Faculty Association Contract Negotiations HIGHLIGHTS and SUMMARY Tentative 2008 Collective Agreement, Faculty Association
Term: Three year agreement, 2008 - 2011 Monetary Article A
Change
Monetary: Scale annual increases of 3%, 3% and 3% PTR (Progress through-the-ranks): WUFA resisted the Administration’s attempt to seriously undermine the PTR system. The Administration moved from their ‘Best Offer’ of $1000, $1,000 and $1,750 to the following rates: $2,277, $2,357 and $2,439. These amounts reflect a 2007-2008 starting point of $2200 with a CPI inflation adjustment of 3.5% in each year.
C
Anomalies Fund: WUFA resisted the Administration’s attempt to reduce the anomalies fund to $20,000. The anomalies fund remains $100,000. Pension Plan: WUFA resisted attempts by the Administration to place the Memorandum of Agreement regarding the use of pension surplus into the Collective Agreement. This remains as a Memorandum of Agreement. The ‘D.7 Committee’s (Retired Members Pension Committee) mandate has been expanded to examine the wording and terms of the Pension Plan in light of the abolition of mandatory retirement legislation. New language was introduced concerning absence due to illness, injury or disability, clarifying the process of absence from work notification, preventing the employer from sharing medical information with a third party, retaining the 105 days of 100% salary for short term disability, retaining Long Term Disability for members until their 65th birthday. Health Insurance: Improvements to the following: - Vision $400/every 2 years (previously $350) - Audio Hearing Aids increased from $1,500 every 5 years to $2,000 - Physiotherapist to $800/year - Chiropodist and Podiatric coverage up to $500/year Sessional Instructors: sessionals who taught a minimum of 4 credit courses in the previous teaching year, who are not employed in a full-time capacity outside the bargaining unit and who have no coverage through an alternate insurance plan will now receive full benefits coverage. This criterion is the same as for those who previously qualified for the Sessional Health Care Spending Account. Retirees: An increase in the levy paid to the Subsidy Plan for Retiree Health Benefits from 4% to 5% of stipends paid in the Executive Education Programs.
D
E
F
G.2
Tuition: Sessional Instructors’ tuition fee credit valued at the domestic undergraduate student fee rate An increase in Life Insurance coverage and AD&D to a maximum of $400,000, up from $350,000 Professional Development funds: Faculty/ Librarians / AAS-LS: $1400 each year (status quo from 07-08, new for AAS:LS), and Sessional Lecturer /AAS: $940 (increase) Per Diem increase in ‘incidentals’ from $10 - $15 for a total of $75/day (previously $70/day) Car Allowance from .38 cents/km to .43 cents/km Relocation Expenses: (a) North America within a radius of sixteen hundred (1600) kilometres from Windsor - three thousand dollars ($3,000); (b) North America exceeding a radius of sixteen hundred (1600) kilometres from Windsor - five thousand dollars ($5,000); (c) Outside North America - seven thousand dollars ($7,000); (d) In cases where relocation expenses exceed the amounts in L.4 ((a), (b), (c)) the University will pay half of the excess amount up to two thousand dollars ($2,000). Overload Stipend increases from $3,800 in 07-08 to $3,905, $4,012, and $4,172. Consolidation Courses in Nursing: 1/24 payment of normal salary for a 2-week consolidated course WUFA resisted the Administration’s attempt to significantly weaken the Windsor Salary Standard by creating an arbitrary list of Ontario Universities to be used in the computation of WSS. The current 15 comparator universities are now listed in a Memorandum of Agreement. All members will receive the adjustment if one is warranted. The Administration had proposed to pay WSS adjustments only in cases in which a member’s salary was below the WSS. WSS adjustments will be made in May 2010 and June 2011. A joint committee will be formed to review the list of comparator universities. A report will be submitted to the University President and the Faculty Association for their consideration. Sessional Instructor Stipends: $5,500, $5,750, $6000 (reflecting a 20% increase over three years); partial courses: $125, 131 & 137 per hour; Clinical Courses $75, 78, & 82 per hour; Special Instructors $54, 56 & 59 per hour. An IT Fund of $10,000 will be established. Payments of $200 will be made at the end of each academic year to up to 50 Sessional Instructors who have taught 4 or more courses during the teaching year. This lump sum recognizes personal computer and equipment related costs associated with sessional instruction. Proof of expenditure is not required.
