Professional Employees Association (PEA) bargaining

The PEA represent 1,112 professionals and middle managers (1,067 FTE positions). This component of our workforce includes student counsellors, system analysts, nurses, fundraisers, scientific technicians, engineers, student recruiters, academic advisers and more.

On January 30, 2020, the current agreement was ratified between the University of Victoria and the PEA. This agreement expired on June 30, 2022, and the terms and conditions continue in force until the parties renegotiate the agreement in accordance with the provincial mandate. Collective bargaining meetings took place in November and December, 2022. 

January 31, 2023

Further to our update on Dec. 16 (see below), the UVic Board of Governors and the members of the PEA have now ratified a new agreement under government’s Shared Recovery Mandate.

The PEA represents approximately 1,100 professional staff and middle managers working at UVic.

The ratified agreement includes:

  • Three-year term – July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025
  • General wage increases:
    • Year 1 – a flat increase of $0.25/hour, which provides a greater percentage increase for lower-paid employees, plus a wage increase of 3.24%
    • Year 2 – 5.5% plus a potential Cost of Living Adjustment to a maximum of 6.75%
    • Year 3 – 2% plus a potential Cost of Living Adjustment to a maximum of 3%

A negotiable Flexibility Allocation of up to 0.25% in years 1 and 2 to support mutually beneficial outcomes for both parties. Some of the Flexibility Allocation was directed to adjusting salary range floors by 2% and salary range ceilings by 1.25% in 2023 and increasing the annual salary progression increment by 0.25% in 2024. The parties also agreed a number of modest benefit plan improvements starting in July 2023, including enhanced coverage for vision care and clinical psychology, and introducing new coverage for benefits such as continuous glucose monitoring devices and dental implants.

Both parties worked together to embed demonstrable commitments to inclusion and reconciliation including:

  • Adding a Territory Acknowledgement to the introduction in the agreement.
  • Adding the Day for Truth and Reconciliation in the list of paid statutory holidays.
  • Adding leave with pay for Indigenous employees of up to two days per calendar year to participate in attend ceremonial gatherings or cultural activities to fulfil their cultural obligations.
  • Improving supplementary benefits while on maternity/parental leave when both parents of a child are regular employees.
  • Incorporating gender-inclusive contract language throughout the agreement.

Finally, the bargaining teams addressed areas of shared interest that improve the working lives of PEA staff members without compromising our commitment to service excellence and strong student outcomes. In this regard, several other adjustments to the collective agreement were agreed-to such as:

  • Confirming the university’s principle-based approach to remote work arrangements.
  • Committing to work together to update the Joint Job Evaluation Plan and salary structure.
  • Providing a one-time contribution of $465 into each full-time continuing staff member’s Professional Development Expense Account, effective July 1, 2022.
  • Providing a minimum 10% salary increase upon promotion (subject to salary ceiling).
  • Committing to work together to develop alternative dispute resolution pathways to further support our informal resolution process.

Thank you to both bargaining teams for such a collaborative and successful bargaining experience. More details about the agreement will be shared with academic and administrative units in the coming weeks.

This is the second renewed collective agreement on campus. More information about collective bargaining at UVic and across the broader public sector.

Tentative agreement reached between the university and the PEA

December 16, 2022

Following one and a half months of negotiations, a tentative collective agreement has been reached under the BC government’s Shared Recovery Mandate between the University of Victoria and the Professional Employees’ Association (PEA), representing more than 1,100 professional staff and middle managers at UVic.

The tentative agreement, which will be in effect July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025, is subject to ratification by the union and its members, and by the university’s Board of Governors. More details will be available once the bargaining unit and Board of Governors ratify the agreement.

Visit the current status of collective bargaining section for more information about collective bargaining at UVic and across the broader public sector.