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The following labour-relations item has been taken from the Winter 2023 issue of the FSA Voice newsletter. 

Your placement on the salary scale at hiring will significantly affect your take-home pay, lifetime earnings, and, eventually, pension. Your placement should reflect your knowledge, experience and abilities. In this sense, the placement should apply equally to any person applying for and successfully attaining a technological faculty or staff position.

The placement process itself weaves through several groups. Selection committees play an important role in a new employee’s salary (Collective Agreement Articles 5.2.3.3.5, 11.2.1, 11.4.1, and 11.6.1), recommending initial salary-scale placement. When working on a selection committee, FSA members need to exercise this language and recommend the step at which new employees sit at hiring, preventing management alone from making that decision. Under the FSA Collective Agreement, the Dean or equivalent will then review the new employee’s placement on the salary scale (Articles 11.2.5, 11.4.3, and 11.6.4). If disagreement occurs, the Dean or equivalent is required to provide a rationale.

It is imperative new workers pay attention to their initial placement. This can be accomplished by an analysis of where you have been placed on the salary scale, details of which should accompany your appointment letter via the placement form for your respective job classification. Examine your placement form closely and question anything you think is incorrect. There is a six-month time limit from the date of appointment to appeal your initial placement (Articles 11.2.6 for Faculty, 11.4.4 for Assistant Instructors, and 11.6.5 for Technical Staff), so act quickly if you believe a mistake has been made. Contact your Human Resources Advisor to have your placement reviewed.

If you are not satisfied with the response, please contact the FSA and remember that you have the right to appeal to the Institute Placement Committee (IPC) for review.

As you progress in your time at BCIT, so too, generally speaking, does your salary. Full-time members advance an additional step on their anniversary date each year. Part-time employees advance on the first of the month following the completion of the equivalent of an annual workload of a full-time regular faculty member. Additional steps may be granted for external achievements, including obtaining a Master’s degree, professional credential or instructor’s diploma. BCIT also awards a step increase to members for bringing recognition to the Institute. This could be through one’s professional activities, research, publishing and/ or community profile. New

FSA members should apply as soon as possible to the IPC if they wish to appeal their initial placement, or if they believe they qualify for a step increase due to additional education or other achievement. Do not delay, and encourage new colleagues to examine their placement!