November 7, 2006
About Salaries
This News & Views includes the results of the recent UGFA Member Survey, concerning salaries and other issues. As we begin negotiations for our first Collective Agreement, it is essential that UGFA have input from Members on what their priorities are. Surveys, information meetings to discuss issues, general meetings to vote on principles to be negotiated, and your individual comments are all important communication tools for determining the direction UGFA takes. There will be more …surveys, meetings, and opportunities to learn and talk! But for now, here’s what you told us in that last survey. [see the results starting on page 3]
Salary Is...
- Salary [noun, plural –salaries]
- fixed compensation paid regularly for services; a fixed amount of money agreed every year as pay for an employee, usually paid directly into his or her bank account twice monthly.
- Etymology:
- Middle English salarie, from Anglo-French, from Latin salarium pension, salary, from salarius salt, from sal salt – originally “money given to Roman soldiers to buy salt” as in “worth your salt”
Wages and salaries, in economic terms, include remuneration in the form of extra benefits, such as paid vacations, holidays, and sick leave, as well as supplements in the form of pensions and health insurance paid for by the employer.
WE’RE NUMBER 1!!!
… or maybe Number 9?? ……
During the 2005 Negotiations on Salary and Benefits, you heard a lot about “Fifth Place”. This refers to the commitment made by the University Administration in the 1987/88 Memorandum of Agreement that the average, age-weighted faculty salary at the University of Guelph should be no lower than fifth place among Ontario universities. In recent years, our salaries have not met that mark, and current figures show that we are, on average, $7,483 out of fifth place. A chart, based on Stats Canada data and showing the position of Guelph age-weighted salaries in relation to other Ontario institutions (without attribution), is posted on the UGFA web-page, for your interest. The whole campus has reason to be proud of our “Number 1 Comprehensive” Maclean’s ranking and similar honours, and it would be nice if salaries reflected that performance. Not even the “4’s” in this meritorious pool are keeping up with our competitor institutions in Ontario.
Why are we so Low?
In salary negotiations, we have always negotiated step increases that are fractions of a “Salary base”. That base has become unrealistically low ($49,503.50), and the Administration has been unwilling to raise it … so faculty are hired at step levels higher than base (Step 0). That seems like a “bonus”, but it means that they lose the benefit of the early-career “Big Steps”. But the unrealistically low base also affects everyone’s annual step value… so we’ve been getting average steps of $1600, compared to steps of $2200+ elsewhere.
Another systematic problem has been at work, to our disadvantage. The grid system seems simple, but its impact on salaries is complicated and unpredictable. In any given negotiation, UGFA could only guess at the impact that a given agreement would have on average faculty salaries. That’s because we could not know, in advance, how the subsequent grid steps would be allocated among our members. This uncertainty has likely contributed to the decline in our salaries relative to the Ontario system as a whole.
Climbing Ladders on the Titanic...
Naturally, each member will evaluate any proposed salary scheme from his or her own perspective: how much will MY salary go up next year? But that analysis can obscure the more important question: how much will the salary OF A PERSON WITH MY SENIORITY go up next year? The nature of the academic salary scale, where annual “across-the-board” increases are mixed with “step” (i.e., progress through the ranks) increases, diverts attention from the systematic decline of the entire salary grid. This effect has been likened to “climbing ladders on the Titanic”!
Salary Schemes and Negotiation Stategies
“I feel like I’ve been here before”:
In 2005, UGFA and the Administration began a series of Joint Meetings, to review the Long Term Salary & Benefits (LTS&B) scheme. There were significant differences in viewpoint between the two parties in these discussions, and this gap, along with the many other concerns that UGFA had, made it clear that we needed to seek union status in order to represent our members more effectively. As part of our discussions of the LTS&B, the UGFA Advisory Committee developed six “Guiding Principles” for the salary review, which were approved by Executive and Council, and circulated to the membership in the February 2006 News & Views (available on our webpage). The six points were: (1) an effective mechanism to implement the fifth-place principle; (2) recognition of the grid system as among the best systems for rewarding merit; (3) requirement that the salary base be increased to support the grid; (4) ensuring that early-career faculty receive rapid (large) step increases; (5) the Watchdog Committee, for addressing salary anomalies, should have teeth!; and (6) proportional parity for Librarians.
