Yukon education professionals get 5.35% raise over 3 years in new contract
Negotiations were 'long and drawn out' because of the uncertainty of the pandemic, says union head
Members of the Yukon Association of Education Professionals ratified a new collective agreement on Jan. 26 that will see their salaries increase by 5.35 per cent over three years.
According to Ted Hupé, president of the association, members will receive a salary increase of 1.75 per cent this year, and 1.8 per cent each of the following two years.
The agreement is retroactive to Aug. 18, 2021 and will be in place until June 30, 2024.
The Yukon Association of Education Professionals (YAEP) represents 1,186 current members including teachers, Yukon First Nations Language Teachers, educational assistants, teachers-on-call (TOCs) and other education professionals throughout the Yukon.
Hupé said there weren't a lot of changes to workplace conditions in the new collective agreement but the association did manage to negotiate an increase in the pay for teachers who sit on health and wellness committees because those meetings take place outside normal working hours.
He said other highlights include negotiating a 7.5 per cent pay increase for TOCs.
"They did not get an increase last time round and they are one of the lowest paid TOCs in the country," Hupé explained.
He added that even with the increase, teachers on call in the Yukon remain among the lowest paid in the country.
Teachers on call will also now receive a regular teacher's pay on the sixth day of an assignment instead of the 11th, as was the case in the previous agreement, Hupé said
Hupé added the association was also able to negotiate an increase in the pay grid for educational assistants, to recognize their post-secondary credentials.
He added that when educational assistants are required to supervise a class because of the shortage of teachers and teachers on call, they will receive acting pay.
Negotiations 'long and drawn out'
Hupé said negotiations between the association and the Yukon government began last May.
"It was long and drawn out," he said.
He said that because we're in a pandemic, everyone was unsure of the future.
"Because of the uncertainty, it wasn't easy," he said. "We all recognized that this is not a flush, prosperous time for anybody."
The Yukon government issued a news release after the collective agreement was ratified.
In it, the minister for the public service commission, John Streicker, said it "benefits Yukon educators while being fair and financially responsible."
"We are glad to have reached an agreement that supports our teachers and school staff in our effort to ensure Yukon learners have the skills and knowledge they need to learn and thrive in schools across the territory," said education minister Jeanie McLean in the news release.
With files from Sissi De Flaviis
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