Editor’s note: This blog reflects thoughts on the most up to date salary adjustment for 2023, which was announced in a joint memo from the University of Waterloo and the Faculty Association sent on May 29, 2023. You can read an older version of the post here.
In a very interestingly timed memo, the University and the Faculty Association announced this morning an update to the 2023 salary adjustments for Bill 124.
The adjustments are to be deployed in two phases (why it was done this way is unclear) and delineate between faculty members who were at UW prior to May 2021 and those who joined after that date. As far as we understand things, here’s the gist of it:
Note: The wording from the memo is not completely clear, so this is our best guess interpretation. If you think we’ve got it wrong, please let us know!
| Employed prior to May 2021 | Employed after May 2021 |
Phase 1 |
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Phase 2 |
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For example, a faculty member earning $100,000 would receive the following adjustments:
| If employed prior to May 2021 | If employed after May 2021 |
Phase 1 | $100,000*2% = $102,000 | $100,000*1% = $101,000 |
Phase 2 | $102,000*2% + $2,500 + merit increase = $104,040 + $2,500 + merit increase = $106,540 + merit increase | $101,000*2% + $1,250 + merit increase = $103,020 + $1,250 + merit increase = $104,270 + merit increase |
Base salary for next year | $104,040 + merit increase | $103,020 + merit increase |
Of course, this is better than the 1% adjustment we were originally told about; but how does it compare to other universities or even just to inflation? Here’s what UW would have to offer:
9.25% to match inflation
7.65% to match Queen’s
5.5% to match Trent
The new adjustment gets us closer to Trent, though not quite, and is still a long way from Queen’s and further still from matching inflation. Inflation is an important reference point: any adjustment that falls below inflation is in fact a pay cut. We’ve updated our calculator tool so that you can compare this deal to the deals that our colleagues from Queen’s University and Trent University got. Once again, we encourage you to check it out and let the numbers speak for themselves.
Lingering Questions
The adjustment also leaves us with some nagging questions, namely:
Why are adjustments applied only in the July 2023 cycle? Shouldn’t retroactive action be taken to May 2023, when the new fiscal year commenced? (compare this to Trent, where retroactive action is taken to January, 2023)
Why not add the lump sums to our salaries rather than having it be a one-time thing? This would bring us closer to the adjustments given at other universities such as Queen’s.
Why differentiate between faculty members who started later? This seems highly inequitable and further punishes early-career faculty for whom starting salary makes a big difference.
Why was this proposal not brought for a debate or a vote by the membership? Salary is an issue that affects everyone, and in a democratic setting, everyone should get their say.
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