Wpg Free Press: U of M faculty wants one-year deal, 6.9 per cent pay hike

As Nick Martin at the Winnipeg Free Press reports:

UMFA is holding a vote among its membership Tuesday through Thursday to ask for a strike mandate.

The University of Manitoba Faculty Association is seeking a one-year deal with an average salary increase of 6.9 per cent.

UMFA has scaled back from its original proposal of a 13.2 per cent one-year average salary increase, but continues to bargain in an effort to start catching up to salary levels in Saskatchewan and at Canadian universities such as Dalhousie and Guelph that it considers to be comparable to the U of M.

The university has offered a total increase of seven per cent over four years, with professors who are eligible for increments seeing their salaries go up 17.5 per cent over the four years.

The last contract expired March 31 of this year.

UMFA is holding a vote among its membership Tuesday through Thursday to ask for a strike mandate.

Figures released by UMFA show that the union is asking for a two per cent salary increase on a one-year contract.

In addition, there would be market adjustments of $2,100 for professors, $3,120 for associate professors, $3,450 for assistant professors, and $2,880 for librarians, instructors, and lecturers, all of which, UMFA says, adds up to a 6.9 per cent increase.

The union has claimed in recent years that the university is sitting on tens of millions of dollars earmarked for capital projects and its strategic plan, which could be used to raise salaries and benefits.