Arbitrator awards salary increase over 3 years to U of Manitoba faculty

Members of the University of Manitoba Faculty Association are getting a salary increase, an arbitrator announced late Monday afternoon in a news release.

William Kaplan ruled that the University of Manitoba has to pay salary increases of 2.25 per cent per year, over three academic school years, to its faculty.

The increases begin with the 2021-22 school year.

The ruling follows a 35-day strike last year, which ended Dec. 7, after the university and faculty association agreed to binding arbitration.

The terms of the arbitration stated that the arbitrator would ignore any government mandates and be guided by reasonable advancement toward the salaries paid at Canada's other top research universities, the release said.

Orvie Dingwall, president of the faculty association, is happy about the arbitrator's decision.

"After six years of Conservative government interference and having our salaries essentially frozen, we needed significant improvements to our compensation in order to remain competitive with Canada's research universities," she said in the release.

"This ruling helps ensure that we are able to retain the top professors, instructors, and librarians who provide quality public education to students in Manitoba."

Additionally, Kaplan made a groundbreaking decision in the ruling that the university's administration is required to pay faculty for the instruction they gave after the strike. This ensured students were able to complete their fall semester courses and start winter-term classes.

He also ruled that faculty association members be paid for time spent completing their research and service duties, the release adds.

Dingwall is glad Kaplan recognized the need to keep the salaries of the faculty association competitive with other Canadian universities, while sending a clear message to the university that workers deserve to be paid at a high standard.

The faculty association represents over 1,200 professors, instructors and librarians at the University of Manitoba.

CBC News reached out to the university for comment, but has yet to hear a response.