We have a tentative Collective Agreement!
Dear Members,
We have appreciated your patience and support over the last 14 months while we have been in contract negotiations with the University. For the last eight days, we have been in mediation with mediator Dave Schaub (Labour Relations Board), working hard to get the best deal we could for our members.
We are thrilled to announce that as of 5:00 pm today, we have reached a tentative Collective Agreement with the University!
We will provide a more complete update early next week, but we want to share that we have made major improvements for you, our members. We have bargained for meaningful improvements in workload language and in benefits, have made improvements in language related to student evaluation surveys, addressed fairness, support and equity issues for Indigenous and BPoC Members and won improved wording around notice and consultation regarding technological change.
In terms of monetary issues, we are proud to announce that we secured:
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A 3% across the board increase in salary, each year from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2028.
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A $390 increase to CPI, to start July 1, 2027;
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An extension of the CPI cutoff for two additional years for Professors, Teaching Professors and Librarian IV, from 28 to 30 years, at the full CPI rate;
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CPI parity for Librarians, so Librarians will now receive the same CPI increases as faculty;
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An increase in ProD of $260/year to a total of $2,030. This will also include a cap of six years in which to spend ProD funds, with the cap starting in 2028, in exchange for additional future increases in ProD;
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A teaching workload fund of $600,000, annually, to provide teaching releases and other support for members facing particularly high teaching workloads;
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An additional 8 faculty lines to be allocated to units with particularly high teaching workloads;
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A Research and Technology Fund of over $800,000, focusing on members who do not have large grants, providing up to $2,500 to support computer acquisition, conference travel and/or funding RAs;
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Full teaching release for the first year for new Department Chairs, as well as funds for stipends for units with 15 or more members to support Associate Chair positions;
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Increased benefits for Counselling and Psychological services, from $1,800 to $2,400, starting on July 1, 2027;
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Increased benefits for Physiotherapy and Massage services (exact amount to be determined but estimated to increase from approximately $750 to $1,000), to start July 1, 2026;
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Initiated a Health Spending Account of $350 (annually) starting January 1, 2027, and increasing to $650 on July 1, 2027. This Account can be used to address a broad range of health-related costs, including vision care;
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Access to a virtual medical care plan for members;
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Four weeks additional salary topped up to 95% for Members on parental, adoption and surrogacy leave;
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A University top-up to EI payments for 15 weeks to 95% of salary for members going on compassionate and critical injury care leave to support a critically ill or injured close relative; and,
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An annual $80,000 fund to help cover the licensure fees for Members whose conditions of employment require licenses, which is expected to cover the majority of fees for all affected Members.
I am so very grateful to the FA’s negotiating team, who have worked incredibly hard, with lots of passion and laughter, over the past 14 months, through some very tough times, to help get you this deal. Over the past 14 months this team has included: Vera Caine, Nursing, Moustapha Fall, SLLC, Travis Martin, Physics and Astronomy, Michelle Miranda, Math and Stats, Jane Morrison, Libraries, Christine O’Bonsawin, History, Bruce Ravelli, Sociology, and Caterina Valeo, Mechanical Engineering. Each member added unique skills and experiences, to help get us all here. I am also very grateful to the very smart and experienced Nathan Todd, FA General Manager and our main staff support in bargaining, as well as to the rest of our amazing staff at the FA: Ben Johnson, Amal Vincent, Elise Cote, Sabrina Chang and Faye Lee. I am very lucky to work with them.
I would also like to acknowledge the administration’s bargaining team. The teams have had some difficult moments over the past year, but in the end, I am grateful that the admin team recognized the importance of the issues facing our members and worked hard to help us get to this historic deal.
As noted, we will be sending out more detailed information about the tentative agreement over the coming week, and will be announcing June dates for informational Town Halls, and a Special General meeting about the agreement, before we ask you to vote on ratification.
Wishing you a great weekend and all the very best,
Lynne
Lynne Marks
