Staff compensation

Staff compensation is determined through negotiations with the University.

What we negotiate

Each year there is an adjustment to the salary ranges (your USG band). This:

• lifts the 120% cap so people high in their range can keep increasing,
• lifts the floor for new hires, and
• lifts the job value target for everyone.

We negotiate for a “compensation envelope," an amount of money that is then allocated to three components:

• An Across-the-Board Increase: that all eligible staff get, to move all salaries up.
• An Individual Equity Adjustment: An additional increase to move staff who are below job value toward job value
• A Flexible Increase Pool: A third ‘bucket’ of money that we can negotiate a use for in any given year, such as to address specific circumstances, giving us flexibility in negotiations.

In each round of bargaining, we negotiate for the size of the increases relative to each other.

We can also negotiate for changes to compensation-related University Policies or practices, such as vacation, leaves, or the Staff Excellence Fund.

How negotiations work

Months in advance of negotiations, we will strike a Compensation Strategy Working Group, including UWSA members-at-large selected by the Appointments Committee, to conduct research, consult with members, and prepare a mandate for the negotiating team. Our negotiating team will include one of the UWSA presidents plus members selected by and from the Compensation Strategy Working Group.

Negotiations begin October 1, with a December 1 deadline for reaching a settlement. If we don't reach agreement by December 1, we proceed to mediation-arbitration.

Mediation-arbitration

• In mediation-arbitration, the same person serves as mediator and arbitrator, which can save time and money, compared to having separate mediators and arbitrators. 
• All mediator-arbitrators are external to the University, and mutually agreed upon.
• Only the unresolved issues from Compensation Negotiations would progress to mediation-arbitration.
• In arbitration, the mediator-arbitrator “is not limited to selecting between the Parties’ proposals,” which means they can craft a solution from each party’s proposals rather than being restricted to picking one complete package or the other. This encourages more balanced outcomes instead of an all‑or‑nothing result.
• Any arbitration decision is binding.