The Joint Committee is pleased to announce that the representatives of the McMaster University Faculty Association (MUFA) and the Administration have agreed to a remuneration settlement for the three-year period from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2005, subject to ratification by MUFA members and approval by the Board of Governors as part of the Budget Committee’s final budget proposals.  This agreement is the result of close consideration and discussion by the Joint Committee.  It was guided by the Principles established by the Committee and achieves what the Committee feels is an appropriate and acceptable balance of the range of interests presented.  It was assisted in large part by recognition of the shared goal of MUFA and the Administration to provide an environment that rewards excellence and that supports the scholarly pursuits and aspirations of faculty.

McMaster faces a number of demands and challenges in its immediate future, driven by expected growth in enrolment and demographic pressures affecting both students and faculty.  Accordingly, the Committee determined that its interests were best served by the stability and predictability provided by a three-year agreement.  This will permit the University to conduct its planning in such a way that it remains competitive with the remuneration offered by other excellent universities while working within the boundaries imposed by our financial environment.

The agreement is built on the central importance of maintaining the current Career Progress/Merit (CP/M) system for rewarding the achievement of goals in research, teaching and service.  To maintain the integrity of this system, adjustments have been made to the assistant professor floor that underpins it.  This settlement recognizes and corrects for some recent slippage in faculty salaries relative to comparable Ontario universities by phasing in a market adjustment over the three years.  Additionally, the agreement provides for across-the-board increases designed to be comparable with current settlements and, in the second and third years, set to ensure that faculty continue to be compensated at a level competitive with other faculty salaries in Ontario.  To support scholarly activities, the Professional Development Allowance (PDA) is adjusted in each year; the first year’s adjustment reflects in part the incorporation of the modem pool fund into the PDA.  As well, the agreement updates the coverage of the dental plan.

The Joint Committee will separately recommend to the Pension Trust Committee that it consider whether there exist feasible means to extend the partial pension contribution holiday that currently expires on June 30, 2002.

An information session will be held by the Joint Committee to discuss the agreement on March 26, 2002 in Hamilton Hall, Room 320 at 3:30 p.m.  You are invited to attend.
 

Year 1:  For the Period July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003

1. CP/M Awards for 2002/2003 (merit year 2001) will be based on 120 par units per 100 faculty members.  Determination of the value of the par unit for the merit year 2001 awards will be based on an increase of 6.4 percent to the salary floor for Assistant Professors, i.e., the current Assistant Professor floor of $43,662 will increase to $46,456 and the salary breakpoints between ranges will also increase by 6.4 percent; the resultant par unit will be $2,504.35.  Payments of these amounts will be included in salary effective July 1, 2002.
   
   
2. Effective July 1, 2002 there will be an across-the-board (ATB) increase of 3.0 percent of the June 30, 2002, salary.
   
   
3. Effective July 1, 2002, a market adjustment of $500.00 will be paid as an adjustment to base salaries, after application of the ATB increase.
   
   
4. Effective July 1, 2002, the Professional Development Allowance (PDA) will be increased by $100.00, to a total of $1400.00 per year.  This increase reflects an increase of roughly $75.00 to the PDA and the folding-in to the PDA of the former modem pool funding.
   
   
5. Effective July 1, 2002, the Dental Plan will be amended to provide for the current year’s ODA rates to be paid on claims by faculty members. Additionally, for salaried faculty members, dental implants will be included in the major restorative coverage of the dental plan.

Year 2:  For the Period July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004

1. CP/M awards for 2003/2004 (merit year 2002) will be based on 120 par units per 100 faculty members.  The value of the par unit for merit year 2002 awards will be determined by an increase of 3.6 percent to the salary floor for Assistant Professors (reflecting the previous year’s ATB and an approximate percentage equivalence of the 2002 market adjustment), i.e., the Assistant Professor floor of $46,456 will increase to $48,129 and the salary breakpoints between ranges will also increase by 3.6 percent; the resultant par unit will be $2,594.50.  Payments of these amounts will be included in salary effective July 1, 2003.
   
   
2. Effective July 1, 2003, there will be an across-the-board (ATB) increase of 3.0 percent of the June 2003 salary.
   
   
3. Effective July 1, 2003, a market adjustment of $500.00 will be paid as an adjustment to base salaries, after application of the ATB increase.
   
   
4. Effective July 1, 2003, the Professional Development Allowance (PDA) will be increased by $50.00 to $1450.00 per year.

Year 3:  For the Period July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005

1. CP/M awards for 2004/2005 (merit year 2003) will be based on 120 par units per 100 faculty members.  The value of the par unit for merit year 2003 awards will be determined by an increase of 3.6 percent to the salary floor for Assistant Professors (reflecting the previous year’s ATB and an approximate percentage equivalence of the 2003 market adjustment), i.e., the Assistant Professor floor of $48,129 will increase to $49,861 and the salary breakpoints between ranges will also increase by 3.6 percent; the resultant par unit will be $2,687.91.  Payments of these amounts will be included in salary effective July 1, 2004.
   
   
2. Effective July 1, 2004, there will be an across-the-board (ATB) increase of 3.0 percent of the June 2004 salary.
   
   
3. Effective July 1, 2004, a market adjustment of $500.00 will be paid as an adjustment to base salaries, after application of the ATB increase.
   
   
4. Effective July 1, 2004, the Professional Development Allowance (PDA) will be increased by $50.00 to $1500.00 per year.