Article 14 – Hours of Work

1. The maximum number of hours of TA work for any Employee, regardless of the number of appointments held, is no more than an average of twelve (12) hours per week. Notwithstanding the preceding, such hours of work may be exceeded due to an amended contract pursuant to 14.08.
2. For a standard course and appointment, no Employee shall work more than more than twenty (20) hours in any given week, unless mutually agreed, or if unusual, or emergency circumstances arise. Unusual circumstances that are reasonably foreseeable must be set out in the Description of Duties and Allocation of Hours form (Appendix B).
3. For a condensed course and appointment, where the duties cannot be reasonably split among multiple positions, the Employee may exceed the twenty (20) hour-per-week restriction to a maximum of forty (40) hours per week. The rationale for exceeding the twenty (20) hour-per-week restriction shall be discussed with Human Resources and submitted by the supervisor for approval by the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
4. Where the weekly amount of work exceeds the twenty (20) hours per week restriction, Human Resources shall provide the rationale in writing to the Union.

No Research Assistant or Student Assistant shall work more than twenty (20) hours in any given week, unless mutually agree, or if unusual, or emergency circumstances arise. Unusual circumstances that are reasonably foreseeable must be set out in the Description of Duties and Allocation of Hours form (Appendix B).

Employees shall not be required to work more hours than the total stipulated in their letter of offer without their consent. Any additional hours agreed to shall be recorded as per Article 14.08.

All assigned duties of an Employee shall be included in the calculation of time involved in an assignment.

All Employer-required training or job-specific training that the Employer agrees the Employee requires and for which the Employee will be compensated shall be paid at the Employee’s regular rate of pay. Time for such paid training must be within the Employee’s allotted hours.

Within the first week of the appointment, the employment Supervisor shall meet with the Employee, and shall review the letter of offer and assigned duties and complete the appropriate Description of Duties and Allocation of Hours form (Appendix B). The Employee may provide the Union with a copy of the Description of Duties and Allocation of Hours form (Appendix B).

TA appointments totaling five (5) hours or less do not require a Description of duties and allocation of Hours form to be completed.

RA and SA appointments totally twenty (20) hours or less do not require a Description of Duties and Allocation of Hours form to be completed.

Letters of Offer

If at any time the Employee has concerns that they will not be able to complete the assigned duties within the allocated hours, the Employee is encouraged to discuss these concerns with the supervisor. Additionally, the Employee may submit a request, in writing and may copy the Union, to amend their Description of Duties and Allocation of Hours form (Appendix B) to the supervisor.

When a written request is received under 14.07, the supervisor shall provide a response to the Employee, in writing, with a copy provided to the department head or dean and the Union where the Union has been copied on the Employee’s request. This response shall be provided within five (5) working days of receiving such request, other than in exceptional circumstances.

In cases where it is necessary to amend the number of hours or assigned duties of the appointment, the Employee and employer shall amend Appendix B. The Employee may provide the Union with a copy of the amended Description of Duties and Allocation of Hours form (Appendix B).

An Employee may be accompanied by a representative of the Union at any meeting convened to discuss the Employee’s request to amend Appendix B.

If additional hours are agreed to pursuant to Article 14.08, the hours shall be compensated at the Employee’s hourly rate of pay.

The University agrees that no Employee who has signed their letter of offer for a position will have their total number of hours reduced during the duration of that appointment.