MaPS Exclusion Review
Background
The bargaining unit exclusion criteria of Public Service Employee Relations Act was amended as Alberta post-secondary institutions are now required to follow the Alberta Labour Relations Code. The exclusion criteria determine which positions are appropriately in or out of a union.
Furthermore, during the most recent round of bargaining the university and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) Local 052, agreed to renew a Letter of Understanding (LOU) #9 re: University-Union Exclusions Review, which can be found in the AUPE Collective Agreement. We will be referring to this as the MaPS Exclusion Review. Throughout this review MaPS positions were assessed for exclusion from the bargaining unit using the criteria laid out in the Alberta Labour Relations Code.
November 2023
Since our last update, information sessions for employees were conducted in July and August which were very well attended. Subsequent to those sessions, HR has been working with leaders to complete “position mapping”. This is a process of determining the appropriate placement of a position into the AUPE salary framework. In most cases, positions have been mapped into the existing AUPE structure. Where there is no appropriate job family or phase, the position will become an AUPE role but will remain in the current MaPS salary range until a new classification and salary range has been negotiated. The mapping process included the following:
- Review of job profiles
- Review of faculty/unit operations and needs
- Leadership engagement and input
- Equity considerations
Although letters are being distributed in November, the changes will not take effect until January 1, 2024 unless a position is being renewed or extended. The transition will then occur on that renewal/extension date.
Thank you for your patience and support throughout this process. If you have any questions in relation to the MaPS Exclusion Review, please contact UService hr@ucalgary.ca
June 2023
Over the past several months, the university and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) Local 052 engaged in a joint process to review excluded MaPS positions. These discussions and the review itself were very productive. Recently, the two parties reached an agreement on which positions will move into the bargaining unit, as well as the appropriate transition terms.
The positions identified will be included in the AUPE bargaining unit effective January 1, 2024. Further communications will follow including timelines, implementation requirements, and details on what these changes mean for leaders and employees. Employee engagement and change management will be of the utmost importance throughout this process. Information sessions will be held for leaders and employees that are affected by this change. There will also be regular updates and information on the MaPS Exclusion Review website.
Please review the MaPS Exclusion Employee Checklist and the Benefit FAQ for impact on your benefits and pension and Benefit and Pension Frequently Asked questions.
If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact your UService at 210.9300 or hr@ucalgary.ca
Timeline
Although the university will attempt to adhere to the following timelines, they are subject to change.
DATE | ACTION |
---|---|
November 2022 to May 2023 | Joint consultation between the university and AUPE |
Week of June 5, 2023 |
Email notification to Senior Leadership (SLT) Email notification to leaders of MaPS Email notification to all MaPS |
Week of June 12, 2023 |
Email notification to affected Senior Leadership (SLT) Email notification to affected leaders of MaPS Email notification to affected MaPS |
July 1 to 21, 2023 | Compensation Team preliminary mapping recommendations |
August-September 2023 | Leadership discussions and mapping recommendations |
October 2023 | Compensation Team calibration |
November 2023 | Employee notification letters |
January 1, 2024 | Effective date for inclusion in AUPE bargaining unit |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Questions will be added/revised as new information becomes available.
The university and AUPE agreed on a process in the 2018 round of negotiations to review certain MaPS positions. However, changes to the legislation and the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the project being put on hold. In this most recent round of negotiations, the parties agreed to Letter of Understanding #9 which effectively recommences the review process. Given the time that has passed, much of the previous work will need to be re-done.
Effective July 1, 2022, non-academic positions at Alberta post-secondary institutions are subject to the exclusion criteria set out in section 1(1)(l) of the Alberta Labour Relations Code.
Generally, those who perform managerial functions, are employed as a medical, dental, architectural, engineering or legal profession, those employed in a confidential capacity relating to labour relations, and those employed in farming or ranching operations are legally excluded from the bargaining unit.
We are moving into the implementation stage of this process, which will take several months to complete. No changes to encumbered positions will occur until January 1, 2024 when positions designated as AUPE will be transitioned into the bargaining unit.
As per the LOU #9 of the AUPE Collective Agreement, the scope of the review is limited to the following MaPS classification:
- Operational and Administrative Support
- Technical Professional
- Professional
- Research
- Management Level 1 (M1)
Positions classified as M2, M3 or M4 are not part of this review.
The review was a joint process involving Human Resources and Employee and Labour Relations representatives from the university and representatives from AUPE.
University representatives conducted an initial review and disclosed initial lists of positions appropriate for inclusion in the bargaining unit and positions appropriate for continued exclusion to AUPE, based on the criteria set out in the Labour Relations Code. The parties spent considerable time reviewing and discussing the list of positions appropriate for continued exclusion.