We need to hear from our Members:
UGFA is studying what salary plan best addresses the needs of all of our Members. We may decide that some or all of the six “Guiding Principles” are critical in our current negotiations. But we need to hear from you. We hope that you will inform yourself about the advantages and disadvantages of various salary schemes, so that you can give them your thoughtful consideration. At recent meetings, you may have heard about designs that maintain the “Guelph Advantage” – giving large “step” increases to faculty early in their career but smaller steps to senior faculty. You would also have heard discussions about rewarding “exemplary meritorious performance” with base increases or one-time merit awards. Consideration of rewarding “merit” always provokes a lively discussion. In the abstract, most people will express support for rewarding merit … but then one has to move from the abstract principle to a specific system, and ask whether it really accomplishes what it is expected to do. UGFA’s general principles of “fair, clear and transparent” processes becomes relevant.
We are at work:
Chief Negotiator Ed Carter and Salary Chair Scott Gillies have been hard at work preparing for negotiations on the salary components of our Collective Agreement. But before we can do detailed work designing and costing alternative salary systems, we must analyze the present situation - and that means that we need to get salary data from the University. As a Union, we are entitled to have the information we need to formulate our bargaining position, and in September we made detailed requests for such information. Last week, we received some information -- mostly tables and lists that were already accessible from various University websites. So, we have pointed out to the University the urgency of acquiring the data. We need to know what the numbers say about salaries so that we know where to begin. Our salary consultants tell us: “When you see the scattergram, it will be revealing!”. So we are still waiting for the University to “find” this critical information.
Coming Up Next
- We begin Bargaining with the Administration - November 6 & 7
- UGFA drops in on you...
- General Meetings...more to come!
UGFA member survey on salary -
the results...
| Athletic Facilities | .8 % |
| Chiropractor | .8 % |
| Course Overload | 3.7 % |
| Day Care | 3.2 % |
| Dental | 12.3 % |
| Eye Exams | .8 % |
| Eye Glasses/Contact Lenses | 1.2 % |
| Family Leave Policy | 2.8 % |
| Financial Planning Seminars | .0 % |
| Hearing Aids | .4 % |
| Major Medical | 37.0 % |
| Massage Therapy | .4 % |
| Orthodontic | .0 % |
| Orthotics | .0 % |
| Parking | 1.2 % |
| PDR | 6.1 % |
| Research Developmen Leave | 26.3 % |
| Tuition Scholarship | 3.2 % |
| Tuition Waiver | .8 % |
| Academic Freedom | 29.6 % |
| Benefits | 3.2 % |
| Health & Safety | .4 % |
| Intellectual Property | 1.6 % |
| Pension | 8.6 % |
| Promotion & Tenure Process | 4.5 % |
| Research Policies | .8 % |
| Salary | 28.8 % |
| Selective Increment Process | .4 % |
| University Governance | 4.9 % |
| Workload | 15.6 % |
For the following questions, please rate from 1 to 5 according to the code below. If you have additional comments please make them in th space at the end of the questionnaire.
1=Strongly disagree or Very Dissatisfied
2=Disagree or Dissatisfied
3=Neither Agree nor Disagree or Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
4=Agree or Satisfied
5=Strongly agree or Very Satisfied
9) How would you rate your satisfaction in the University of Guelph, at the present time?
Very Dissatisfied
7.8% 13.99% 27.98% 38.6% 11.1% Satisfied
10) How satisfied are you with your physical working conditions (heat, noise, light, cleanliness, space, ventilation, etc.)?
Very Dissatisfied 6.9% 20.9% 22.2% 34.5% 15.2% Satisfied
11) How would you rate the health & safety conditions in University locations at which you work?
Very Dissatisfied 2.4% 7.4% 21.8% 44.4% 23.8% Satisfied
12) How satisfied are you with the support you receive from the University for your teaching?
Very Dissatisfied 7.8% 16.8% 22.6% 38.6% 12.3% Satisfied
13) How satisfied are you with the support you receive from the University for research?
Very Dissatisfied 14.4% 27.9% 20.9% 24.6% 9.0% Satisfied
14) How satisfied are you with the extent to which your job leaves sufficient time for your personal life?
Very Dissatisfied 18.5% 27.9% 23.8% 20.5% 8.6% Satisfied
15) How satisfied are you with the benefits program at the University of Guelph?
Very Dissatisfied 1.2% 9.0% 18.5% 54.7% 16.0% Satisfied
16) How satisfied are you with the salary step system at the University of Guelph?
Very Dissatisfied 8.2% 11.9% 29.2% 33.33% 17.2% Satisfied
17) How satisfied are you with the link between your performance and your opportunity for increasing your salary?
Very Dissatisfied 13.5% 20.98% 26.3% 26.7% 12.3% Satisfied
18) How satisfied are you that your Dean helps promote your professional development?
