Joint Message from Provosts and Faculty Association to UBC Faculty Members
On March 31, 2016 we received the arbitration award which decides the July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2016 Collective Agreement between the University and the Faculty Association.
The bargaining and arbitration processes concluded in the first part of 2016. Both parties entered the arbitration process with proposals for language changes as well as compensation increases.
A link to the arbitration award has been posted at the following sites:
Faculty Association
Faculty Relations
Key elements of the decision are as follows:
- General Increases: The award provides for a general increase of 2.0% for July 1, 2014 and 2.0% for July 1, 2015. The Arbitration Board's decision was based on the language of the Collective Agreement rather than the Provincial Government's bargaining mandate. After weighing (i) the University's need to maintain academic quality, (ii) local and national CPI and wage increases, as well as (iii) salaries and benefits at other Canadian universities, the 3-person panel found that a 2.0% increase per year was appropriate.
- Retention Funds: The arbitration board awarded a retention fund of $500,000 for 2015-16.
- Language Proposals: As in the 2013 arbitration award, the arbitration panel did not decide on any of the outstanding language proposals, reasoning that the Faculty Association and the University are sophisticated parties in a mature relationship with a history of reaching agreements. They thought we should try again to resolve these issues ourselves. The parties need to discuss when bargaining for the July 1 2016 collective agreement will begin.
- The University will begin processing the increases for 2014 and 2015, as well as the PTR (career progress increments, merit and performance salary adjustments) for 2015 as soon as possible. The University will be able to provide updates no later than early May as to the dates the increases will be paid out.
Finally, we wish to thank the arbitration board for their time in addressing the matters placed before them. We look forward to working together to implement this agreement, as well as the other matters resolved in the bargaining process.
Angela Redish, Provost and Vice-President Academic pro tem (UBCV)
Cynthia Mathieson, Provost and Vice-Principal Academic (UBCO)
Mark Mac Lean, President, UBC Faculty Association
