AUFA and AU reach a tentative agreement

After two twelve-hour days of mediation in Edmonton last Thursday and Friday, AUFA and AU have reached a tentative agreement. The AUFA Executive endorsed the tentative agreement this morning. An AUFA special meeting will be held this coming Tuesday at 11am for discussion of the Memorandum of Settlement. After that, a ratification vote will be held online.

We’d like to thank the AUFA members for their incredible support throughout this lengthy process. We are confident AUFA members have many questions about this settlement. See below for a summary of the deal. The full Memorandum of Agreement is linked below.

Tentative Agreement

Summary of Tentative Agreement

Salary & Benefits:

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA): Retroactive for all AUFA members who are active as of ratification.

  • July 1, 2024: 3%

  • July 1, 2025: 3%

  • July 1, 2026: 3%

  • July 1, 2027: 3%

Discretionary Benefit

  • Increased from $875 to $1200

  • Default option will be Health Spending (if member does not make an allocation). Other options are still allowed.

Benefits Premiums

  • One-time $1000 payout, less statutory deductions, to each AUFA member who is active on date of ratification.

Benefits Review

  • AU committing to comprehensive review of benefits package by consultant, with transparency to AUFA on statement of work and timelines.

  • Consultant instructed to find ways to reduce premiums and overall costs; will report to AU-AUFA Joint Benefits Committee.

Maternity/Parental Leave

  • Added flexibility, paid portion of leave can be spread over parental leave.

  • Requirement to give four (4) weeks notice of return date; replacing providing expected date of return on application.

  • Pregnancy Loss will be an added consideration.

Market Adjustment

  • One-time increase of 2.8% to minimum salary range of Assistant Professor (i.e. new base will be $75,543)

  • Anyone over the current base will see no increase.

Miscellaneous

  • Redundancy: Members will be empowered to reject offers of redeployment and choose to receive severance instead. Resolves IT Optimization grievances.

  • Home-Based Office: AU will automatically issue tax forms related to home offices.

  • Market Supplements: AU must provide written notice of cancellations; max six (6) months continuance of supplement if notice not given properly.

Terms and Conditions:

  • New Letter of Understanding (LOU) for Support Person allowing members to have a non-AUFA representative present during certain meetings/hearings.

  • New LOU for Workplace Monitoring.

  • New LOU for Notice to AUFA when AU excludes new positions. Possible pathway to resolve existing exclusions via grievance, mediation, binding arbitration.

  • Re-wrote LOU for Tenure & Promotion Process review; more robust process for the joint committee.

  • Deletion of language related to Deans (removal of two LOUs, references in Article 2, deletion of Schedule C).

  • AUFA will have carriage of discipline appeals.

Various language cleanup for LOUs:

  • All LOAs changed to LOU for consistency;

  • Language cleanup to LOU Overload;

  • Changed expiry date LOU Joint Benefits Committee;

  • Remove refence to old committee in LOU Staff with Disabilities;

  • Changed expiry date LOU Heritage Resources;

  • Changed name of LOU Home Office Set-Up, remove reference to one-time payment, office supplies now covered in bi-weekly payments;

  • Removed date deadline LOU EDI Framework;

  • Remove reference to expired agreement, updated listed positions for LOU Librarian RSL;

  • Removed old language for cleanup, ease of reading; added date of ratification for previous agreement for LOU Transition of RSL.

Other language cleanups

Article 2: Delete redundant phrases.

Article 5: Change years to bring in line with University practice and rest of Agreement; general language cleanup.

Article 7: Language update to reflect current practice;

Article 8: Cleanup of grievance procedure with clearer language and steps; all timelines made consistent.

Article 9: Cleanup, timelines made consistent.

Article 12: AU will provide clear instructions for recall rights; language cleanup and update.

Article 17: Acknowledgement of AUFA committee work; AUFA work planned to minimize impact on work unit.

Article 22: Change to notice required for resignation.

Article 26: Shared commitment to restart the Joint Employment Equity Committee with renewed focus.

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