As was reported in the APUO’s July Bulletin, in the wake of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice finding that Bill 124, Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019 was unconstitutional the union had, in accord with the July 8, 2021 Letter of Understanding, re-opened salary negotiations from the 2021-2024 round of collective bargaining with the Employer.
Today, we are pleased to announce that on October 5, 2023 we reached an agreement with the Employer to secure, for the period spanning May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2024, the following retroactive salary increases on top of the 1% increase negotiated in 2021 (members will recall that 1% per year was the maximum increase permitted under the constraints imposed by Bill 124):
- May 1, 2021 – April 30, 2022 An additional 1.25% for a total of 2.25%
- May 1, 2022 – April 20, 2023 An additional 2% for a total of 3%
- May 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024 An additional 2.25% for a total of 3.25%
This represents a total increase of 8.50%, or an average annual increase of 2.83% for APUO members. This is in line with settlements reached by other Ontario university Faculty unions and associations who re-opened salary negotiations in the aftermath of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s decision regarding Bill 124.
APUO members employed at any time between May 1, 2021 and April 30, 2024, will receive a lump sum payment covering their adjusted salary. For example, a faculty member hired on September 1, 2022, will receive a lump sum for a prorated portion of the 2022-2023 year and the entire year’s increase for the 2023-2024 year.
As per the signed Memorandum of Settlement (MOS), the membership must ratify the agreement. In the next few days, the APUO will announce the date, time, and location of the ratification vote which will take place in person with the APUO’s usual Policy on Accessibility Standards for Customer Service being applied as needed. Please keep an eye out for a future bulletin.