July 25, 2024
The Provost’s Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation (PACSC) in accordance with Policy 5, Salary Administration, University Support Staff met several times to discuss a compensation recommendation and considered market data, the University budget and other relevant information.
On behalf of the Committee, please find detailed below the Staff Compensation Recommendation (2024-2025) for your consideration:
- Term of agreement: May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025 (Term).
- For those eligible for the May 1, 2024, staff salary increase process:
a) Increase base salaries by 4.7% effective May 1, 2024. This will be the same percentage increase for all eligible employees regardless of pay position on April 30, 2024, and performance rating from 2023.
Note: The traditional merit program will not be run. Eligible staff employees who received a performance rating for the 2023 calendar year are eligible for the 4.7% salary increase; those who did not receive a performance rating due to being hired late in 2023 or during 2024 may be eligible for the 4.7% increase if their employment offer included a commitment to adjust their salary in accordance with the May 1, 2024 salary agreement. Eligible employees also need to be employed at the time of payment or have retired with an immediate pension from the University of Waterloo.
b) Employees with continuous service of 5 or more years as of May 1, 2024, will receive a lump sum payment of $1000, and those with less than 5 years of continuous service will receive a lump sum payment of $500. The lump sum payment is prorated if an eligible employee’s Full-time Equivalency on May 1, 2024 was less than 100%. Employees hired effective May 1, 2024 or later are not eligible for the lump sum payment.
- During the term of the agreement, the traditional merit program will be reviewed and any changes that are introduced will be aligned with the Strategic Talent and Performance Framework initiative. Corresponding recommendations to Policy 5 will be provided to the Staff Relations Committee (SRC).
- On May 1, 2024, increase the salary scales by 7.7%. PACSC will conduct a review of the competitiveness of benchmark jobs in 2024 through the engagement of an external compensation consultant to inform scale adjustments for the agreement effective May 1, 2025. The compensation philosophy for staff is to pay competitive salaries within the limits of its financial situation as defined within Policy 5; however, the target is to align University Support Group (USG) job values with the market median or the 50th percentile.
- The University will continue to contribute $250,000 per annum to the Staff Excellence Fund during the Term, of which funds will be allocated through the current, established processes. Prior to the end of each fiscal year during the Term, the Chief Human Resources Officer, and the President of the University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) will together review any unspent funds to determine if there are opportunities to allocate those funds in accordance with the fund guidelines before the end of that fiscal year.
- The Vacation Exchange Program which provides a one-time salary adjustment of 2% in exchange for one week (5 days for full-time regular employees) of vacation for each year of participation (with a declared retirement date of no later than the first of the month coinciding with or following the month the employee turns 71), will be extended to April 30, 2034, for retirement on or before May 1, 2037.
With respect to the pay components outlined in item 2 – the lump sum payment and base salary increase retroactive to May 1, 2024 – are subject to applicable deductions and will be applied through normal payroll processing in the August 2024 pay cycle for those who are actively at work at the time of payment.
The members of PACSC wish to express thanks to the resources to the Committee.
Members of PACSC
Michelle Hollis, Chief Human Resources Officer (Chair)
Yessenia Guerrero, President, UWSA
Agata Antkiewicz, UWSA
Bill Baer, UWSA
Lisa Habel, UWSA
Sarah Hadley, Chief Financial Officer
Lee Hornberger, Director, Total Rewards, Human Resources
Beth Namachchivaya, University Librarian
Resources to PACSC
Julie Lowe, Manager, Compensation, Human Resources
Sarah Willey-Thomas, Associate University Secretary (Secretary)