The Canadian Association of University Teachers is the national voice for academic staff representing 72,000 teachers, librarians, researchers, general staff and other academic professionals at some 125 universities and colleges across Canada. COSTING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING PROPOSALS 2705 Queensview Drive / Ottawa / Ontario A manual for Canadian academic staff associations www.caut.ca ROBERT HICKEY Robert Hickey is an associate professor of industrial relations and member of the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s University. Rob has served on the bargaining committee for the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA), including as co-chief negotiator in the most recent round of bargaining. Rob has also served on QUFA’s pension committee and the project to create the University Pension Plan in Ontario. Professor Hickey teaches courses on labour relations, negotiations and dispute resolution at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is frequently asked to participate in continuing education and leadership development programs for union officers and staff. His research focuses on labour relations practices and policies. Recent research projects include a study on the impact of technology on workforce development and labour relations in the electrical construction trades and a large survey of work and career experiences in Ontario’s community and social services sector. Prior to his doctoral studies at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Rob spent ten years as a union representative and organizer in the Teamsters Union. He is a co-author with Richard P. Chaykowski and Brendan Sweeney of Costing Collective Agreement Proposals: An Instructional Guide (Kingston, ON: School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, 2013). Costing collective bargaining proposals: a manual for Canadian academic staff associations Published: February 2020 by the Canadian Association of University Teachers ISBN 978-1-7770851-0-0 (PDF) Cover image: iStock.com/from2015 Canadian Association of University Teachers 2705 Queensview Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2B 8K2 // www.caut.ca For more information: [email protected] Costing Collective Bargaining Proposals A manual for Canadian academic staff associations Robert Hickey Acknowledgements This manual has benefited from input and consultation from a variety of people. First, the manual adapted costing methods to the post-secondary education sector based on previous work on costing by Dr. Richard Chaykowski, Dr. Robert Hickey, and Dr. Brendan Sweeney. Consultations and feedback sessions were held with the collective bargaining officers at CAUT and volunteer experts at faculty associations, Jim Davies, Felice Martinello, and Cameron Morrill. Special thanks to Leslie Jermyn, Executive Director of the Queen’s University Faculty Association, who provided very constructive and detailed feedback. Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Background & Context for Costing Collective Bargaining Proposals ............................................................................................. 7 Organization of Costing Guide & Templates .................................................................................................................................. 9 Part 1: A Framework for Costing Bargaining Proposals ..................................................................................... 10 Quick Reference – Part 1 Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 10 Basic Features of Costing Framework ............................................................................................................... 10 Total Compensation of Academic Staff ......................................................................................................................................... 11 Characteristics of Compensation .................................................................................................................................................. 12 Operational Assumptions & Costing Projections ......................................................................................................................... 13 Base Year Model............................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Part 2: Identifying Elements of Compensation & Collecting Information about Costs ........................................ 16 Identifying all the Components of Total Compensation .............................................................................................................. 16 Special Module on Negotiating Benefits ....................................................................................................................................... 18 Composition of the Bargaining Unit .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Step 1 – Compensation Structures & Appointment Types .......................................................................................................... 24 Step 2 – Data Requests & Union Rights to Information ............................................................................................................... 24 Step 3 – Bargaining Unit Database ................................................................................................................................................ 26 Step 4 – Summary Basic Information ............................................................................................................................................ 26 Module – Costing Salary Models & Career Development Increments ....................................................................................... 28 Part 3: Calculating Costs & Building the Base Year Model ................................................................................. 30 Framework for Calculating & Expressing Costs ............................................................................................................................ 30 Module – Cost Impacts of Salary-Related Benefits ...................................................................................................................... 32 Step-by-Step Costing Considerations ............................................................................................................................................ 34 Equity Considerations .................................................................................................................................................................... 39 Costing Timeline ............................................................................................................................................... 41 Preparation Phase .......................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Formal Bargaining .......................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Conciliation & Interest Arbitration ................................................................................................................................................ 41 Part 4: Costing During Negotiations .................................................................................................................. 42 Quick Reference – Part 4 Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 42 Framework for Using Base Year Model to Cost Proposals ........................................................................................................... 43 Calculating & Reporting Costs from Multi-Year Proposals .......................................................................................................... 44 Costing Base Salary Increases ........................................................................................................................................................ 45 Costing Changes in Benefits .......................................................................................................................................................... 45 Module – Costing Employee Rights in the Collective Agreement ............................................................................................... 46 Module – Costing Faculty Complement ........................................................................................................................................ 47 Module – Costing Changes to Paid & Unpaid Leaves ................................................................................................................... 48 Collective Bargaining Scenarios ..................................................................................................................................................... 51 Reporting the Cost Impacts of