Education

New collective agreement at UNBC covers graduate teaching assistants

Feb 3, 2023 | 10:34 AM

PRINCE GEORGE — A three-year collective agreement has been ratified between UNBC and CUPE 2278.

The union represents approximately 100 graduate teaching assistants. The agreement includes:

A three-year term (July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2025) and General wage increases in line with the Shared Recovery Mandate.

Year 1 – a flat increase of $0.25/hour which provides a greater percentage increase for lower-paid employees, plus 3.24%

Year 2 – 5.5% plus a potential Cost of Living Adjustment to a maximum of 6.75%

Year 3 – 2% plus a potential Cost of Living Adjustment to a maximum of 3%

  • Added an article to support Indigenous employee leave of up to 2 days.
  • The University provides members $100 per GTA towards benefits.
  • Added a Letter of Understanding (LOU) meant to address barriers and start discussions surrounding GTA recruitment and retention.
  • Added a process to address Graduate Teaching Assistant workload concerns
  • Added an LOU regarding guiding principles for GTA hiring criteria.
  • Provisions for Office space for the Union to conduct business.
  • The Collective Agreement uses 100% gender-neutral language.
  • Migrated the Collective Agreement to digital delivery as opposed to print.

The parties reached a tentative agreement on Jan. 23; CUPE 2278 members ratified the agreement on Jan. 25 and UNBC’s Board of Governors ratified the agreement on Jan 27.

“Graduate Teaching Assistants play a vital role at UNBC, providing support for faculty and students while contributing to the excellence of UNBC’s academic programming,” said UNBC President and Vice-Chancellor Geoff Payne.

“The priorities of both parties were addressed in this agreement, which is a hallmark of collective bargaining. On behalf of the UNBC community, I thank the bargaining teams for their commitment to the process and for all they do each day to contribute to UNBC’s continued success.”