Memorandums 2023-27

July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027

The following monetary proposal reflects the terms of the Memorandum of Agreement No. 1 reached by the parties and represents a full and complete description of the negotiated salary increases.

Term of the Agreement: July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027

Negotiated Salary Increases

Effective July 1, 2023

• $4,000 adjustment to salary scales; no change to CDI amount.
• $4,000 salary adjustment for all active employees (prorated for full-time equivalency where applicable).

Effective June 30, 2024

• MOA Gender Equity Salary Correction.

Effective July 1, 2024

• 25% adjustment to salary scales and CDI amount.
• 25% salary adjustment for all active employees.

Effective July 1, 2025

• 95% adjustment to salary scales and CDI amount.
• 95% salary adjustment for all active employees.

Effective July 1, 2026

• 75% adjustment to salary scales and CDI amount.
• 75% salary adjustment for all active employees.

Increases and associated retroactive payments shall be provided to members who are active or on an approved leave at the time of signing this document. Inactive members shall receive increases and associated retroactive payments upon return to full active status.

In the interest of promoting harmonious relations and recognizing that the appointment and reappointment of senior Administrative officers has an impact on the working conditions of the Faculty, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association agree that the following represents their understanding with respect to the appointment and reappointment of senior administrative officers of the University:

1. The University of Saskatchewan agrees that the search procedures outlined in the policy documents issued by the Board of Governors in 1997, and as amended from time to time, shall be interpreted to include:

• Deans, Associate Deans, and Vice-Deans;
• Executive Directors, Executive Directors and CEOS, and Associate Executive Directors of Institutes and Schools;
• the Director of VIDO-INTERVAC;
• Vice-Provosts, Associate Vice-Provosts, and Assistant Vice-Provosts;
• Vice-Presidents, Associate Vice-Presidents;
• the Deputy Provost;
• the Provost and Vice-President Academic;
• the President;
• and additional positions as deemed appropriate by the Joint Committee.

2. The University shall notify the Joint Committee for the Management of the Agreement when new Senior Administrator positions are created. 
3. From time to time, a Joint Committee of the Board of Governors and Council will be established to review the search procedures in respect of the appointment and reappointment of the senior administrative officers noted above, and will report their findings and any proposed amendments to the Board of Governors. The appropriate number of faculty or Council members on the search committees and the appropriate methods for selection of faculty or Council members will be included in the review.
4. The Joint Committee shall be comprised of three (3) members appointed by the Board, and three (3) members drawn from the membership of the General Academic Assembly named by the Nominations Committee of Council and approved by Council, and an independent Chair appointed by the Board of Governors from a list of names put forward by the Joint Committee. The list shall be approved by a majority of the members of the Committee, including at least a majority of the Council appointees, and a majority of the Board appointees.
5. The University agrees to make the policy available on the University web site. Print copies of the policy shall also be available, upon request.
6. The University restates its commitment to follow the policies issued by the Board of Governors and to allow the full range and extent of consultation envisioned by these policies.

The University of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association agree as follows:

