Fair Compensation for Queen's University Employees

YES, I WANT FAIR COMPENSATION FROM QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY

Emails sent using this form will be delivered to the Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership at Queen's University.

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

Postal Code

Representatives

Patrick Deane, The Principal and Vice-Chancellor

Cathy Matthews, University Council

Precious Nyarko-Antwi, Elected University Council

Owen Crawford-Lem, The Rector

Gordon E. Smith, Interim Director, Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts

Todd Mattina, Board of Trustees

Bob Watts, Board of Trustees

Dean McCann, Board of Trustees

Sheila Murray, Board of Trustees

Duncan Hunter, Health Sciences Faculty Senator and Vice-Chair of Senate

Alison Holt, Vice-Chair

Bettina Pierre-Gilles, Board of Trustees

Lon Knox, Secretary of the Board of Trustees

Jeremy Gooden, Board of Trustees

Matthew Evans, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic)

David Court, Board of Trustees - Vice Chair

Judith Brown, Elected University Council

Alana Butler, Board of Trustees

David Allgood, Board of Trustees

Barbara Crow, Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science

Rebecca Luce-Kapler, Dean, Education

Doug Bruce, Board of Trustees

Heather Black, Board of Trustees

Richard Baugh, Elected University Council

Victoria Remenda, Board of Trustees

Nancy Evans, Board of Trustees

Colleen Flood, Dean, Faculty of Law

Aaron St. Pierre, Board of Trustees

Karen Bertand, Vice-Principal - Advancement

Daria Juudi-Hope, University Council

Bittu George, Elected University Council

Samantha Cheung, Elected University Council

Greg Bavington, Executive Director, Dunin‐Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Connector

Gavan Watson, Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning), Teaching and Learning

Donna Janiec, Office of the Vice-Principal (Finance and Administration)

Fahim Quadir, Dean, School of Graduate Studies

Lori Stewart, Executive Director, Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic)

Emelie Chhangur, Director, Agnes Etherington Art Centre

Lavonne Hood, Acting Associate Vice-Principal (Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion)

Gilles Patry, Board of Trustees

The Honourable Murray Sinclair, CC, MSM, The Chancellor

Mary Wilson Trider, Board of Trustees

Nancy Ross, Vice-Principal Research

Dr. Teri Shearer, Deputy Provost, Academic Operations and Inclusion

Daniel Tisch, Elected University Council

Yanique Williams, Board of Trustees

Kevin Deluzio, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science

Michael Fraser, Vice-Principal, University Relations

Abdul-Aziz Garuba, Elected University Council

Alison Holt, Board of Trustees

Anita Jack-Davies, Elected University Council

Mark Asberg, University Librarian

David Allgood, Board of Trustees - Vice Chair

James Carson, Editor, Queen's Quarterly

Wanda Costen, Dean, Smith School of Business

Colin McLeod, (QUAA)

Janine Griffiths-Baker, Vice-Provost and Executive Director, Bader College and Herstmonceux Castle Enterprises

Patrice Walch-Watson, Board of Trustees

Ann Tierney, Dean, Student Affairs

Sari Ohsada, Elected University Council

Nosa O. Egiebor, Elected University Council

Dan McKeown, Associate Vice-Principal, Faculty Relations

Erin Polansky, Elected University Council

Sandra den Otter, Vice-Provost (Global Engagement)

Jane Philpott, Dean, Faculty of Health Science

Elaine Wu, Elected University Council

Kasmet Niyongabo, Elected University Council

Eva Egron-Polak, Board of Trustees

Your Letter *

Dear Queen's University Trustee and Senior Official,
 
As I am sure you are aware, in November 2022, the controversial wage-restraint legislation, Bill 124, was ruled unconstitutional and of no effect. During the period the legislation was in force, Queen’s University has financially benefitted from this violation of the rights of its employees. More disturbingly, now that the Ontario Superior Court has rendered void this legislation, Queen’s continues to rely on Collective Agreements that were negotiated under the unfair constraints this legislation imposed. This is utterly shameful conduct from a University that publicly claims to hold the values of “acting with integrity, empathy, compassion, and respect” (https://www.queensu.ca/studentaffairs/mission-vision-values-goals). 

In an email dated June 20, 2023, the Interim Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) and the Vice-Principal (Finance and Administration) wrote to the leaders of the University’s various employee unions stating that rather than doing the right thing now, they would prefer to wait until the Government of Ontario’s appeal of the Superior Court decision is ruled upon. What is worse, they insisted that Queen’s position is that “if the declaration of constitutional invalidity is upheld on appeal, there will be a remedy phase where monetary damages may be ordered to the unions.” Put plainly, Queen’s is choosing to retain its ill-gotten gains rather than proactively negotiate fair compensation agreements with its employees. Instead of doing what is right, Queen’s is saying it would rather wait for the courts to order them to pay damages. Shameful. Queen’s justifies its stance by saying that “we are not aware of any other university in Ontario that is contemplating opening their collective agreements unless they have wage reopener language.” Queen’s does not acknowledge that it refused outright to bargain such wage reopener language. Regardless of reopener language, Queen’s should not rely on following other universities to do the right thing. Queen’s postures itself as a leader, yet when it has a chance to demonstrate real leadership in service of its values, it utterly shirks its responsibility.

Queen’s is trying to use its predicted budget deficit for the fiscal year 2023-24, currently predicted to be $62.8M, as cover for its reluctance to reopen compensation agreements with its employees. Queen’s argues that “the impact of the provincial government’s 10 percent tuition cut for Ontario students in 2019, and subsequent tuition freeze, has cost the university $179.4 million to date. The university’s use of its reserves has helped to mitigate the worst impacts of the tuition cut; however, our ongoing reliance on the university’s reserves is not sustainable.” This may well be true, but it is only part of the story. The University is conveniently leaving out the fact that despite the tuition cut and freeze, it has still managed to accumulate an operating fund surplus (2020, 2021, 2022) of $84 million. In fact, during the nine-year period from 2014 through 2022, the University accumulated an overall surplus of $593 million, an average of $65.8 million per year, which is higher than the one-time deficit predicted for 2023-24. The fact is that the University has the ability to ride out this short-term deficit AND to pay its employees fairly. It is a shameful tactic that the University is using to present only part of the facts to justify its morally wrong stance vis-à-vis its employees.   

The University can, and must, reopen compensation agreements that were unfairly negotiated under the constraint of the rights-violating Bill 124. It has the financial ability to do so, and more importantly it has the moral obligation to do so. I strongly urge you to direct the administration of Queen’s University to reopen compensation agreements with its employees.