Wilfrid Laurier University
Coming out of Bill 124 imposed wage restraint, the Contract Faculty and Part-Time Librarians unit of the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA PT) signed a three-year agreement containing significant gains on all their bargaining priorities, including compensation and benefits, job security, and improvements to the hiring process.
On compensation and benefits, in 2022 members received a front-loaded 3.0 per cent inflation adjustment added to their salary base, followed by a 2.0 per cent across-the-board (ATB) increase and a 0.1 per cent increase to pay in lieu of benefits. There will be a 2.0 per cent ATB increase plus a 1.0 per cent experience grid for those with 10 or more seniority points in 2023 and a 2.0 per cent ATB increase and 2.0 percent experience grid for those with 20 or more seniority points in 2024. This means that in year three, about 50 per cent of members would have benefitted from the experience grid raises. Members also saw increases in compensation for deferred exams, non-teaching duties, and student supervision. A new LOU establishes a bilateral committee to review online learning that will review the compensation model for Contract Faculty. In benefits, paid sick days were increased from 7 to 10 days per term.
Music faculty, who already had an experience grid, received a 3.0 per cent inflation adjustment at the outset, a 2.0 per cent ATB per year, and a 0.1 per cent increase in pay in lieu of benefits, as well increases to compensation for additional duties. An LOU was signed regarding compensation for ensemble teaching, and improvements were made to language on studio instructor and coach accompanist pay categories to allow for faster progression.
On equity, a new Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigeneity Fund has been established worth $20,000 annually—$10,000 for Indigenous Knowledge endeavours, and $10,000 for other EDI work. The maximum grant is $2,000, and the minimum amount is $500.
Members have made major gains on job security. They may now teach a maximum of 10 courses per academic year, and maximum of four courses per term. A new Senior Lecturer appointment has been created. These will be automatically renewable five-year appointments and will be guaranteed to have six, seven, or eight courses per year. The new category of Lecturer replaces Standing Appointments. Lecturers will receive automatically renewable three-year appointments, and are guaranteed three, four, or five courses per year.
The appointments process has been streamlined through a one-year trial of a new course application process. Members will fill out a Statement of Intent Form listing the courses in which the member has seniority status and is interested in teaching. No teaching dossier, CV, or cover letter will be required. Courses not assigned through this process will be posted, and members will use a single Candidate Application Form for all courses they are interested in teaching.
University teaching evaluations have been renamed as Student Course Surveys to more accurately convey that they reflect student experience and are not an evaluation of an instructor’s teaching performance or ability. No evaluation of teaching performance may rely exclusively or primarily on Student Course Surveys or student opinions.