1. That there is a need for a limited number of probationary and tenured employees whose roles in the academic unit may differ from the teacher-scholar model. 
2. That these employees may have credentials and/or qualifications that differ from the teacher-scholar model and have assigned duties more concentrated on the delivery of academic programs.
3. That these academic employees will be in scope of the bargaining unit represented by the Association.
4. That appointment of these academic employees shall only be made at the ranks of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor and shall be designated as “Academic Programming.”
5. That employees with an Academic Programming appointment shall be referred to as, Assistant Professor (AP) and Associate Professor (AP).
6. That there shall be no more than 50 probationary or tenured employees university-wide designated Academic Programming and no academic unit shall have more than 20% of probationary or tenured employees designated Academic Programming, unless mutually agreed upon by the parties at the Joint Committee for Management of the Agreement. Permanent changes to either limit shall be referred to the Collective Negotiating Committee for negotiation.
7. That for the purposes of establishing the percentage used in paragraph 6 above, the number of probationary or tenured employees shall be as of July 1 of the academic year in which the designation is made.
8. That Academic Programming appointments shall only be made in Departments, or non-departmentalized Colleges, that have approved Standards for Renewal of Probation, Tenure and Promotion for Assistant Professor (AP) and Associate Professor (AP).
9. That any probationary and tenured employee may seek a change in career path to or from an Academic Programming appointment.
10. That salaries for Academic Programming appointments shall correspond to the schedule of salaries for the ranks of Assistant and Associate Professor.
11. That the Collective Agreement shall apply in its entirety to Academic Programming appointments with the following modifications:
    1. Article 13.1.1 shall be amended to include: that the academic ranks of Assistant Professor and Associate Professor may be designated as “Academic Programming (AP).”
    2. Articles 16.4.4 (vi) and 16.5.4 shall be amended to include: Associate Professor “Academic Programming.”
    3. Articles 18.2.6.9, 18.2.6.10 and 18.2.6.12 shall not apply.
12. The following defines the process through which an employee may seek a change in career path through a designation to or from Academic Programming:
    1. The employee may make a written request to the Vice-President Academic and Provost for a change in career path.
    2. Upon receipt of such request the Vice-President Academic and Provost shall call a meeting of the Appointments Forum within 60 days of the request to consider the request for a change in career path.
    3. The Appointments Forum shall review evidence provided by the employee in relation to department, or college in a non-departmentalized college, standards for the designation to which the employee is seeking a change in career path. The Provost and Vice-President Academic shall within thirty days of first consideration of the request for a change in career path, recommend to the President whether or not the employee shall be granted such a change.
    4. After a request for a change in career path has been approved by the Provost and Vice-President Academic and the Board, the President shall send a letter to the employee specifying the addition or removal of the AP designation.
    5. If the Provost and Vice-President Academic does not recommend a change in career path, the President shall inform the employee in writing giving the reasons for the negative decision along with information on the employee’s right to appeal to the University Review Committee for final decision. A member or observer of the Appointments Forum (including the chair) shall withdraw from the University Review Committee for the hearing of an appeal.
    6. An employee who changed to an Academic Programming appointment will receive the Academic Programming designation and an employee changed from an Academic Programming appointment will have the designation removed.
    7. No employee shall be obliged to seek a change in career path.
    8. Changes in the duties of the employee that occur as a result of a change in career path shall be in accordance with guidelines for the assignment of duties as established in the employee’s department or non-departmentalized college.
    9. The type of appointment held by an employee shall not be affected upon change in career path.

The Employer and the Association agree to the establishment of joint committees with equal representation from both parties to carry out the following tasks:

1. Spousal Hiring. The parties share an interest in and commitment to spousal hiring to support the recruitment and retention of faculty and agree to establish a joint committee to review spousal hiring practices and develop principles that will guide decisions related to the hiring of a spouse. The joint committee shall report to the parties within one year of the signing of the Collective Agreement.
2. Intellectual Property. The parties agree to establish a joint committee to review the intellectual property provisions and make recommendations to the Collective Negotiating Committee with respect to the inclusion of any necessary language into the Collective Agreement.
3. Child and Elder Care. The parties agree that they shall immediately begin researching the feasibility of entering into a corporate membership with potential service providers as soon as possible.

The Employer agrees to provide administrative support resources to these joint committees.

The parties have executed the Agreement this 30^th day of July, 2014.

1. Preamble

The University of Saskatchewan ("the Employer") and the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association ("USFA") agree that this Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) is to govern the integration of former full-time, out-of-scope academic positions into the Collective Bargaining Agreement as a result of the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board decision dated November 20,2008 providing that all full-time academic employees of the University of Saskatchewan are members of the bargaining unit represented by the USFA.

The Employer agrees that when establishing academic positions funded from sources other than the University operating budget that the terms and conditions of the 2007-2009 Collective Agreement between the USFA and the Employer, as amended from time to time, shall apply in its entirety to such appointments except for the modifications noted in this MOA or as may be further agreed between the parties.

