Summary of the Salary and Benefits Agreement for Faculty and Librarians and Implementation Details (PDAD&C #29)

From: Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President & Provost
Sioban Nelson, Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life
Date: January 22, 2016
Re: Summary of the Salary and Benefits Agreement for Faculty and Librarians and Implementation Details (PDAD&C #29)

As you know, we recently achieved a three-year agreement with UTFA regarding salaries, benefits, and workload for faculty members and librarians for the period from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017.  It was agreed that Across the Board (ATB) increases would be arbitrated and the ATB increases awarded by Mr. Kaplan are included in the descriptions below.

Copies of the mediated settlement and arbitration award can be found here.

The purpose of this memorandum is to summarize the agreement and arbitration award to provide an outline of the implementation timeline. Business Officers will be provided with detailed instructions regarding the implementation of the ATB and PTR increases on January 25, 2016. No adjustments should be implemented prior to these instructions being issued.

1.0 – SALARY

1.1 – Implementation of 2014-15 ATB Increases
There are two components to the across-the-board (ATB) salary increase for 2014-15:  an ATB increase of 1.0% retroactive to July 1, 2014 (on the June 30, 2014 base salary), and a further ATB increase of 0.9% retroactive to January 1, 2015 (on the December 31, 2014 base salary). Both components of the salary increase will be implemented in the February 2016 pay run and will be applied automatically through HRIS, where possible, for faculty members and librarians who commenced employment with the University prior to (but not including) July 1, 2014.

Faculty members and librarians who commenced employment with the University on or after July 1, 2014 but before January 1, 2015 will be entitled to the January 1, 2015 ATB increase on their December 31, 2014 salary. Faculty members and librarians who commenced employment with the University on or after January 1, 2015 will not be entitled to either increase.

As agreed earlier in the process, all librarians with a July 1, 2014 full-time annual salary of $73,907 or less have received a base salary increase of $2,900 effective July 1, 2014 (pro-rated for appointments less than 100%).

1.2 – Implementation of 2015-16 ATB Increases
As with the 2014-15 ATB increases, there are two components to the ATB salary increase for 2015-16:

  • an ATB increase of 1.0% retroactive to July 1, 2015 (on the June 30, 2015 base salary); and,
  • a further ATB increase of 0.9% on January 1, 2016 (on the December 31, 2015 base salary).

Both components of the salary increase will be implemented in the March 2016 pay run and will be applied automatically through HRIS, where possible, for faculty members and librarians who commenced employment with the University prior to (but not including) July 1, 2015.

Faculty members and librarians who commenced employment with the University on or after July 1, 2015 but before January 1, 2016 will be entitled to the January 1, 2016 ATB increase on their December 31st, 2015 salary. Faculty members and librarians who commenced employment with the University on or after January 1, 2016 will not be entitled to either increase.

1.3 – 2016-17 ATB Increases
The 2016-17 ATB increase for faculty members and librarians will be 1.75%. Effective July 1, 2016, every faculty member and librarian with a June 30, 2016 annual full-time salary of less than $158,400 will receive an ATB increase of 1.75% of base salary.

Every faculty member and librarian with a June 30, 2016 annual salary of more than $158,400 will receive a flat dollar ATB base salary increase of 1.75% x $158,400 = $2,772. In such cases, the difference between 1.75% of base salary and $2,772 will flow to the divisional PTR pool for distribution through the PTR process on the basis of merit.

Further details about the PTR process will be communicated at a future date.

1.4 – July 1, 2017 Flat Dollar Increase
Effective July 1, 2017, all faculty members and librarians who are employed on June 30, 2017 will receive a flat dollar increase to base salary equal to 0.4% of the June 30, 2017 salary mass for faculty and librarians, divided by the number full-time equivalent faculty members and librarians. This amount will be calculated centrally.

For faculty members and librarians who have appointments of less than 100% FTE, this flat dollar amount will be prorated in accordance with their FTE.

2.0 – PROGRESS THROUGH THE RANKS (PTR)

2.1 – PTR for 2014-15
Faculty members and librarians who received July 1, 2015 PTR will receive a flat dollar increase to base salary equal to the average PTR awarded, multiplied by the 2014-15 total ATB of 1.9%. All eligible faculty members and librarians will receive the same flat dollar increase to their July 1, 2015 base salary. This amount will be calculated centrally and will be applied automatically through HRIS, where possible, in the March 2016 pay run.

For faculty members and librarians who have appointments of less than 100% FTE, the flat dollar amount will be prorated in accordance with their FTE.

Effective July 1, 2015 is an increase to the PTR breakpoint for teaching stream faculty, bringing it to $135,400. Also effective July 1, 2015, the 100% above the breakpoint increment will be increased to $1,800 and the 100% below the breakpoint increment will be increased to $3,100.