The university is committed to transparency and providing timely communications to all MaPS employees on the process and expected timelines.
Those employees who occupy MaPS positions that are initially identified as not meeting the legislated exclusionary criteria were notified the week of November 14, 2022.
Following conclusion of the joint review, if your position was determined to not have any exclusionary criteria, you will be notified the week of June 19, 2023.
The university will be moving into a mapping and calibration exercise which includes reviewing existing job profiles and are following up with leaders where necessary. If you have any feedback regarding your position, please discuss with your manager. Individual employees may also be engaged where additional information is required for job evaluation. Throughout the process, the university is committed to providing timely updates and communications to all impacted MaPS employees.
A communication was sent to all MaPS employees on June 8 notifying them of the conclusion of the joint review process. Employees that will be transitioning into the AUPE bargaining unit will receive an email the week of June 19 outlining next steps.
Employees whose position is transitioning into the AUPE bargaining unit will be mapped to an appropriate job family and/or phase in the AUPE collective agreement. If an appropriate job family and phase does not exist, the Employee will be maintained within their current pay range until a new classification and pay grade has been negotiated. Any MaPS employee whose salary exceeds the maximum of their new job family and phase in the AUPE collective agreement will be “Green-circled”, which means that their salary will be maintained, and they will continue to be eligible for any negotiated salary increases.
Those employees will fall under the full terms of the collective agreement.
During the review, employees who believe their position has been improperly identified for inclusion in the bargaining unit may request an explanation from HR (Human Resources) along with any additional relevant information to support continued exclusion. Keep in mind that only those employees performing managerial functions, acting in their capacity as an exempted regulated professional (engineer, architect, physician, dentist, lawyer), employed in a confidential capacity in matters relating to labour relations, or employed on a farming or ranching operation will meet the legislated exclusion criteria. Any determination made is based on the university complying with its legal obligations under the Labour Relations Code.
Due to the necessary legal compliance, it is important to know that the final determinations of the positions through the joint consultation process are binding.
Employees occupying positions that will be transitioned into AUPE on January 1, 2024 who intend to retire on or before December 31, 2024, must submit to Human Resources a written declaration of their intention to do so by no later than November 15, 2023. These employees and positions will remain outside of the scope of the bargaining unit until the employee either resigns, retires, is transferred to another position, is terminated, or is replaced.
Employees occupying positions that will be transitioned into AUPE on January 1, 2024 who are on approved leaves of absence (Sick Leave, Long-Term Disability, Workers Compensation, Compassionate Care Leave, Critical Illness Leave, Death or Disappearance of a Child Leave, Domestic Violence Leave, Jury Duty, Maternity Leave, Parental Leave, Adoption Leave, Unpaid Leave) will remain outside of the scope of the bargaining unit until the employee returns to work, resigns, retires, is transferred to another position, is terminated, or is replaced because of a leave of absence. Any individual subsequently hired into the position will be included in the bargaining unit and subject to the Collective Agreement.
Employees occupying positions with a term end date prior to the transition date of January 1, 2024 and whose position is renewed or extended will be included in the bargaining unit and subject to the Collective Agreement upon having their position renewed or extended. Any individual subsequently hired into the position will be included in the bargaining unit and subject to the Collective Agreement.
All employees placed into the bargaining unit with vacation entitlement that exceeds that to which they would be entitled to under the Collective Agreement will maintain their current vacation entitlement until it is equal to the applicable entitlement under the Collective Agreement or until they voluntarily move to a different job (e.g., transfer, promotion).
The following information was shared at the MaPS Exclusion Information Sessions.
If you have additional questions, please contact totalrewards@ucalgary.ca
The following information was shared at the MaPS Exclusion Information Sessions.
If you have additional questions, please contact totalrewards@ucalgary.ca
Deductions are managed through PeopleSoft. Please review the following to chart to determine when benefit deductions for affected employees will be applied:
If you have any questions, please contact totalrewards@ucalgary.ca.
The effective date for those employees placed into the bargaining unit will be the date they were hired with the university.
If you meet eligibility criteria and have successfully met your objectives for the year, you may be entitled to an increase in 2023.
Visit the 2023 MaPS Salary Program for further information.
All active MaPS on the date increases are paid will be eligible for the salary range increase.
Visit the 2023 MaPS Salary Program for further information.
As you will transition to AUPE on January 1, 2024, you will be entitled to a prorated salary increment if you have successfully met performance objectives.
You will not be entitled to the gain sharing formula (GSF) under Article 54 of the collective agreement as you need to be an active AUPE member on September 1st 2023.
You would however have already received an individual salary range increase as an active MaPS employee in September 2023.
The FAQs will be updated periodically so please check back to the website throughout this process. You may also contact your leader if you have questions.