2. Modified Terms and Conditions Defined

For the purpose of interpreting this MOA, the following terms and conditions are defined: 

1. Continuing Status means the appointment of an employee to a full-time continuing position on probation or with continuing status that is supported by and dependent upon funds provided by a third party under a contract, grant or master funding agreement signed between the Employer and the third party. Such appointment shall continue subject only to the provisions relating to renewal of probation (Article 14), tenure (Article 15), resignation (Article 23), retirement (Article 24), discipline (Article 31), and notice as provided for under Section 2 b) of this MOA. Whenever the term "tenure" is used in the Collective Agreement, it shall be replaced by the words "continuing status" for those employees appointed to a fulltime continuing status position funded by a third party 
2. Notice of Termination of Continuing Status where Article 29 Does Not Apply. In the event that the third party funding agreement is terminated or the funding for the appointment is eliminated, the employee shall be given a minimum of six months written notice of termination of the appointment and an additional one month's notice for every year of service greater than six years, up to a combined maximum of 24 month's notice. At the Employer's discretion, notice may be given as working notice or salary in lieu of notice. An employee who has been given working notice may elect salary in lieu of notice. An employee working through the notice period is eligible to be considered for other faculty appointments and if recommended for appointment may transfer in accordance with the provisions of Article 28. Normally, any employee who accepts salary in lieu of notice may not hold another appointment to the University until the end of the notice period.
3. Special Increases. Articles 17 and 18 shall apply. The awards for special increases for faculty members funded from sources other than the University operating budget will be included in the allocations specified in Article 18.2.4.2 but shall be paid from the same source of funds as their salary.
4. Article 11, Assignment of Duties. Specific terms and conditions with respect to teaching, research or other duties that apply to a position funded from sources outside the operating budget shall be taken into account in determining the employee's assignment of duties.
5. Article 22, Benefits. The provisions of Article 22 shall apply. Effective on the first day of the month following the date of signing of this MOA, employees currently enrolled in the 1999 Academic Pension Plan (Defined Benefit Plan) shall remain in the plan. All other eligible employees shall be enrolled in the 2000 Academic Money Purchase Pension Plan.

3. Revisions to Individual Letters of Appointment

The parties agree that individual letters of appointment will be provided to current employees in the following positions which shall describe the terms of their appointment, including academic rank and any other modifications mutually agreed to by the parties as described in Appendix A of this MOA. The USFA shall be provided with a copy of the letter of appointment.

4. Positions Funded from Non-Operating Budget Funds

5. Interpretation and Review Procedures

Employees may request a review of the application of the new terms and conditions of employment as described by this MOA within 90 days from the effective date of their appointment in-scope of the USFA, that is by January 31, 2010.

Any disputes concerning the interpretation of this MOA shall be resolved by agreement between the Employer and the USFA.

The parties agree that the roles and responsibilities prescribed in the Collective Agreement to Department Heads will be carried out by the   Provincial Heads in the College of Medicine, except for Articles 17.3.3, 17.3.3.1 and 17.4.3 – College Salary Committee for Department Heads and Assistant Deans.

The parties also acknowledge that any provisions of the Collective Agreement that govern the terms and conditions of employment for Department Heads do not apply to   Provincial Heads.

The parties agree that when one or more members of the faculty of a Clinical Department in the College of Medicine is an employee, the search and review committees for appointment and reappointment of the Head shall include one employee from the Department. When a department has employee representation and an employee from the department is not able to participate, the co-chairs shall appoint another employee of the College.

Last Correction Dated July 3, 2024

This Memorandum of Agreement applies to employees who as of September 4, 2013 are participating in the Reduced Appointment Plan (RAP) according to Article 13.2.3 of the 2010-2013 Collective Agreement. 

The parties agree:

1. That Employees in the RAP as of September 4, 2013 according to Article 13.2.3 of the 2010-2013 Collective Agreement shall maintain their reduced appointment according to the terms and conditions of Article 13.2.3 of the 2010-2013 Collective Agreement.
2. Employees in the RAP as of September 4, 2013 may elect to participate in the Reduced Appointment Retirement Plan (RARP) in accordance with the provisions of the new Article 24.5 which was agreed to by the parties on July 9, 2013. The employee must advise the Dean and Provost in writing of the election. Employees in the RAP as of September 4, 2013 who elect to participate in the RARP effective July 1, 2014 are permitted to provide late notification until February 28, 2014.

Effective June 30, 2024, all Assistant Professors who have disclosed they are not male and who were hired on or after July 1, 2017, shall receive a Career Development Increase (CDI) amount at the effective date, which counts towards the CDI ceiling as per Article 18.2.3.

