Compensation for Education and Step Placement Errors: Grievances Settled
November 30, 2009
Last Friday morning, Adriana Volpato and Geoff Selig signed a letter of agreement resolving four grievances that disputed the accuracy of salary determinations and retroactivity calculations undertaken by the University in November 2005 shortly after the signing of the collective agreement that ran from June 1, 2002 to May 31, 2008. These grievances alleged that the University had incorrectly paid some professional employees. The types of errors envisioned by the grievances included incorrect initial step placement, incorrect calculation of "history steps", incorrect annual step increases, failure to adjust stipends, and failure to recognize education that was above the minimum required for a given position.
As a result of these grievances, a full review of all salary determinations and retroactivity calculations for professional employees working at the university between June 1, 2002 and the present was jointly undertaken by the University and the Union. This review began in the fall of 2007 and finally ended early this November. Every professional employee's salary determination and retroactivity calculation was redone. The University and the Union used their own tools to perform the salary and retroactivity calculation. Whenever a discrepancy occurred between the University and the Union calculations, an investigation was undertaken to understand the cause of the difference. Corrections were made when necessary and the calculations rerun. Only when the University and the Union calculations matched was an individual case considered settled.
Over this period, both University and Union representatives invested significant amounts of effort to find a satisfactory resolution. The Union wishes to thank Chantal Coulombe, Compensation and Benefits Specialist, who undertook the arduous task of recreating the state of affairs back on June 1, 2002 so that she and Geoff Selig could properly review each salary determination and retroactivity calculation. In addition, the Union wishes to thank Maurice René de Cotret, Director of Employee Relations, Hugues Thibault, Employee Relations Advisor, and Adriana Volpato, CUPEU's CSN advisor, for their cooperative work in negotiating the agreement that ultimately resolved the grievances. In addition, the Union wishes to thank Tchad Lafleur, Director Compensation, Dimitra Kofitsa, Compensation Advisor, and all the other Human Resources staff whose involvement and assistance was invaluable to the successful conclusion of this exercise. We thank Rob Carver, Christine Daviault, and Frank Carrière for their efforts. And the Union recognizes and appreciates the commitment made by Geoff Selig who invested on behalf of the union membership hundreds of hours of his own time to analyze, review, and verify every salary determination and retroactivity calculation.
As a result of this review, some 70 currently employed professional employees were identified as having been incorrectly placed at too-low a step in their salary scale and/or not recognized for all of their education, and thus underpaid. These employees will receive retroactivity to compensate them for the underpayment of salary. Close to $200,000 will be paid to these individuals.
Unfortunately, the exercise also determined that some fifteen professional employees were incorrectly placed at too-high a step in the salary scale and thus overpaid. As a result of these overpayments, the affected employees will see their current salaries frozen for a period but will suffer no other penalty. Two information sessions (with Geoff Selig and Chantal Coulombe) will be scheduled for these professional employees to explain how the salary review was undertaken and how the salary freeze will affect them.
In the next few days, you should receive one or two letters. One letter, covering the period June 1, 2002 to May 31, 2007, will summarize the outcome of the review described above. The second letter, covering the period June 1, 2007 to the present, will summarize the retroactivity you will receive due to the resolution of the clause remorque and the extension of the CUPEU collective agreement.
All retroactivity will be paid in December of this year; we anticipate that the retroactivity will be included in the December 31, 2009 payroll run.
Each of the letters you will receive asks you to contact Chantal Coulombe should you have any questions. We ask that you take advantage of this offer and contact Ms. Coulombe should you have questions regarding the content of your letters or the associated calculations. Please contact the Union only after you have done your best to have your questions and concerns addressed by Ms. Coulombe.