This update is about the recently settled SAIT Academic Faculty Association (SAFA) agreement, as well as negotiations around the province. Details of the SAFA agreement have yet to be published on a public website, but we can tell you what we’ve learned about the most significant outcomes:
- Wages of twelve percent over four years (three percent per year average);
- Retroactive lump sum payment (back pay) to July 1, 2024;
- A “me too” clause that says if another ACIFA institute settles an agreement with raises higher than 12% that SAFA members will get that increase as well;
- A $100 a year increase to their health spending account;
- A concession giving the employer more power to schedule permanent staff as early as 6 a.m., as late as 10 p.m., and now on weekends as well.
Last fall the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) were offered 12% with other improvements through informal mediation. Members of UNA voted to reject that offer in part because it was too low in light of decades high inflation, and also to not set a precedent that could hurt unions like NASA and lower paid workers bargaining for wages they deserve.
In January, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) were offered just 10%, which HSAA characterized as “insultingly below inflation”.
The Association of Academic Staff University of Alberta (AASUA) were offered a two-tiered wage deal in February where some staff would get a 10% increase, but others only 8%. AASUA says that offer “disincentivizes both the recruitment and retention of top candidates to our academic staff complement”.
The Confederation of Academic Faculty Associations including Mount Royal, Grant MacEwan, Athabasca, and Lethbridge Universities issued a bargaining advisory (attached) that says that 12 and 10% offers “may represent an attempt by the government to take Post-Secondary Education “off the table” as it prepares for the possibility of job action from major public sector unions.” NASA notes the government is already dealing with over 6,000 public sector workers already on strike.
Some takeaways then from the SAFA settlement and other developments in Alberta:
- The provincial mandate of 7.5% over four years has already shifted;
- Unions have had 12% offered without a single strike vote being taken;
- Rallies and other pressure from many union members has already had an effect;
- SAFA’s “me too” clause suggests that higher than 12% is possible;
- The retro-active increase for SAFA indicates that others can win the same retro-activity, and not worry about losing out if they don’t rush to take a bad deal;
- Different unions getting different offers suggests 12% is not going to be automatically offered – more pressure is likely needed to hit and exceed 12%.
The provincial budget tabled on February 27 shows that the forecasted inflation for 2024-2027 is 10.1%. A 12% raise is then only a real increase of 1.9% over those four years. Combine that with the over 17% loss in real wage value to inflation from 2017-2023 and the 12% settlement represents a net loss of over 15%.
During recent town hall meetings with NASA members (stay tuned if you haven’t had one in your school yet) a clear majority of attendees have said they still support the 2024 positions strongly endorsed by NASA members: catching up from past inflation losses, keeping up with current inflation, and a raise on top in recognition of increased work and value to Alberta’s wealthy economy.
A poll question was asked in the email that was sent to NASA members: Should NASA members accept a wage offer that represents a 15% loss in the real value of your wages from 2017-2027?
Stay tuned for more updates about bargaining including an upcoming bargaining date with NAIT on April 4.