Very Dissatisfied 18.9% 19.7% 33.33% 19.7% 4.9% Satisfied
19) How satisfied are yu with the overall distribution of Professorial workload within the University?
Very Dissatisfied 14.4% 22.2% 34.9% 19.75% 2.4% Satisfied
20) How satisfied are you with the overall distribution of Professorial teaching workload within the University?
Very Dissatisfied 12.75% 20.98% 36.2% 18.9% 3.2% Satisfied
21) Are you considering leaving the University because of workload issues?
Yes 23.45% No 74.48%
22) How do you feel about the amount of work you are expected to do? Is it:
far too much 13.99%
too much 48.14%
about right 37.44%
too little 0%
far too little 0%
23) During the past two years, how much has your job-stress level changed?
Has increased greatly 13.99%
increased 39.09%
stayed about the same 33.33%
decreased 3.2%
decreased greatly .82%
24) Workload - I would like the Association to explore the following options:
a) define what a contact hour is and limit the number of contact hours with students
strongly disagree 18.5% 17.2% 30.8% 3.9% 13.5% strongly agree
b) have a maximum number of courses which may be taught in any given year
strongly disagree 10.2% 9.8% 19.7% 28.8% 26.33 strongly agree
c) an explicit “formulaic” calculation of effort/workload
strongly disagree 21.3% 18.5% 26.3% 11.9% 16.8% strongly agree
25) Salary
e) We should keep the grid principle but increase base
strongly disagree 3.7% 5.3% 22.6% 26.7% 34.9% strongly agree
f) We should consider another grid scheme
strongly disagree 18.1% 16% 34.1% 13.1% 9.8% strongly agree
26) Promotion & Tenure
g) How satisfied are you with the accuracy of the P&T evaluation process?
Very Dissatisfied 12.3% 17.6% 28.8% 22.6% 15.2% strongly agree
h) the P&T process needs to be more transparent
strongly disagree 7.8% 14.4% 23.% 22.2% 28.8% strongly agree
i) The TAPSI/P&T process should be linked to salary rewards
strongly disagree .8% 3.7% 16% 38.2% 35.3% strongly agree
j) If the TAPSI/P&T process evaluates an individual as a 3 or 4, that individual should get the appropriate extra step increase
strongly disagree 1.2% 2.4% 16.% 34.5% 40.7% strongly agree
k) Any promotion should include an automatic financial reward
strongly disagree 4.5% 8.2% 18.1% 29.6% 38.6% strongly agree
l) A P&T assessment is necessary for every Faculty Member/Librarian every two years
strongly disagree 10.6% 9.4% 14.8% 32.% 30.4% strongly agree
m) The Department is the fundamental academic unit rather than the College
strongly disagree 1.6% 3.7% 14.4% 32.9% 46.5% strongly agree
Pursuant to the previous question please answer the following:
n) the Dean or Dean’s designate should serve on the College Committee
strongly agree>>2.0% .4% 25.1% 32.5% 34.1% strongly agree
o) the Dean or Dean’s designate should serve on the Departmental Committee
strongly disagree 10.6% 11.5% 27.9% 24.2% 20.1% strongly agree
p) the College floater should be on the Departmental P&T Committee
strongly disagree 3.7% 3.7% 30.4% 26.7% 23.% strongly agree
q) the Department should be the body which awards any and all additional steps
strongly disagree 7.4% 16.% 26.7% 28.3% 16.8% strongly agree
r) the role of the College Committee should be limited to promotion, tenure and appeals of Department decisions
strongly disagree 4.5% 11.9% 26.7% 33.3% 16.8% strongly agree
27) Elimination of Mandatory Retirement
s) A better process for allowing the University to plan for retirements is required
strongly disagree 1.2% 2.0% 23.8% 30.% 35.3% strongly agree
t) Any negotiated retirement “exit strategy” should include some combination of the following:
reduced workload
strongly disagree 3.7% 1.2% 30.% 30.4% 26.3% strongly agree
t2) salary premium
strongly disagree 4.1% 8.6% 30.8% 22.2% 25.9% strongly agree
u) All members, regardless of age, should receive the same benefits
strongly disagree 6.9% 8.6% 20.1% 24.2% 33.7% strongly agree
Your UGFA Negotiating Team:
Ed Carter, Chief Negotiator
Scott Gillies
Thom Herrmann
Kelly Meckling
Roz Stevenson
Susan Hubers
David Josephy - President
Glen Filson - Vice President
Keep up to date on UGFA and the Collective Agreement Negotiations by visiting this website.