Wage Re-Opener Ratification by SAFA Members – Details for Voting
Hi Everyone:
Although there was no provision for a cost of living raise in the first two years of the term of the present collective agreement (2017/18 and 2018/19 Academic Years), there is a “wage re-opener” provision that in year three SAFA and SAIT negotiate on Section 50- Salary Schedule only (no impact on Adjunct Instructors), with dispute resolution to be compulsory interest arbitration with a prescribed timeline: Negotiations to start no sooner than May 15, 2019 and, if there is no agreement at the bargaining table, either SAIT or SAFA may refer the dispute to binding arbitration no sooner than September 30, 2019. I’ve copied the actual wordage from the collective agreement (below).
As you know, in April 2019, a new Provincial Government was voted in. In June the Minister of Finance of the UCP invited SAFA to a consultation meeting where they told us that the Government would introduce legislation to stall the ability to advance to binding arbitration for the third year wage reopener until after October 30, 2019.
During this period of time, SAFA had met with SAIT and exchanged proposals. SAFA proposed a 2 percent cost of living increase, and SAIT countered by stating that the new UCP Government had not rescinded the previous Government’s mandate of 0 percent. A full week into November SAIT advised SAFA that the UCP Government had issued a new mandate letter advising SAIT that if Arbitration was triggered, then SAIT must enter into that arbitration seeking a salary roll back of minus 2 percent (-2% ). As per the wording of the wage re-opener section from the collective agreement – “Any wage adjustment under this wage re-opener shall be retroactive to July 1, 2019 – effectively meaning any decision of the Arbitrator would be effective July 1, 2019. This could result in a roll back if the Arbitrator ruled in SAIT’s favour.
Because the negotiations were limited to salary scale only and our concerns over the Provincial Government’s ability to issue further “mandates” to SAIT that may require a larger roll back, the SAFA bargaining team felt that we were in a no win situation at the bargaining table. The only reasonable option at this point would be to accept the 0% offer that SAIT had tabled. This would, at least for this academic year, shield membership from the threat of salary rollbacks retro-active to July 1, 2019.
The SAFA bargaining team consulted with the SAFA Executive and have presented a Memorandum of Settlement to Faculty Council for discussion and approval.
Faculty Council has approved the Memorandum of Settlement to be presented to SAFA membership for ratification with a motion to accept.
SAFA is conducting a ratification vote – by electronic ballot – the link to vote is in an email you would have received from Survey Monkey/[email protected].
I have attached the Memorandum of Settlement for your information. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
SECTION 2
EFFECTIVE DATE AND TERM
2.01 Except as otherwise provided, this collective agreement shall take effect as of the date of ratification by
the Association and shall remain in effect until June 30, 2020 and shall remain in effect thereafter until a
replacement collective agreement is established.
2.02 The term of this collective agreement is:
July 1, 2017- 0% increase to Section 50- SALARY SCHEDULE
July 1, 2018- 0% increase to Section 50- SALARY SCHEDULE
July 1, 2019- wage reopener per Section 2.03.
2.03 The Parties agree that the only item open for negotiations shall be wages in Section 50 -Salary Schedule
of the Collective Agreement. This re-opener shall not be construed in any way as “opening the
agreement” for negotiations on any other issues by either side. These negotiations may begin no sooner
than May 15, 2019.
If the Parties have not been able to agree upon the wage adjustment, at any time after September 30,
2019, either Party may give written notice to the other Party of its desire to submit resolution of the
wage adjustment to interest arbitration.
Any wage adjustment under this wage re-opener shall be retroactive to July 1, 20