Faculty Bargaining Bulletin – Vol. 8, No. 5

Our faculty collective agreement expired on June 30th. The Employer has yet to meet with your UWOFA negotiating team to begin bargaining for a new collective agreement, although dates have been set, see Bargaining Bulletin Vol. 8, No. 4.

Update on Negotiations 

Your UWOFA representatives met with the Employer last week for Indigenous faculty members side table discussions.

We look forward to collective bargaining discussions starting on July 14.

Bill 124 

As we get closer to negotiations, we wanted to take a closer look at Bill 124 and the role it plays in our faculty bargaining.

In 2019 the Ford government passed Bill 124 which limits compensation increases for all public sector employees, including Universities, post-secondary institutions, and colleges in Ontario.

The bill limits wage increases to a maximum of one percent total compensation each year for three years. This is effectively a salary cut, given current inflation rates.

This means negotiations during rounds of bargaining must be in line with the parameters set out by Bill 124.

But not everyone is affected by this bill.

Who’s affected?

Affected

• Every university, college, and post-secondary institution in Ontario
• Full-time and part-time faculty
• Most employee groups on campus

Not affected

• Senior administration
• Designated executives

What’s affected?

• Increases to base salary or base compensation rate (what we call “scale increase”) as well as “lump sum” increases, are limited to 1% per year for each of three years
• Increases to benefits are limited by the legislation, but negotiations at other universities have shown that there is still potential for significant improvements

Where might monetary gains be possible?

• Merit increases (e.g., experience premium for part-time faculty, performance-linked career progress and PLCP or “merit pay” for full-time faculty)
• Flex credits (allocated to Professional Expense Reimbursement, Health Care Spending Account, or Wellness Spending Account)

Take Action 

While your UWOFA negotiators will do their best to make sure faculty are properly compensated, Bill 124 will play a role in defining the parameters of what is possible.

We ask for your help in voicing your concerns to the Employer so we can work together for the best outcome for faculty, many of whom have been working overtime to adhere to the university’s mission of teaching and learning during the last two years of the pandemic.

Get loud on social media:

• Make sure to tag us! Twitter: @westernu @westernuProvost @uwofa1; Facebook: @UWOFA, @Western University; Instagram: @uwofaco, @westernuniversity

Send a letter or an email to the President and Provost (cc uwofa):

• uwofa@uwo.ca
• alan.shepard@uwo.ca
• provostvpa@uwo.ca

Get in touch with UWOFA’s Communications Officer who can make a short video recording of you expressing a message of support, which would then be posted to social media.