Frequently Asked Questions: 2022 Tentative Agreement

Thank you for taking the time to read the Frequently Asked Questions. 

If you have not yet read the Summary of Changes, please review that document.

This page provides general information on general questions. If you a have a specific situation that you would like to discuss with a Member Services Officer, please make an advocacy appointment.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Wage Increases (GWIs)

When will I receive my retroactive pay for the GWIs? What is the timeline?

The Tentative Agreement will need to be ratified by you and UBC. Once it is ratified by both parties, members will be informed by the University and/or AAPS on when they will receive the retroactive payments. However, due to a series of logistical challenges, it is possible that members will not receive the GWI adjustments prior to October of 2023.

How do I calculate the July 1, 2022 GWI?

The July 1, 2022 increase is $455, plus a 3.24% increase. The $455 will be a retroactive increase to your 2022 salary. The percentage increase will then apply to your new salary.

For example, on July 1, 2022, your annual salary was $85,000, the $455 increase would mean your salary would become $85,455 and then you would also receive a 3.24% increase to that $85,455 salary, which would again be retroactive.

Please find below the calculation for full-time employees:

July 1, 2022 GWI = (Annual salary + 455) x 3.24% 

Why did AAPS wait so long if we were just going to settle for the Public Sector Bargaining Mandate?

Bargaining takes time and we needed to go through a number of rounds of negotiations to come to an agreement that both sides are satisfied with.

In the matter of compensation, we agreed to the public sector wage guidelines of the provincial government. Many of you will recall that these guidelines were something of a stumbling block in negotiations. As AAPS Executive Director Joey Hansen noted in May, AAPS proposed a compromise to the University whereby we would accept the provincial wage guidelines in exchange for the University addressing some long-standing issues of fairness around the compensation review.  

While initially there was some resistance from the University to this proposal, ultimately a compromise was reached. The University has committed an ongoing fund to address specific incidences of equity created by each compensation review going forward. For the upcoming compensation review, the University has committed $600,000. It has also agreed to conduct the reviews at regular intervals and to entrench practices related to the data from the review that will help keep it current and hopefully prevent your wages from falling below market rates.

The University has also agreed to work with AAPS to develop a new system of job classification starting in the fall of 2024 (the delay is a result of significant projects like the compensation review and other matters taking up the parties’ time prior to 2024). Over the years, we have heard from many of you that the current classification system lacks transparency, is challenging to understand, and can create salary discrepancies among nearly identical roles. Our goal is to develop a new system that addresses these problems.

In terms of contending with inflation, AAPS retained the services of prominent labour economist Jim Stanford to conduct a review of AAPS members’ wages in the current economic context. Dr. Stanford has concluded the wage package over the term of the Tentative Agreement will ensure that AAPS’s members’ wages will keep pace with inflation.

I started working at UBC in October 2022 and am still in my probationary period. Will I still receive the GWIs as well as my probationary increase?

If you are hired below midpoint, the collective agreement provides that, subject to satisfactory performance, you must receive an annual Career Progress Increment on your anniversary date in order to reach the midpoint of your salary scale by no later than 4 years from the date of hire in your position. The first such increase is sometimes colloquially referred to as a “probationary increase” and is set at 4%, but this is not necessarily a right under the collective agreement.

GWIs do not preclude or impact salary progressions. You should receive your GWIs and if eligible, your Career Progress Increment increase, which will be applied to your new, GWI adjusted salary.

I transferred departments in January 2023 and my two jobs were at different pay grades, will I still be eligible for the GWI?

Yes. Up until January 2023, your retroactive GWI will be calculated based on your old pay grade and after January 2023, your GWI will be calculated based on your new pay grade.

Will I be receiving retroactive pay if I plan to retire?

Members are eligible for retroactive increases if they are or were employees of the University as of July 6, 2023.

Will retroactive pay be taxable?

Yes, retroactive pay will be subject to taxes. 

What if I leave after July 6, 2023, will I still receive the GWIs?

If a member leaves after July 6, 2023 and the agreement is ratified, they will need to provide their personal contact information to UBC to ensure that they get continued communication regarding their retroactive pay.

Pay Structure and Salary Administration 

With regards to LoA #1, section 5, if I am currently paid at the maximum of my salary range, am I eligible for any kind of performance award such as extra time off or a one-time honoraria?

The changes to LoA #1, section 5 reflect the current practice for general wage increases and merit increases for members who are paid at or above the maximum salary range.

If your department/unit would like to provide performance awards, the changes do not preclude you from receiving other performance awards, such as extra time off or a one-time honoraria. 

Personal Spending Account

What types of expenses can I use for my Personal Spending Account?

A list of eligible expenses for the Personal Spending Account can be found on the SunLife website (https://www.sunlife.ca/content/dam/sunlife/regional/canada/documents/gb/pd9825-psa-list-of-eligible-expenses-0523.pdf).

