Questions of the Week – October 2023
2023-10-06
Q: Where can FSA members find out their current step on the pay scale? I can figure it out by my pay stub, but is there another BCIT location where you can see your current pay scale? Also, what is the date or are the dates that Faculty move up one step on the pay scale?
A: The only way to determine your pay scale other than your pay stub is to ask HR. On advancement, Article 11.3 of the Collective Agreement states that Full-time Regular Faculty Employees shall advance one step on the Faculty salary scale each year on April 1 or October 1. When the anniversary date of an initial appointment is between January 1 and June 30, the increment date shall be April 1. When the anniversary date of an initial appointment is between July 1 and December 31, the increment date shall be October 1. This is, however, subject to some provisions. Read Article 11.3 in full on our website.
2023-10-13
Q: Is it my imagination, or is management laser-focused on faculty and loading while we get emails telling us that a new manager has been hired for a role I’ve never heard of?
A: While we can’t speak to the specifics of workloading or management hiring in particular Departments, we know that the employer has been looking into the idea of reducing program credits. These discussions are in their infancy, but we encourage members to ask their School’s leadership to invite the Institute’s Academic team to share their perspective. With regard to management hires, it is well-documented that in North America and elsewhere managerial roles occupy an increasing amount of post-secondary budgets relative to unionized instructors, technical staff, and support staff. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) has written about this longstanding trend. For the CCPA, this situation creates a feedback loop wherein administrations increasingly prioritize non-core functions (those other than education, research, and support) of the post-secondary institute. The FSA is concerned that this trend continues at BCIT in a midst of a well-known budget deficit.
2023-10-20
Q: I had a student working for me in 2022 and therefore they were part of the BCITFSA bargaining unit. Are student employees, current or former, eligible for retro pay?
A: Great question! The answer, emphatically, is yes (assuming those students worked between July 1, 2022 and July 13, 2023—the period that retro pay covers). All FSA members who worked in that roughly 54-week time are entitled to retro pay as the wage gains in the contract apply to all members. Some FSA members will, however, need to apply to receive retro pay. If you know a former student employee, retired member, or someone who works in PTS but was without a contract on July 13, 2023, please forward them the link above. For more on student employees, see Article 4.4 (p. 19) of the Collective Agreement.
2023-10-27
Q: The “Question of the Week” section from last week’s E-Bulletin states that the Retro Pay coverage date is from July 1, 2022 – July 13, 2023. It appears, however, that we didn’t receive our adjusted pay until a few weeks after that. Should this retroactive pay period actually be between July 1, 2022 – August something 2023, when we started to receive our updated wages?
A: This is a great point! FSA communications have distinguished retro pay as unpaid wages covering the period beginning with the retroactive start date of the new Collective Agreement (July 1, 2022) and the actual date of ratification (July 13, 2023). There were, however, weeks in between July 13, 2023 and when members began to see their new wage reflected in their pay. These few weeks will indeed be covered by the retro payment.