NEGOTIATING NEWS #8
March 29, 2000
At the negotiating session on March 17, the MUNFA Negotiating Committee presented the Administration with its salary proposal. This proposal differed from the one circulated to members before the March 7 information meeting in only one important respect; each of the salary caps has been increased by two steps in response to comments at the meeting and written submissions from members. Thus, in the tabled proposal, the cap for Lecturers would occur at Step 10, for Assistant Professors at Step 18, for Associate Professors at Step 37, and for Full Professors at Step 52. Similarly, in the revised proposal the cap for Librarians I would occur at Step 12, for Librarians II at Step 19, for Librarians III at Step 37, and for Librarians IV at Step 51. The only other changes to the proposal were ones designed to improve and clarify the language.
As we reported in Negotiating News #5 (January 12, 2000), ASM salaries at Memorial are about 19.3% behind those at the other universities in the comparison group agreed to by MUNFA and the Administration. With the increase in caps, the MUNFA Salary Proposal now calls for an average increase in ASM salaries of approximately 20% over three years, including all step increases. We are, of course, aiming at a "moving target" because salaries at the other universities will also increase during the next three years.
Members may find it interesting to consider our proposal in comparison to two recent salary settlements at universities in the Maritimes.
At Mt. Allison, faculty were on strike for about three weeks in January 1999. Their salary settlement came in two parts, one for the first two years of the Collective Agreement, and the other, to be settled by arbitration, for the second two years. That arbitration took place on February 25 of this year and the final settlement was negotiated at that time. Faculty received an increase of approximately 6% in the first year, 5.5% in the second, 5% in the third, and 4% in the fourth or, roughly, 22% over four years.
Faculty at the University College of Cape Breton (UCCB) have just ended a five week strike. By Canadian Faculty Association standards, this was an unusually long strike and a particularly bitter one. The salary settlement was for a 20% increase over four years with a $3500 signing bonus. With the signing bonus and CAUT strike pay, UCCB members will have experienced little or no loss of income as a result of the strike.
When the MUNFA Salary Proposal was presented on March 17, the Administration team asked a few questions but gave no indication of when their salary proposal will be forthcoming or what it will contain.
The MUNFA Salary Proposal is attached.(e-mail the MUNFA office to request a copy or call ext. 8642)