The following is posted with the authorization of the author. TO CUPE executive & Bargaining Team RE: Memorandum of Settlement Firstly, I appreciate the Bargaining Committee’s commitment in endeavouring to reach the best collective agreement possible in fiscally challenging times for Athabasca University. It is even more difficult to bargain representing a scattered membership with no central workplace for meeting and discussing the issues. I would like express my concerns about a few of the provisions the memorandum of agreement. 1. Call Centre. While the unilateral ability of university management to restructure marking “methods”/categories of pay seems to be the “collective agreement reality”, I cannot understand why we have not been provided with more information as to the actual difference in wages this might cause. Call centres have been in operation at AU for quite some time – is it not possible to obtain “before and after” analysis of tutor compensation when switching to this model? We all hear it will be “less,” but what are the numbers? Also, the abandonment of any grievance rights as related to this restructuring of means of pay as to how it affects tutor’s current contracted rates of pay is very debatable. I am sure this issue has been dealt with in many arbitrations (no time to do the legal research yet…) therefore I question the absolute “we can’t do anything about this” position and the non-existence of legal recourse in a unionized workplace. 2. In your Summary of the Memorandum of Settlement, you state, under “Furloughs and wage reductions” that “This is a temporary roll back and the salary schedule in existence effective May 30th, 2013 will be reinstated June 1, 2014”. I have reviewed the Memorandum of Settlement and while it does state that “….four percent (4%) of the members’ pay ….will be deducted…for the period of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014” for so called “Furlough Days”; it does not clearly state that this is for this one year only, and that the salary rate effective May 30th, 2013 will be reinstated as of June 1st, 2014. In my experience with collective agreement negotiations and administration, provisions/terms of agreement should be written as explicitly/clearly as possible to avoid possible misinterpretation. We are taking a wage cut, and this is concession bargaining. And the idea of “furlough days” or ”flexible days off” for Tutors is completely unrealistic. 3. Pension plan. I do not think a majority of this local’s membership works more than 30 hours a week, therefore any pension plan arrangement benefits very few. Of course increased employer contributions are welcome, but not at the expense of significant pay decreases, present and future. I am hesitant about ratifying this agreement. With respect, Jean-anne Moors Tutor, HRMT 326.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 02:42:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015