Our Members
All FSA members are employees of BCIT.
The FSA is a union made up of BCIT technology instructors, assistant instructors, technical staff, applied researchers, academic support staff, and a variety of other auxiliary employees at the institute.
The web of membership types and employee categories in the FSA can be difficult to untangle. If you are unsure what BCIT employee category you are in, contact BCIT Human Resources. If you think your FSA membership rights are being violated, immediately contact the FSA.
Total FSA membership fluctuates based on BCIT’s terms and levels of program delivery. Approximately one third of our membership is composed of individuals who hold Part-Time Studies (PTS) contracts or “Auxiliary Employees” (see below).
Regular & Temporary Employees
Regular & Temporary Employees are both in the ‘Regular Member’ category of FSA membership.
Regular Employees
Regular Employees are hired ‘without term’ or end date, and their employment at BCIT is “continuous” (Article 4.1.1). This is often described as ‘day school work’, which has historically meant that work is performed within normal hours of work (Article 8.1.1) in a program not considered to be in Flexible Education (formerly Part-Time Studies). A Regular Employee can be employed on a full time or part time basis, depending on the person’s full time equivalent (FTE).
Auxiliary Employees are either in the Associate or Ancillary Membership categories of FSA membership.
Auxiliary Employees
Auxiliary Employees are employed on an hourly and term contract basis, meaning that there are start and end dates to the term of work. This type of employment is sometimes referred to as ‘yellow contract’ work. Auxiliary Employees are described in Article 4.3 and in a 1999 Memorandum of Agreement (Memag) according to the type of work performed, and include the following categories:
- Instructor and Laboratory Assistant (sometimes called “teaching assistant”) in BCIT’s Part Time Studies (PTS) programs (Article 4.3.1);
- Curriculum development (Memag 99FSA15);
- “PTS administration” (Memag 99FSA15);
- Marker (Article 4.3.2);
- Student Employee (Article 4.3.3); and
- Guest Lecturer (Article 4.3.4).
Employment for all of these types of Auxiliary Employees is confirmed in a contract for the number of hours specified. The rates of pay for all of these Auxiliary Employee groups are set out in Articles 15.7 (Student Employees and Markers), 15.8 (Instructors/Lecturers and Lab Assistants), 15.18 (Curriculum Development), and 15.19 (PTS Administration).
Note: Student Employees & Guest Lecturers
Student Employees are hired to work as a “supplementary work force” to assist Faculty, Assistant Instructors, Technical Staff or researchers. See Article 4.4 for a fuller description of the role played by Student Employees and the limits on the sort of work that can be assigned to them.
Guest Lecturers are hired to augment course content under the supervision of the regular course instructor. See Article 4.5 for a fuller description of their role.