The current Tripartite Agreement specifies the procedures under which our negotiations are carried out, and requires us to report on the progress of our deliberations as of 1 February, the date that concludes the period designated as Phase I.  It is in this context that we now write.

Before turning to the report—which will be quite brief—it is worth noting that Phase II runs from now until 15 March 2002, by which time we are to have reached agreement or be prepared for final offer selection.  All of us hope to avoid the latter.

Here are the points upon which the Joint Committee has already achieved consensus:

The importance of the Career Progress/Merit scheme.  The initial proposals from the two sides were very similar, and the final agreement will provide for 120 to 130 CP/M units for every 100 faculty members.

Tuition bursary benefit.  The Joint Committee recognizes that it is now University policy to provide a tuition bursary benefit of up to $3000 per academic year for a dependent of any McMaster employee for study at McMaster; the total cost of this benefit to the University is no longer capped for the Association's members.  Thus, what remains appropriate for discussion in our negotiations is any scheme that would provide tuition relief to the dependents of McMaster faculty for study at other institutions.

Pension holiday.  The Joint Committee agrees that any extension or modification of the current partial pension holiday, because it applies to all McMaster employees, is not a matter for negotiation but is rather one for discussion by the Pension Trust Committee.

The importance of providing or upgrading desktop computers (and peripherals), especially for faculty who are eligible to apply to SSHRC for research support.  The administration has agreed to investigate a method of addressing this issue (e.g., by using the existing Arts Research Board as the vehicle).