Will the Personal Spending Account be retroactive July 1, 2022 and also carry over for one year?

Once the agreement is ratified, the Personal Spending Account will be effective January 1, 2024 and unused funds will not be carried over from one year to the next.

Flexible Work Arrangement

When can I request flexible work arrangements?

The Tentative Agreement will come into effect once it is ratified by both UBC and the AAPS membership. You can then submit your request to your supervisor for flexible work arrangements.

How has Article 10.3 Workplace Options changed from the previous agreement?  

We have now added hybrid work under Article 10.3.

On the issue of the right to flexible work arrangements, those rights are now entrenched in the collective agreement and breaches of those rights can therefore be grieved. Once the parties approve the agreement, members whose roles can be performed remotely without impeding business operations will be entitled to a hybrid work arrangement and if such an arrangement is denied, AAPS would be able to grieve that denial on behalf of a member. 

Leaves and Benefits

I just had the birth of my child, do I qualify for the 2 days paid leave?

The new 2 days of paid leave for the birth of child comes into effect once the agreement is ratified and is only available for the non-birth parent. Birth parents are eligible for maternity leave benefits under Article 12.6 of the collective agreement.

Is the Health Spending Account still a one-year carryover?

Yes. No changes were made to the terms for the one-year carryover.

What has changed in the new collective agreement regarding sick leave?

As is currently the case, members will still be entitled to up to 6 months paid sick leave for each distinct illness or injury.

However, there have been two main changes to sick leave under the new collective agreement.

Firstly, where more than 24 months have passed since a member has incurred 6 months sick leave for an illness or injury, you will now be entitled to a further six (6) months of sick leave for the same illness or injury. This is designed to protect members who suffer from chronic illnesses and was a key part of the bargaining priorities laid out by the membership during consultations.

Secondly, the maximum amount of paid sick leave will now be capped at 6 months per 12 month period. This was a necessary compromise in order to secure the enhanced sick leave provisions for recurring/chronic illnesses. For the few members where this would be an issue, we have negotiated a provision that allows for the consideration of extenuating or exceptional circumstances on a case by case basis.

Long Service Recognition

I now have 25 years of service, but that period includes my time as a CUPE member for 20 years and as an AAPS member for 5 years. Am I eligible for the Long Service Recognition?

Yes, you are eligible. “Long service” refers to the time you have been employed by UBC. As long as you are now an AAPS member and you have 25 years of service with UBC, you are eligible to receive the 5 paid days off.

When can I use the 5 paid days off under the Long Service Recognition?

You can start using your one-time additional 5 paid days off during the calendar year in which your 25th year of service occurs. For example, if your 25th year of service occurs on November 2023, you can start using your one-time 5 paid days off after the Tentative Agreement is ratified.

What if I’m already in my 27th year of service with UBC? Do I also get the one-time 5 additional paid days off?

Yes, the Long Service Recognition entitlement is for members with 25 or more years of service.

What if I have a lot of carry-over vacation days? Can I carry over the 5 days?

Yes, the one-time additional 5 paid days off can be carried over subject to approval from your supervisor. For members with 25 years of service, they can carry it over up to 2 years. For members with 26 or more years of service, they can carry it over up to 3 years.

Will the 5 days under the Long Service Recognition show up on WorkDay?

As to whether the one-time additional 5 paid days off will appear on WorkDay, that is still to be determined and will likely be communicated by the University after the agreement is ratified.

Transferred or Promoted Employees

If I transfer to a new position at UBC, do the changes in the new agreement mean that I am no longer in a probationary period in this new position?

Provided that you have passed an initial probationary period as an M&P employee and your transfer occurs after the ratification of the new collective agreement, you would be on a 12 month “orientation and assessment period” in your new position. This orientation and assessment period can be reduced or waived at the discretion of the University.

Is the "orientation and assessment period" the same as probation in terms of sick time and vacation?

If an AAPS member has already passed their initial probationary period as an M&P employee and their transfer occurs after the ratification of the new collective agreement, they would be in an “orientation and assessment period” in their new position.

Since they have already passed their initial probationary period, the terms of their sick leave and vacation will not be impacted.

For members who have an offer to transfer to a new role at UBC after the agreement is ratified, we encourage you to please contact the office to set up a meeting with a Member Services Officer to ensure you get detailed advice.

Voting on the Tentative Agreement

When can we vote and ratify this agreement?

An online ratification vote will take place starting Wednesday, July 26, 2023 to Wednesday, August 9, 2023. Instructions will be emailed to members on the morning of July 26.

What if I disagree with some aspects of the Tentative Agreement? What happens if I vote no?

The Tentative Agreement is a complete packaged deal. The process of bargaining involves both parties negotiating and compromising to get to a point wherein we reach an acceptable agreement.

If the majority of members vote “no” to this Tentative Agreement, then AAPS and UBC will need to go back to the bargaining table and go through the bargaining process once again until we reach a new Tentative Agreement.