A Summary of the Tentative Agreement

Dear AAPS members, 

Further to our message of February 24, we are once again happy to announce that AAPS and the University have reached a tentative bargaining agreement for a new collective agreement.

Early in the bargaining process, we were pleased to discover that AAPS and the University approached this round of bargaining with very similar goals. First, we wanted to implement concrete measures to help our lowest paid members address the growing affordability crisis in British Columbia.

There was a particular focus on our members in the lowest paygrades as the Bargaining Team recognized that the most recent compensation review conducted by UBC, which ensures that you and your fellow AAPS members are compensated at the 50th percentile of the salary market for your roles, disproportionately benefited our members at higher paygrades. We viewed this round of bargaining as an opportunity to address some of that imbalance.

A second, and equally important goal was the expansion of popular benefits that we know you and your colleagues regularly utilize. Related to that, we also sought to create new benefits to address limitations with the current benefit package, particularly when it comes to elder care and care of dependents.

We are very pleased to report that we achieved very significant successes in each of these areas.

Of course, in any round of bargaining, each party will have issues that they seek to address through changes in the collective agreement. In this round of bargaining, the University sought to slow the rate of salary growth of AAPS members, noting that AAPS salaries are currently rising at about twice the rate of other staff groups on campus.

In order to achieve the improvements we did in bargaining, we had to find a way to address the University’s concern. Our approach to doing so was to recognize that while the University, like Canada’s post-secondary sector in general, is currently facing financial challenges that justify slowing the rate of salary growth, that this will not always be the case. We sought to ensure that whatever system we agreed to would be flexible enough to allow for faster rates of salary growth if the University’s fiscal health justified it.

Below is a summary of the changes made in the tentative agreement. Please make sure to read through this memo carefully so you are well-informed on the changes, as they impact all members. Note that some of these changes are quite complicated and we encourage you to attend one of the information sessions we will be holding to review the changes to the Collective Agreement. We will also be posting a recording of one of our Zoom information sessions online so that if you are unable to attend one of the sessions live, you will still have access to the presentation. The schedule of presentations can be found at the end of this memo.

Personal Spending Account

The Personal Spending Account provides you with an annual credit to pay for a broad range of expenses in categories like fitness, education, and personal development. Based on claims experience, we know that it is the benefit used by the largest percentage of AAPS members, with 92% of you taking advantage of this benefit during the 2025 year. Currently, the benefit is $200 per member per year. Under the tentative agreement, the Personal Spending Account will increase from $200 to $650 per year, effective January 1, 2027.

Health Spending Account

Your Health Spending Account provides you with an annual credit to pay for certain expenses that are not covered by UBC’s extended health and dental plans. These expenses could include the cost of deductibles, the cost of covered items once the cost exceeds the the plan maximum, or items not covered at all. We know that this benefit is also incredibly popular with AAPS members, with over 83% of you taking advantage of it in the 2025 year. Currently the Health Spending Account benefit is $400 per year. Under the tentative agreement, the Health Spending Account will increase to $800, effective January 1, 2027.

Parental Leave

When an employee has a new child join their family, they become eligible to take an unpaid leave to look after their new child. This leave is available to both the birth and non-birth parent.  While on this unpaid leave, they are eligible for Employment Insurance (EI). An employee who is receiving the EI maternity/parental benefit will receive 55% of their weekly earnings, up to a maximum of $729 a week.

Under the collective agreement, the University has a Supplemental Employment Benefits (SEB) Program. Currently, the SEB pays the difference between the Employment Insurance (EI) maternity and parental benefit and 95% of your salary for 10 weeks. Under the tentative agreement, the amount of weeks an employee will be eligible for the SEB will increase to 20 weeks. This benefit is available to either parent, even if both parents are UBC employees.

Below is a table that shows the value of the increase in the Parental Leave SEB benefit to employees at different salary levels.

Compassionate Care Leave

Compassionate Care Leave is an Employment Insurance (EI) benefit that allows employees to take up to 27 weeks off work to care for a gravely ill family members. EI defines “gravely ill” as being at significant risk of death within 26 weeks. While this form of leave has been around for many years, when the AAPS office speaks to members who seek time off to take care of a terminally ill parent, spouse or child, the difference in pay between what the member makes at UBC and what they would make on EI becomes a barrier to the employee focusing on caring for their loved one.

