After almost a year of unproductive talks with the University, MUNFA requested conciliation on August 4, 2000. Only two months later did the University finally respond with a salary offer of their own - an offer which recognized that MUN salaries had indeed fallen to unacceptably low levels. However, in return for a salary offer that turned out to have serious flaws, MUNFA was expected to give up all other items under negotiations.
The major outstanding issues are:
- Salary fairness: academic staff without PhD's, sessional and contractuals, and those near retirement are all seriously disadvantaged by MUN's proposal.
- Pension reform: surplus pension funds should be used only for improved retirement benefits and for no other purpose.
- Faculty renewal: MUN talks about faculty renewal but refuses to negotiate severance and early retirement packages.
- Other issues: MUN initially proposed a variety of financial clawbacks such as limits on their contributions to health plans and an unfettered right to raise parking fees. (UPDATE As of Monday, the negotiating team had succeeded in obtaining a change to the parking item, limiting the increase to no more than 10% per year.)
MUNFA On Strike!
Why?
SALARY FAIRNESS FOR ALL
The administration salary proposal discriminates against
academic staff without earned doctorates. These tend to be experienced colleagues who have served the university well and with distinction. Retroactive application of a PhD requirement is simply unfair.
The administration proposal fails to address the plight of sessional and contractual instructors - those who teach on the basis of a per-course stipend that has not been increased for over ten years. They deserve fair and adequate pay and conditions.
The administration proposal is back-end loaded, with the major increase coming at the end of the contract. This disadvantages all academic staff members, but particularly those who have to retire in the next three years. At the end of their career, they deserve better.