The parties agree to re-assess salary equity during negotiation of the next Collective Agreement and make appropriate adjustments if an inequity is identified.

The parties acknowledge appointments of Professors of Teaching shall be made only in departments and non-departmentalized colleges that have approved criteria and standards of performance for renewal of probation, tenure, and promotion applicable for teaching Stream appointments.

The parties further acknowledge this requires departments, colleges and the University to create standards of performance for renewal of probation, tenure, and promotion for Professors of Teaching. 

Therefore, the parties agree:

1. To direct the University Review Committee (URC) to request that units which anticipate making Professor of Teaching appointments create standards of performance for Professors of Teaching. Committees should especially strive to provide clarity on expectations for: teaching (Category 2 -Teaching Ability and Performance) and professional practice and research and scholarly work (Practice of Professional Skills – Category 5). Expectations for all other categories should be carefully assessed to reflect the proportion of time devoted to teaching.
2. Teaching performance may include, but is not limited to, all presentation of teaching, including lectures, seminars and tutorials, course material including online course websites, individual and group discussion, supervision of individual students’ work or other means by which students derive educational benefit, including Indigenous-based and/or community-based teaching. An individual’s entire teaching contribution should be assessed. Evaluation of teaching may include, but is not limited to command over subject matter, familiarity with recent developments in the field, preparedness, presentation, accessibility to students and influence on the intellectual and scholarly development of students. The methods of teaching evaluation may vary and may include, but are not limited to, student assessment, peer assessment, outside references concerning Indigenous-based and/or community-based teaching, course material and examinations, the caliber of supervised assignments, essays and theses. Consideration may be given to the ability and willingness of the candidate to teach a range of subject matter and at various levels of instruction.
3. Educational leadership may include, but is not limited to, activities that advance innovation in teaching and learning with impact in one’s classroom and beyond. Educational leadership may be considered as practice of professional skills and the research and scholarly work linked to professional practice, or as research, scholarly and artistic work. Professional practice means the mastery of the professional skills associated with the discipline and their effective use in a discipline appropriate practice setting. Research and scholarly work is creative, intellectual work which is in the public realm and which may have been subjected to external peer review.
4. Education leadership, practice of professional skills and research and scholarly work activities include, but are not limited to:
   1. Assessment of application of impact and/or active engagement in the scholarship of teaching and learning;
   2. Significant contributions to curriculum development, curriculum renewal, course design, new assessment models, pedagogical innovation and other initiatives that extend beyond the member’s classroom and advance the university’s ability to excel in its teaching and learning mandate;
   3. Formal education leadership responsibilities within the department, college and university;
   4. Organization of and contributions to conferences, programs, symposia, workshops and other educational events on teaching and learning locally, nationally, and internationally;
   5. Contributions to the theory and practice of teaching and learning, including publications such as textbooks, print and electronic publications, book chapters, articles in peer reviewed and professional journals, conference proceedings, software, training guidelines, instructional manuals or other resources;
   6. Other activities that support evidence-based education research, clinical research, and mastery of one’s field of knowledge;
   7. Independent research on the scholarship of teaching and learning, disciplinary research, discipline-based education research, clinical research, and community engaged research.
5. Educational leadership, practice of professional skills and research and scholarly work activities may be evaluated in accordance with the standards for the academic unit and may include, but is not limited to:
   1. Peer-reviewed publications, scholarly papers, especially insofar as they reveal the quality of research including alternate and emerging forms of scholarship and digital contexts;
   2. Other forms of creative achievement in areas that are directly relevant to the employee’s discipline;
   3. Awards and fellowships granted internally and externally;
   4. Documented activities, outputs and impact, related to all types of scholarly activity, educational leadership and community-engaged scholarship, including the development of long-term relationships with communities, recognition of appointments to professional and scholarly adjudicatory or review boards or councils at federal, provincial and university levels, and evidence of reputation and impact for scholarly work.

