The University of Western Ontario’s Board of Governors ratified three new collective agreements with Western employee groups at their meeting Tuesday.
After ratification by their memberships, Western Board of Governors followed suit and ratified collective agreements for The University of Western Ontario Staff Association (UWOSA), The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA) and Graduate Teaching Assistants (Public Service Alliance of Canada Local 610).
“We are pleased agreements have been reached with these important employee groups, and I want to thank all the bargaining teams for the hard work that went into achieving them,” says Janice Deakin, Provost and Vice-President (Academic).
In their new three-year agreement, UWOSA members will receive scale salary increases of 1.5 per cent each year. UWOSA represents about 1,000 Western employees engaged in administrative and technical roles.
Members of UWOSA voted 96 per cent (637 to 29) in favour of the deal during ratification votes held Nov. 12 and 15.
“This was a very long and difficult round of bargaining; however, the overwhelming support of our members encouraged and helped us achieve the best contract possible in these challenging economic times,” says Stephanie Macleod, Negotiations Committee Chair and UWOSA vice-president.
As part of their new four-year contract, UWOFA members will receive scale salary increases of 1.5 per cent each year. UWOFA represents about 1,700 full- and part-time faculty members at Western.
Unionized members of UWOFA voted 521 to 85, or 86 per cent, in favour of the deal during ratification votes held Nov. 11 and 12.
“I’m very pleased with the deal that we got, in the sense that it is the best deal possible at this particular time. We are very happy we could achieve it without going on strike and disrupting the school year for students,” says James Compton, UWOFA president, noting the negotiating team “held the line” on issues relating to academic freedom. “This was a tough round of bargaining.”
Much of the negotiating work was done on behalf of part-time faculty to ensure their membership status is secured over a period time and more clearly defined, and to receive pay equity on the level with full-time faculty. No changes were made to the benefit package, except that members have more flexibility.
“I am proud of the work the negotiating team put in,” Compton says. “We are extremely grateful for the unprecedented support that we received from undergraduate and graduate students.”
Across the country many people, include other universities’ faculty members, were closely watching the results of the UWOFA contract negotiations. “It was an indication of how important this round was … and how others would be looking to us for any precedence that might or might not be set.”
Graduate Teaching Assistants will receive a scale salary increase of 1.08 per cent in the first year and 1.25 per cent in the second year of their new two-year contract. The GTA Union represents registered graduate students who are engaged in supervised teaching-related activities across Western’s various Faculties and Schools.