July 25, 1998 For Immediate Release

At its meeting today, the Board of Governors of the University of Northern British Columbia unanimously approved a new, three-year agreement with the UNBC Faculty Association. Members of the Association had voted 87% in favour. The agreement is effective July 1, 1998 and expires June 30, 2001.

Highlights include:

• A 1% wage increase in February, 2000, twenty months into the contract
• A further 1.5% gainsharing increment in the third year
• A more equitable method for calculating teaching workloads for faculty
• Improved job security for contract instructors who have been employed for four years
• Improvements to the promotion and tenure process

The provisions for wage increases fall within the Monetary Mandate Framework of the Province of British Columbia.

"The new contract will assist the University in retaining its current teaching staff and in attracting the new faculty UNBC will need as it continues to grow over the next three years," says Kate Lawson, UNBC English professor and President of the UNBC Faculty Association.

UNBC President Charles Jago agrees. "The agreement establishes a good collegial structure for the relationship between the University and the Faculty Association and provides a sound basis on which the faculty can build their careers at UNBC," says Dr Jago.

Both Dr Lawson and Dr Jago praised the work of the negotiating teams. "The team leaders, Keith Egger for the Association and Deborah Poff for the University, both adopted a principled yet pragmatic approach which served both parties well," says Dr Lawson.

The UNBC Faculty Association represents approximately 150 faculty members, contract instructors, librarians, lab instructors, program chairs, and regional chairs at UNBC. The new agreement includes the regional chairs and lab instructors for the first time.