H
I
I.8
K L
N O
P
R
Non Monetary Article Change 1 Definitions AAS: Learning Specialists – must be appointed to an AAU, either as their primary or secondary appointment, if they are to teach. Instructors – WUFA successfully resisted the Administration’s attempt to introduce a teachingonly rank through the collective agreement. WUFA believes that this is a decision that should be considered by the wider university community. The parties agreed, through a Memorandum of Agreement, to form a joint committee to discuss the possible introduction of an Instructor rank. Along with possible terms and conditions of employment and WUFA governance issues, this committee will consider caps on the number of hires in this rank, and the possible conversion process for current long-serving sessional members. Board of Governors - University of Windsor – The Administration introduced a series of proposals which attempted to exchange the term ‘Board of Governors’ with ‘University of Windsor’. Their stated intent was to clarify the decision making authority of the University Administration as opposed to the Board of Governors. WUFA believes that matters relating to appointment, tenure and working conditions remain a decision of the Board of Governors and changes relating to these specific areas were not agreed to. 5:32 Performance Reviews for Cross-Appointed members to be completed by the primary AAU Head. University Research Leadership Chairs: The procedure for the selection and appointment of University Research Leadership Chairs has been clarified. This will ensure that the process is fair and transparent to all members. WUFA resisted the Administration’s attempts to change the language relating to Sabbatical Leaves including, among other proposed changes, a mandatory performance review in the year of Sabbatical application. Pregnancy / Parental / Adoption Leave Sessional Lecturers pregnancy leave extended from existing 12 weeks to 17 weeks one unpaid semester off for parental leave 4 weeks at 100% salary/benefits upon adoption of child Sessional Instructors Entitled to pregnancy leave of 5 weeks with full salary/benefits if not working full time outside the bargaining unit Full Time Bargaining Unit members Parental Leave increased to 12 weeks with 100% top-up of nominal salary Upon adoption of child, 7 days leave at 100% pay within 4 weeks of
12
17
21 & 57
adoption, which will be counted towards the maximum 26 weeks of leave 24 A new Family Medical Leave for those who are eligible for this EI benefit. The benefit will top up salary to 100% for the first 4 weeks of leave and 80% for an additional 4 weeks. Employment Equity – a requirement that the University President publish a timetable for implementation of the Rebecca Coulter Report recommendations concerning Employment Equity practices, within 180 days of signing the Collective Agreement. A Memorandum of Agreement requires that the Provost introduce at Senate a motion requiring that service as an Equity Assessors be included as part of a member’s CV. WUFA rejected the Administration’s proposal to introduce mediation as a mandatory step following Step 3 and before arbitration in the grievance process. This would have made the already lengthy 3-step process 4-step process, causing additional delay. Increase in Public Liability Insurance from $1 million to $10 million dollars. Family Day included in the list of paid holidays for all bargaining unit members, including Sessional Instructors Retirement Options: Despite a Memorandum of Agreement in the 2004-2008 Collective Agreement ensuring that terms of retirement would be negotiated once mandatory retirement was ended, and despite hours of discussion at the negotiating table concerning early retirement and a cost-neutral proposal to introduce phased retirement, the Administration rejected all of WUFA’s original and amended proposals. Sessional Lecturers: Recognition of Sessional Lecturers coverage in Article 47 (resignation and retirement).
30
39
45 46
47
55
Executive Education Programs – The Administration’s proposals would have greatly expanded their ability to introduce new programs in this area and would have moved this memorandum of Agreement into a clause of the Collective Agreement. WUFA would have agreed to these proposals but insisted that the appointment and terms and conditions of employment in these programs be set out explicitly in the Collective Agreement. The Administration ultimately withdrew its proposals but did agree to WUFA’s proposal that such programs be approved by AAU’s, that AAU’s have a greater role in appointments and that the structure for the Executive Education Program on the Board of Management be revised.