2.2 – PTR for 2015-16
PTR awards for 2015-16 will be implemented as per the usual schedule in July 2016 as outlined in the Annual PTR / Merit Assessment and Salary Increase Instructions memo.

Additionally, effective July 1, 2016, every teaching-stream faculty member whose June 30, 2016 salary is above the breakpoint will receive a flat dollar base increase of $90 and those whose salary is below the breakpoint will receive a flat dollar base increase of $155.

For teaching-stream faculty members who have appointments of less than 100% FTE, the flat dollar amount will be prorated in accordance with their FTE.

3.0 – PER COURSE STIPEND / OVERLOAD STIPEND RATE

Retroactive to September 1, 2015, the minimum per course stipend rate payable to faculty members teaching on overload and retired faculty members is increased from $16,200 to $16,500. Please note that the start date for this provision means that the stipend rate for courses taught in summer 2015 is NOT affected by this change.

4.0 – BENEFITS

4.1 – Long-term Disability Benefits
Effective January 1, 2016, the pre-disability salary cap for NEW LTD claimants has increased from $125,000 to $150,000. There will be no increase in member contributions associated with the increase in benefit amount.

4.2 – Health Benefits
Retroactive to July 1, 2015, the per person maximum for vision care has been increased from $350 to $400 every 24 months plus separate coverage for eye exams up to $110 every 24 months.

Retroactive to July 1, 2015, coverage for complementary health services has been expanded to include dietician services, osteopathic services, occupational therapy and acupuncture and will increase from $700 to $950 per person.

Commencing July 1, 2017, a new Health Care Spending Account in the amount of $650 per faculty member and librarian per year (July 1 to June 30), will be allocated annually, prorated in accordance with their FTE.

4.3 – Retiree Benefits
Faculty members and librarians who commence employment on or after November 21, 2015 will only be eligible for retirement benefits if:

  • they have ten years of service with the University and retire from the University and immediately commence a monthly pension from the U of T Pension Plan; or,
  • if they have ten years of service with the University and elect the commuted value option available under the unreduced early retirement provisions of the Agreement on Retirement Matters.


4.4 – Tuition Waiver
Effective July 1, 2015, the tuition waiver benefit for faculty members and librarians will be modified to include pursuit of a part-time or flex-time U of T PhD.

4.5 – Research and Study Leave
Retroactive to July 1, 2015, the compensation level for research and study leave subsequent to the first research and study leave following a successful tenure review or a successful continuing-status review will be increased from 82.5% to 85%. This change applies only to research and study leaves that commenced on or after July 1, 2015.

Instructions on adjusting the leave salary for those leaves commencing on or after July 1, 2015 will be communicated after the retroactive ATB adjustments are made.

Research and study leave salaries will NOT be adjusted in the following instances:

  • split leaves where the second half of the leave occurs July 1, 2015 or after;
  • leaves that span two academic years that occurred or began prior to July 1, 2015, e.g., January 1 to December 31, 2015;
  • leave salaries paid over 24 months for leaves that occurred or began prior to July 1, 2015.

Effective July 1, 2016, the compensation level for research and study leave subsequent to the first research and study leave following a successful tenure review or a successful continuing-status review will be increased from 85% to 87.5%.  This change applies only to research and study leaves that commence on or after July 1, 2016.

Leave salaries will NOT be adjusted in the following instances:

  • split leaves where the second half of the leave occurs July 1, 2016 or after;
  • leaves that span two academic years that occurred or began prior to July 1, 2016, e.g., January 1 to December 31, 2016;
  • leave salaries paid over 24 months for leaves that occurred or began prior to July 1, 2016.


4.6 – Professional Expense Reimbursement Allowance (PERA)
Effective July 1, 2015, the Professional Expense Reimbursement Allowance for pre-tenure and pre-continuing status faculty members and pre-permanent status librarians will be increased from $1,850 to $2,000.  The allowance for tenured and continuing status faculty members and permanent status librarians will increase from $1,600 to $1,700. The July 1, 2015 amounts will be adjusted centrally by the end of January 2016.

5.0 – PENSIONS

On June 30, 2017, the annual required contributions to the University of Toronto Pension Plan (the ‘Plan’) will increase for faculty members and librarians who are members of the Plan from the current rate of 6.3% to 7.15% of salary not in excess of the CPP maximum salary and from 8.4% to 9.5% of salary in excess of the CPP maximum salary.

The current maximum pensionable salary of $150,000 will be increased as follows:

  • Effective January 1, 2014 to $153,000
  • Effective January 1, 2015 to $156,500
  • Effective January 1, 2016 to $161,000

Effective January 1, 2016, contributions to the plan will be based on the new maximum pensionable salary. This will be implemented retroactively on the February 2016 pay.