Whereas the Parties have agreed to create new tenurable ranks of professors of teaching;

And whereas the Parties wish to establish the terms and conditions for employees:

1. holding without term appointments at the ranks of Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor; or
2. holding tenure stream or continuing status appointments at the ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor

who wish to apply for appointment as Professors of Teaching; 

The Parties hereby agree that:

1. This Memorandum of Agreement shall take effect on the date of ratification of the 2023–2027 Collective Agreement and applies to employees:
   1. holding without term appointments at the ranks of Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor; or
   2. holding tenure stream or continuing status appointments at the ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor,

who wish to apply for appointment as Professors of Teaching.

2. Professors of Teaching will be in scope of the bargaining unit represented by the Association.
3. Professors of Teaching appointments shall be made only in departments and non-departmentalized colleges that have approved criteria and standards of performance for renewal of probation, tenure and promotion for Teaching Stream appointments.
4. Departments, Colleges, and the University Review Committee shall approve criteria and standards of performance for tenure and promotion of Professors of Teaching (Articles 15.9 and 16.4).
5. When an authorization to recruit request has been approved for one or more Professor of Teaching positions, the Department Head or Dean shall convene a meeting of the Search Committee (Article 13.5.1) to determine whether the Search Committee supports proceeding with a waiver of advertising under Article 13.4.3 for employee(s) holding appointments in the unit as of the date of ratification of the 2023 to 2027 Collective Agreement. If 2/3 of the Search Committee or more vote in favour, the Provost and Vice-President Academic shall waive the advertising requirements in accordance with Article 13.4.3. In units where there is more than one potential candidate, external advertising may be waived and any interested parties in the unit may apply for the position(s). If the Search Committee supports proceeding with a waiver of advertising, the search process shall proceed in accordance with the search and appointment procedures specified under Article 13.5.
   
   If a Search Committee does not support proceeding with a waiver of advertising, the search shall proceed in accordance with the advertising requirements under Article 13.4 and the search and appointment procedures under Article 13.5. Employees may submit their application to be considered as candidate(s) for the position.

6. Academic ranks for transition shall be as follows:

1. Without term Lecturers and Assistant Professors shall be considered for appointments to the rank of probationary Assistant Professor of Teaching;
2. Without Term Associate Professors shall be considered for appointments to the rank of probationary Associate Professor of Teaching;
3. Without Term Professor shall be considered for appointments to the rank of probationary Professor of Teaching;
4. Assistant Professors, if probationary, shall be considered for appointments to the rank of probationary Assistant Professor of Teaching and, if tenured, to tenured Assistant Professor of Teaching;
5. Associate Professors with tenure shall be considered for appointments to the rank of Associate Professor of Teaching with tenure;
6. Professors with tenure shall be considered for appointments to the rank of Professor of Teaching with tenure.

7. Advising candidates making a transition to probationary appointments as Professors of Teaching. The Department Head or Dean shall meet with the employee to discuss the employee’s progress toward meeting the approved departmental or College standards for the award of tenure.
8. Articles 13.3.2 and 13.7.3 shall apply to employees making a transition from probationary or without term appointments to probationary appointments as Professors of Teaching.
9. Employees holding without term appointments effective July 1, 2024, who do not choose to be considered for a probationary appointment or are not successful in a search for which they have been a candidate shall continue to be designated as without term employees. Employees who accept an appointment as a Professor of Teaching shall be deemed as having voluntarily resigned from the without term appointment and shall not retain the right to revert to the without term position at any time of the probationary appointment.
10. Employees holding tenure stream appointments effective July 1, 2024, who accept an appointment as a Professor of Teaching shall retain the designation of their appointment (probationary, tenured, or continuing statues) and rank (Assistant Professor of Teaching, Associate Professor of Teaching or Professor of Teaching) and shall have this designation and rank specified in an amended letter of appointment. These employees shall not retain the right to revert to a teacher-scholar appointment.
11. No employee shall be obliged to seek an appointment as a Professor of Teaching.

The Employer and the Association agree to establish a joint working group consisting of 5 members from each party, drawn from the collective negotiating committee and other campus stakeholders, tasked with evaluating the salary review process, outcomes and implications, with the intent of making recommendations to the Negotiations Committee for negotiation of the next Collective Agreement between the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association (USFA).

Following the ratification of the 2023-27 Collective Agreement, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association agree to enter into negotiations regarding the Memorandum of Agreement referenced in Article 25.3.