To address this, under the tentative agreement, AAPS and the University have agreed to the creation of a SEB plan for Compassionate Care Leave. The Compassionate Care SEB plan would provide employees a top-up of their salary to 95% while on leave, up to a maximum of 20 weeks.

Below is a table that shows the value of the increase in the Compassionate Care SEB benefit to employees at different salary levels.

Family Care Leave

Family Care Leave is an EI benefit that allows employees to take time off work to provide care for a family member who is critically ill or injured. The Family Caregiver EI benefit provides up to 35 weeks payable for caregivers of children and 15 weeks payable for caregivers of adults. Like the Compassionate Care Leave, this form of leave has been around for many years.

Our office often speaks to members with children dealing with serious illnesses or injuries who seek to take time off to care for them, but the difference in pay between what the member makes at UBC and what they would make on EI becomes a barrier to the employee focusing on caring for their loved one. The Family Care Leave SEB plan would provide those on Family Care Leave up to 15 weeks of salary top-up to 95% for caregivers of children, and up to 10 weeks for caregivers of adults.

Below is a table that shows the value of the increase in the Family Care SEB benefit to employees at different salary levels.

General Pay Adjustment

Recognizing that “General Wage Increases” don’t just increase employees’ salaries but also impact the full salary table for AAPS members, the parties have agreed to rename them “General Pay Adjustments.” The parties have agreed to a four year agreement, with a 3% General Pay Adjustment retroactive to July 1, 2025 and then annual General Pay Adjustments on July 1 of 2026, 2027 and 2028.

Salary Increases Up to Market Rate

There has also been a change to language regarding the midpoint of the salary scale for each paygrade. There has often been a misunderstanding of what “midpoint” means, as the word is not very specific or clear in its intent. It was always meant to mean that once you reach midpoint, you possess full knowledge, qualifications, and experience of your UBC role, and salaries beyond that acknowledge that one has gone above and beyond expectations for their job. To make this more clear, we have changed the term “midpoint” to “market rate.” We believe “market rate” better reflects the intent of this part of the pay scale.

Currently, salary increases up to market rate could be administered in any increments a member’s manager deemed appropriate, and thus it was often unpredictable and lacked transparency. Under the tentative agreement, there will be a minimum market rate progression increase that makes annual increases roughly equal year by year until the employee reaches market rate, which they are to reach by no later than the end of their fourth year.

Salary increases for paygrades 4 to 7

To improve pay equity for the lowest paid AAPS members, effective July 1, 2026, all employees in paygrades 4, 5, 6, and 7 will receive a 1.25% salary increase. This is in addition to any other increases they are eligible to receive, except for those that would then exceed the maximum for that paygrade.

Transfer of Tuition Fee Benefits

Tuition Fee Benefits used to be transferable only to undergraduate courses taken by spouses or dependents. Under the new agreement, they will be transferable to graduate courses as well.

Routine Availability

The tentative agreement is introducing a new section under Hours of Work pertaining to “Routine Availability”, also known as on-call work. This section will clearly outline that requirements for routine availability must be reasonably and clearly articulated, that any changes are subject to reasonable notice, and that anyone required to routinely work outside their standard work week will be compensated accordingly.

Removal of Documents

Unlike disciplinary letters which are removed from an employee’s personnel file after 24 months, there is currently no time limit by which letters of expectation are removed from your personnel file.  Under the new agreement, removal of letters of expectation will be subject to the same terms of removal as disciplinary letters. This means letters of expectation will be removed from personnel files after 24 months as a way of showing the employee has understood and followed the expectations set out in the letter.

Performance Evaluations

Resolution of issues pertaining to performance evaluations that the employee believes are unjustified will follow clearer steps that don’t require employees to meet with their direct supervisor about the evaluation they gave. Instead, the first step will be speaking to the next most senior manager for review, and if there is still an issue with the evaluation, the employee may submit a written response to the evaluation.

Indigenous Support Commitment

After speaking about issues Indigenous employees frequently face with regard to career paths and pay, the University has committed to establishing a portfolio in HR to support their commitments under the Indigenous Strategic Plan.

