GTA Collective AgreementSeptember 1, 2015 to August 31, 2017

Agenda1. Welcome and Introductions2. Overview of Negotiations 3. Summary of Changes• Letters of Understanding• Communication of Changes• GTA Electronic Agreement Generator

4. Implementation

Negotiating Team• Linda Miller - SGPS• Ron Wagler - SGPS• Michael Milde - Arts & Humanities• Andy Hrymak - Engineering• Jane O’Brien - HR• Katie Osborne - HR

Overview of Negotiations• Reached agreement over seven days between

October 2015 and January 2016• New Agreement ratified by GTA Union in January

18, 2016 and by Board of Governors in January 28, 2016

• New Collective Agreement effective September 1, 2015

Summary of Changes

Summary of ChangesMinor wording/language changes in some articles• Definitions – recognition that use of the feminine pronoun throughout the

agreement includes the masculine and neutral pronouns• Services & Facilities – departments to inform TAs annually about

resources available to them and how to access them (e.g., working space, books, office supplies, lab resources, photocopying, av equipment…)

• Grievance & Arbitration – grievances submitted to Vice-Provost (on behalf of Employer)

• Discipline, Suspension & Discharge – removal of discipline letter from employee file two terms of employment (or 12 months) after the date of the letter

• Overtime – removed need for approval from the Joint Labour Management Committee and replaced with approval from the Course Supervisor and Director of Administration for SGPS

Summary of ChangesAppointments Article 13• Re-ordering of Article 13 so that steps flow in more

logical order • Allowance to hire a Year X student in cases where

a position has been posted/advertised and no qualified non-Year X student from within or outside of the program has applied

Article 131. Departments fill available positions with full-time registered

graduate students within funding period from their own dept.• If a student does not meet program conditions for funding

and progression you do not need to appoint/re-appoint.• If a student has an external scholarship not assured a GTA.

2. For GTA who meet program conditions for funding and progression through the program, the following assurances:• Having once received a GTA in year 1 of master’s, you are

required to hire them for same number of hours as a GTA in year 2 or provide equivalent financial support

• Same provision for Doctoral student (4 years) Master’s to Doctoral transfer (5 years), direct-entry Doctoral student (5 years)

Article 133. If a Department/Program has GTA positions available they must do the

following:• Submit a position for open competition through the SGPS hosted

websitehttp://grad.uwo.ca/faculty_staff/financial_support/teaching_assistantships.html

• After the posting deadline has passed, you are now able to hire full-time registered graduate students in the following order:1. Qualified students from another program who are in their

normal funding period2. PhD students from your program who would be less than one

year beyond their normal funding period3. **NEW ** Any other graduate student who is beyond

their funding period

Summary of ChangesPay Rates• Eliminated base salary and lump sum/one-time payment

language• Moved to an hourly rate ($42.74 at August 31, 2015) with 1%

annual increase• $43.18 September 1, 2015• $43.61 September 1, 2016

• Language to protect GTAs against a reduction in other components of their funding package to offset the negotiated annual rate increase (18.03 – The parties agree that any increase in wage rates negotiated by the parties shall represent an increase in total earnings of an employee.)

Summary of ChangesPay Rates

Continuing StudentSample Student 2015-2016 2016-2017

WGRS $ 12,000.00 $ 12,000.00 GRA $ 6,954.80 $ 6,954.80 10 hour TA, one term $ 6,045.20 $ 6,105.40 Total Funding $ 25,000.00 $ 25,060.20

Summary of ChangesHealth & Safety• Language added to emphasize compliance with

Employer’s regulations and policies, and with use of personal protective equipment

• Provision of $120 for purchase of safety shoes where required for GTA duties

• Language to require reporting of health and safety violations

Summary of ChangesTraining – new article• Obligates TAs to participate, with pay, in required

training as determined by the program/department• Required training is to be included in Duties

Specification Agreement, and to be within the contract period

• Allows TAs in second or later appointment (of at least 70 hours) to participate in two hours of paid training, when approved by the program/department

Letters of Understanding

Letters of UnderstandingGTA Financial Aid Fund• Employer annual contribution increased from $75,000 to

$100,000 in 2016 and $125,000 in 2017 (note: Employer contribution was not increased in the previous agreement and has been at the same level for six years)

Health Care Plan• Employer to provide $150 per employee per year (up

from $120 in the previous two agreements)

Letters of UnderstandingLead GTA Program• Renewed with the same terms as in the previous

agreement

Student Evaluations• Agreement to form Joint Working Group to review

possibility of student evaluations of TAs (in consultation with Western’s broader strategy on student evaluations of teaching)

Communication of Changes

Communication of Changes• Information sessions for Graduate community• Graduate Program Offer Letter and Annual Financial

Support document have been updated • Available in GradNet.  From the Launch menu select Recruitment Portal.  • From the top menu bar go to Admissions > Registering Admission

Decisions. You will see Template Letters of Offer and Annual Financial Support Letters to download.

• When ready, the GTA collective agreement will be posted here:

http://grad.uwo.ca/faculty_staff/financial_support/teaching_assistantships.html

GTA Electronic Agreement Generator

GTA Electronic Agreement Generator• Online service hosted by SGPS available March 1, 2016• Graduate programs provide basic details concerning the GTA

appointment via GradNet (e.g. course(s), supervisor, hours)• GTA Offer Letter

• Offer letter automatically generated and sent to student via email• Duties Specification Agreement

• Course supervisor sent request to update/confirm duties/hours • Duties specification agreement automatically generated and sent to

student via email• Signed documents returned to graduate program

*Graduate program still appoints GTA via MyHumanResources

Implementation

Compensation• No action is required by the units for the compensation change • New compensation rates for active appointments will be loaded by Human

Resources and the February 2016 monthly pay will be at the new compensation rate

• Applicable retroactive monies for the period of September 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016 will be paid centrally by Human Resources on the February monthly pay for current GTAs as well as GTAs who no longer have an active GTAship

• For any GTA on maternity or parental leave from September 1, 2015 onwards, Human Resources will adjust their benefit rate for the compensation change. The retroactive benefits owing will be paid on the February monthly pay

• A confirmation statement detailing the compensation adjustment and retroactive monies paid will be sent to Dean’s Offices for distribution to the units

• For administrator questions, the Human Resources contact is Sandra Haynes-Paterson shaynesp@uwo.ca . GTA inquiries should be handled in the units.

Reporting• The GTA Hires and GTA Pays reports will be revised in

the near future to remove the column for the GTA CAA amount, which no longer exists.

• For now, the column will continue to show on these reports but will reflect $0.

Appointments• GTA Appointment Notice (GTAAN) is updated to

reflect the compensation change and is available for use: https://www.uwo.ca//hr/admin/appointment/staff_appointment.html/Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Appointment Notice

• Online Appointment process is updated for compensation change. Any appointments keyed Feb 1 or after, including any backdated appointments to Sept 1, 2015, will be at the new compensation rate.