Dear UTFA Colleagues,
On January 25, 2022, the UTFA Negotiating Team for Salary, Benefits, Pensions, and Workload (SBPW) and the University Administration reached an agreement regarding the three-year period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023. This agreement has now been ratified by UTFA Council and the U of T Administration.
Under the terms of the deal, salary and benefits improvements for the first two years, ending June 30, 2022, have been settled. Terms for the third year, ending June 30, 2023, are subject to arbitration.
Bargaining in this round was constrained by Bill 124 (the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019) which restricts salary increases to 1% per year during the three-year period covered by this agreement. Furthermore, the legislation puts a limit of 1% per year on increases to total compensation which also limits benefits improvements.
Highlights of the settlement are listed below.
Salary
- July 1, 2020: 1.0% across-the-board salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2020.
- July 1, 2021: 1.0% across-the-board salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2021.
- PTR paid on July 1, 2021 will be augmented with an additional payment to reflect a 1% increase in breakpoints and increments.
- PTR for the 2021-2022 assessment period will be paid on July 1, 2022, and breakpoints and increments will increase by 1%. Pursuant to the COVID Letter of Understanding (LOU), the process to be followed will be subject to a discussion between UTFA and the University Administration regarding whether there should be any modification to the process for determining PTR scores and awards for the 2021-2022.
- Minimum Per Course Stipend and Overload Rate will increase from $17,895 to $18,255, effective on date of ratification.
Benefits
Year 1 benefits improvements:
An additional $180 will be deposited into each active member’s Health Care Spending Account (HCSA), with an effective deposit date of July 1, 2020. This is a one-time only adjustment that reflects the fact that benefits improvements for 2020-2021 cannot be utilized.
Year 2 benefits improvements:
An additional $50 will be deposited into each active member’s HCSA, with an effective deposit date of July 1, 2021. This is a one-time-only adjustment that reflects the fact that benefits improvements for 2021-2022 will be available for only part of the year.
The following benefits improvements will become effective as expeditiously as is practicable (UTFA is in discussions with the Administration about when that will be):
Year 3 – All remaining issues are subject to arbitration
In arbitration for Year 3, UTFA will continue to pursue the salary, benefits, and workload proposals for Year 3 that have been tabled as part of these negotiations.
Notably, UTFA is seeking important policy changes related to workload and an increase to the number of librarian research days.
With respect to benefits, UTFA has tabled benefits improvements for Year 3 (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023) and will continue to resist all proposals by the University Administration that have the impact of reducing health benefits for retirees as compared to those for active members.
Within the context of Bill 124 and other factors that made this a difficult round of bargaining, including the need to negotiate the COVID LOU, UTFA made progress on the goals UTFA Council mandated us to pursue. That mandate included:
- PTR for 2020-2021 and future years;
- Fair and equitable workloads, including increased supports for remote academic work during the COVID-19 pandemic;
- Mental health benefits improvements and stream-lined accommodation processes;
- Fair compensation and benefits for actives and retirees; and,
- Health and safety protections.
At the same time, there is still much work to be done via arbitration and in future rounds of UTFA SBPW bargaining on your behalf.
In closing, we would like to express our gratitude for the continuing work of the other members of the UTFA SBPW negotiating team: Roy Gillis, UTFA VP, University & External Affairs; Mary Alice Gutman, Professor Emeritus; David Roberts, Geography Associate Professor, Teaching Stream; Arjumand Siddiqi, Public Health Professor; and, Harriet Sonne de Torrens, Chair, UTFA Librarians Committee.
We also express our thanks for the support of our legal staff at UTFA: Reni Chang, Counsel, and Crystal Doyle, Legal Assistant, as well as our Executive Director, Kathy Johnson. Further, we thank Emma Phillips and Mary-Elizabeth Dill of Goldblatt Partners and Hugh Mackenzie of Mackenzie and Associates for their expertise and assistance.
Sincerely,
Terezia Zorić, UTFA President
Jun Nogami, UTFA Vice-President, Salary, Benefits, Pensions, and Workload