, respect and appreciation for their contributions
The private post-secondary sector was disrupted in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a dramatic drop in international student enrollment. Today, inlingua Vancouver is closing down, affecting the 20 teachers and staff who are members of our private sector union, ETEA. It’s a sad day for our federation to see so many of…
Each for Equal: How our Federation is Working for Women's Equity
On March 8, International Women’s Day will be marked around the world with the theme #EachforEqual. In order to truly achieve equality for women, we must achieve gender-equal workplaces and more gender equity in wealth. Across our federation, women and allies are doing their part to achieve equality and pay equity within our post-secondary sector.…
2020: A new year, a new decade, and new opportunities for change
Jan 2020 This year, January not only brings the fresh start of a new calendar year, but also the beginning of a new decade. It’s the perfect time to look ahead at what this year holds and think big about the changes we want to see by 2030. I want to build on all the…
Year in Review: 2019 Highlights
2019 is drawing to a close, and it’s been a big year for our federation. We’ve been talking about how contract faculty are paid less than their colleagues, and why we need to fix this. We have been in bargaining since our contracts expired on March 31st. And of course, we’ve continued to push for…
December 6, 2019: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women
December 6th will mark 30 years since the brutal murders of 14 women at École Polytechnique. The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women was created to remember those female students, and to take action to prevent violence against women in the future. Sadly, there is still work left to do to…
Fair Employment Week
Thousands of post-secondary students will be writing mid-term exams this month, but it’s not only the students who need to evaluate what they are learning. Over three thousand contract faculty in BC, including educators just starting out in their careers, are learning that they are precarious labour who are paid less for doing the same…
Labour Day: A Call for Workers
This year marks the 125th anniversary of Labour Day as an official holiday. Back in 1894, the standard workday was 12 hours, and the standard workweek 6 days. It took years of fighting, but eventually a limited workday and 5-day workweek was achieved. But workers didn’t stop there: over the decades that followed, child labour was…
A Reason to Celebrate: 50 Years of Pride
There is even more to celebrate at Pride celebrations this year as we mark the 50th anniversary of two important events in North America’s LGBTQ/2S+ history. Bill C-150, Canada’s first piece of legislation decriminalizing homosexuality was passed, and the Stonewall Riots took place in New York – which directly led to the formation of the Gay…
Post-secondary Educators Fight for Fairness
Each year, the BC government holds public consultations that inform the next year’s budget through the Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. This year, the consultation happened in June – and for three weeks, the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators and our locals spoke out about paying contract faculty fairly. From Courtenay to Kelowna to…