Vacation Carryover and Payout

In circumstances where carryover has exceeded the maximum that may be approved (10 days carried over), the employee must bring that carryover balance down to 10 days the following year. Excess carryover above 10 days that is unused by February 28th the year after it was carried over will be paid out.

Merit

Benefits expansion doesn’t come for free, particularly in a difficult fiscal climate where UBC has experienced significant job losses across all employee groups. So, trade-offs are needed. What this looks like for this tentative agreement is slowing the salary growth of AAPS’ highest earners in each pay grade. This is also an equity issue we have noticed continually getting worse through the years, as high earners in each pay grade see their salaries increase much faster than the lower paid employees. Bridging this gap allows for more pay equity as well as allowing money to be reallocated to areas where they can benefit all members.

The average paid to employees above market rate for performance-based pay increases will now need to be no less than the General Pay Adjustment Rate, which upon ratification, will be 3% until 2028. This means that employees above market rate will not receive the General Pay Adjustment (except for the one retroactive to July 2025) and merit as separate pay adjustments, but rather as one pay adjustment that is intended to keep them at or above market rate, with the potential for higher increases when performance exceeds expectations. Employees at market rate will always receive the increase necessary to maintain market rate at minimum, meaning nobody can fall below the market rate.

Employees who do not get a performance evaluation will automatically be given the average increase. These pay increases will be effective July 2 each year rather than July 1, to reduce processing times with multiple increases happening on the same day.

Employees on job-protected leaves (such as maternity and parental leaves) will also automatically be given the average increase.

AAPS has the right to grieve the University’s determination of the range of merit-based pay increases. Additionally, The University will provide a list of those who get merit-based pay increases below 50% of the average, so AAPS can follow up with members.

Maximums for Pay Grades

Since there were some inconsistencies with the way maximums were set before, under the tentative agreement, the maximums for all pay grades will be no more than 120% of the market rate. This will impact the maximums of pay grades 10 through 18.

Employees currently between the old maximum and the new maximum of impacted salary grades will be “blue-circled,” meaning their salary progression will stay the same as it was before. This will only impact those who have not yet reached the maximum of those pay grades.

Sustainable Transportation

AAPS and the University have agreed to establish a committee to develop a project to support sustainable transportation initiatives for AAPS members that will, at minimum, support AAPS members in pay grades 4, 5, and 6. This could include subsidizing Compass Cards for members in Vancouver, and other initiatives that benefit members in Kelowna.

Once again, if you have any questions about the tentative agreement, there will be information sessions where you and other members can ask detailed questions and be more informed about the agreement and how it’ll impact you.

Tentative Agreement Information Sessions

Tentative agreement information sessions will be on the dates below. Members are welcome to attend whichever date and location that best suits their schedule.

Robson Square – Thursday, April 2nd, 9:30am – 11:30am

Point Grey – Tuesday, April 7th, 12pm – 1:30pm

Okanagan Campus – Thursday, April 9th, 12pm – 1:30pm

Zoom – Friday, April 10th, 12pm – 1:30pm

Point Grey – Monday, April 13th, 12pm – 1:30pm

BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital – Tuesday, April 14th, 12pm – 1:30pm

Zoom – Friday, April 17th, 12pm – 1:30pm

Vancouver General Hospital – Monday, April 20th, 12pm – 1:30pm

Point Grey – Tuesday, April 21st, 12pm – 1:30pm

You may register for a session through this page.

We will also potentially have a St. Paul’s Hospital session on Thursday, April 16th, and an additional Okanagan session on Wednesday, April 22nd if needed. Please let us know if this is something you would be interested in by emailing aaps.pd@ubc.ca. More sessions may be added as needed.

The vote to ratify the 2025 Tentative Agreement will open Thursday, April 23, 2026 and close Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 11:59pm. All members will receive an email when the vote opens. We will be hosting the vote on UBC’s voting platform.

We hope to see you at these sessions so we can answer any questions you may have. We also have a page for frequently asked questions that we will update as questions come in. There is a webform where you can submit your questions.

Sincerely,

Lauren (Ilaanaay) Casey, President

Joey Hansen, Executive Director