NR staff – Beyond Policy 47

You deserve more than a policy

PSAC has long been taking the position in bargaining with academic institutions that Research Associates and professional researchers are akin to that of a junior research faculty member. Indeed, virtually all of you have academic qualifications similar to faculty members, having completed doctoral degrees or medical professional equivalent.

Professional research employees are highly qualified academic personnel, and you contribute a significant expertise to support the University’s research agenda and that of affiliated institutes, government, and industry partners.

Those of you who are research technicians or occupy other research positions provide essential support, technical expertise and direct collaboration to research activities.  The labs would not be functioning without you. You are critical to the delivering of the University research activities.

The source of funding of your research positions shouldn’t have an impact on determining your access to benefits and to working conditions higher than the basic provided by the Ontario Employment Standards.

Employment Security Inequity

The ongoing precarity inherent to term contracts research employees who in some cases have been working without job security for over a decade is unfair and the core motivation behind all organizing drives for this group of employees in universities across the country.

Regardless of the length of employment without a break in service, a contract research employee is always emotionally in fear of being laid off, or in the case of workplace issues, potentially one misstep away from losing their job.

The precariousness of those employees on a contract research position often prevents them from standing up for their rights or to ask to be paid adequately for the work they do by fear of not being renewed.

Professional researchers are highly motivated and dedicated, and like other high-level academic workers, routinely work substantially more hours than those for which they are paid.

The current system opens the door to potential abuse with little recourse to rectify problems. Research employees aren’t lesser important than other university employees because of the source of funding. The current two-tier system is archaic and unfair.

Collective bargaining can help increase job security and bring improvements to reduce the stress and difficulties of precarious employment.

The vast majority of research associates or professional researchers (including research technicians) represented by PSAC have been successful at negotiating superior job security clauses.

At McGill and Concordia, a 5-year roll-over to indeterminate status is now granted for those working without interruption.

Yes, research funds can be become scarce, but researchers can be relocated to other research projects on a priority basis before external applicants, they can receive training to specialize their skills set to different lab requirements, and there is nothing that prevents universities from allocating bridging funds to a PI in between two grants.

From postdoc to research associate

Many postdocs who reach the end of their 5-year limit and who haven’t pursued a career as a faculty member or in the private research sector just continue working in their exact same position on campus, pursuing important research activities which are contributing to the university reputation as they have developed a higher level of proficiency and competency during their postdoc. They are promoted from PDF to an NR position, but beside a potential salary increase, there aren’t many changes. The same precarity is at play and it could last an entire career.

They deserved to be recognized, starting with better working conditions and a recognition of length of service.

PSAC represents research associates and other professional researchers paid from research grants at:

  • Dalhousie University, including research technicians, research coordinators and research administrative support

  • McGill University, including research technicians

  • Douglas Mental Health University Institute, including research technicians, research coordinators and research administrative support

  • Université de Montréal, including research technicians, research coordinators and research administrative support.

  • Centre hospitalier universitaire Ste-Justine, including research technicians

  • École de technologie supérieure

  • Concordia University, including research technicians

  • University of Winnipeg

  • University of Saskatchewan

Job evaluation & reclassification

Unionizing will allow for proper assessments of jobs to ensure that employees are properly classified. In the world of university research, employees often work side-by-side on the same research projects and performing slightly different activities with different levels of responsibility, but the lines are often blurred. What is really the difference between a junior technician and a research administrative assistant, a technician and a senior technician, a research associate and a lab coordinator?

Since wages are directly related to someone’s classification, it is important that employees be properly classified and paid according to their job description and position.

First Contract Arbitration

PSAC’s research employees have established new standards for the sector particularly by compelling universities and affiliated hospital institutes to improve working conditions through first contract collective agreement arbitration.

Negotiations for a first contract can be more difficult. Several provincial legislations contain provisions for binding first contract arbitration. It means that an arbitrator renders a final decision on items that remain to be negotiated. Arbitrators consistently awarded significantly improved working conditions to research employees whenever PSAC made submissions through the first contract arbitration process. These set the tone for bargaining throughout the sector.  

In addition to negotiating better wages and benefits some of the most recent gains for research employees include:

McGill University

  • Language on contract renewal notice to discourage delays with 8 weeks notice of nonrenewal for longer-term employees.

  • Tuition waiver for staff and dependants.

  • University paid training

  • Severance pay of one month of salary for each year of service if let go.

  • With 5 years of continuous service in the same department regular employees shall be appointed for indeterminately and continue in their position without worrying about contract renewal.

University of Saskatchewan

  • New salary floor set at $55,000. (salary of 2021)

  • Language specifying a standard work week of 37.5 hours or less.

  • Top-up provided for a member on maternity or parental leave: members in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits can be topped up to 95% of their salary for the first 21 weeks of maternity or parental leave.

  • 3 days of paid family responsibility leave for all members.

  • 15 days of paid sick leave with contract under 24 months. Full salary continuance if 24+ months.

  • Up to one year of unpaid education leave.

  • Thirty paid vacation leave days per year and carry-over is possible.

  • Appointments normally 12 months and shorter-term appointments only limited to specific circumstances. The employer cannot use consecutive short appointments to avoid 12-month appointments.

  • Joint union management committee.

  • Language to ensure that members’ rights surrounding intellectual property are as strong as those for the Faculty Association.

Concordia University

  • Four months of paid sick leave full-time and part-time employees.

  • 93% top-up to maternity, parental and paternity leave.

  • Contracts longer than 12 months: entitled to participate in Health, Drug, and Dental benefits, Basic, Optional and Dependent Life Insurance, Pension Plan, LTD.

  • Up to 12 months of leave without pay and reinstatement into position.

  • 12+ month contracts whenever possible.

  • Transfer to indeterminate status after five years.

  • Seniority-based priority call-back within 12 months, seniority rights.

  • Clear probation language and right to training.

  • Right to position with similar pay after occupational injury.

  • 1.5x overtime pay after 40 hours per week & language limiting excessive workload.

  • Tuition waiver for credit courses (spouses and dependents).

  • Full-time employees work three hours a week less mid-June to mid-August with no loss of salary.

  • University paid training and professional development