SMUFU CONTRACT SETTLEMENT
At a recent Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers (ANSUT) Council meeting a full report on the results of the last contract negotiations were made by the Saint Mary’s University Faculty Union (SMUFU) representative, Marc Lamoureux. The negotiations achieved good and remarkably rapid results. Some mystery surrounds the causes of this success; however, the Administration, which arrived at the negotiations with nothing in hand, readily agreed to such advances as:
Full professors received a 2.9% per year increase, with additional benefits to assistant and associate professors amounting to an average increase of 3.15% (assistant and associate scales add $200 to each step in the first year and 2.9% in the second and third years of the Collective Agreement).
The University will increase payment from 2.4% to 2.5% of salary mass to the Benefit Trust, which means that the University will contribute 2.5% of faculty and librarian salaries to help pay for health and other benefits.
A retirement incentive was agreed to whereby faculty with at least 20 years service who retire on Aug 31 following the 65th birthday will receive payment ranging from 60% to 70% of their final year salary, depending on length of service.
SMUFU negotiated a Lecturer Stream position according to principles based on responses to a membership survey; the salary scales for this position are almost identical to those of the Lecturer and Assistant Professor scales. The Lecture Stream positions will have two ranks: Lecturer I and Lecturer II. Upon promotion to Lecturer II, permanency of employment will be achieved. The Lecturer positions have a 3/3 (Fall and Winter) and 2 (Summer Term) load. The Lecturer ranks are restricted to 5% of faculty.
A new joint committee will be established to recommend a range of market supplements for new hires in disciplines that are in high demand.
The Collective Agreement has been stripped of all language suggesting that normal retirement takes place at age 65. There is a clause that Faculty and Librarians must indicate by January 1 if they wish to terminate employment the following August. This applies to resignations as well.
There is a new clause that Senate policies and actions cannot violate the rights of faculty protected by the Collective Agreement because of the trend in other provinces where some universities have attempted to enforce Senate decisions that were contrary to their Collective Agreements.
SMUFU gained more control and input over class sizes for Chairs but the final decision on size rests with the Dean, after consulting the Chair. Changes cannot be made without consultation.
Appointment letters will now clearly spell out credit given for prior experience and its applicability to tenure and promotion. The appointment letter must also indicate the position on the salary grid, and any market differential or other adjustment that may have been negotiated. There is no longer a need for approval by the Dean or VPA before making application for advanced tenure. Also, the Union president receives a 1.5 course release and program coordinators, regardless of number of students in the program, receive 0.5 course release.
Perhaps SMUFU’s good results in these negotiations, at least on salary, can be credited to the fact that NSTU received a 2.9% increase last year; or that SMUFU had an excellent negotiating team; or that the political-economic timing was right; or that SMU came out of the last MOU ahead of many other universities.
Jamie Whidden