Pay Equity at MRU

The MRFA’s Ongoing Efforts Regarding Pay Equity at MRU

The Mount Royal Faculty Association continues to represent Members’ interests and is working to ensure the appropriate steps are taken to address pay equity at MRU.

A. The Association believes that both parties must act in Accordance with Item #6 of the MOU on Article 24-Diversity and Equity, which stipulates that the consultant’s report/study will be:

1. shared by the AVP Human Resources with President’s Executive Committee (PEC)
   • This presentation has been scheduled for March 3, 2021.
2. with the Joint Diversity and Equity Committee for the purpose of review and providing recommendations on any required action to be taken.  
   • The JDEC group has made recommendations about the consultant’s report, its findings as well as number of observations about the review process including its learnings from this initial effort.
3. A copy of the report at the aggregate level shall be made available to the Association. 
   • As of March 2, The Association and the Administration are not agreed on what constitutes a “copy of the report at the aggregate level.” 

The Association’s goal is to ensure transparency in communicating the consultant’s findings so that members can assess their position with respect to any pay inequities.

B. Next Steps – Beyond the Report

 Item #7 of the MOU on Article 24-Diversity and Equity states: The Board is committed to implementing required action deriving from the Pay Equity Review and to consulting with affected Employees regarding how to structure any adjustments deriving from the action required.  

1. We await the University’s plan to meet this commitment.
2. The Association has written the Interim Provost and the AVP-HR to
   1. Remind them that the Association must be included in their communication plans referred to in Item 7.  
   2. Reiterate the Association’s position that there must be an open transparent review process to ensure those not identified through the Pay Equity Review can request a review
   3. Confirm our position that any open transparent process must include the Association to ensure a fair review  
   4. Offer the Association’s  willingness to enter into a written understanding on all these points

C. Where are we today (as of March 2, 2021)?

1. Members of the MRFA Executive Board are meeting with the MRFA representatives on the Joint Diversity and Equity Committee on today (March 2) at noon
2. The President and the Vice-President, Policy are meeting in the afternoon today (March 2) to discuss the issue further
3. The consultant’s report and the Joint Diversity and Equity Committee will be presented to the President’s Executive Committee on March 3
4. The Executive Board has referred Items 6 and 7 to the Grievance Committee to review the situation to see what grounds, if any, might exist for a grievance.

Look for updates in the MRFA Bulletin as the situation develops.

D. Direction to the Association and Support from the MRFA Membership

At the March 2, 2021 Regular Meeting, 93% of members present voted in favour of the following motion, which was put forward by a member in attendance at the meeting:

“To create understanding and fulfill the obligations of the MoU, I move that MRFA demand that the University report at the aggregate level including relevant data, so that members can understand and assess their position, and further, that the Joint Diversity and Equity Committee host a series of town halls to explain the date and to answer any questions”

The membership’s high level of solidarity in support of this motion will direct and support the Association’s ongoing efforts in this regard.

To provide context about pay inequities here are some recent studies on the topic of Pay Equity at Canadian Post-secondary institutions. The data here show how pay inequities have arisen with respect to gender and other differences.

• Sex and Salaries at a Canadian University: The Song Remains the Same or the Times They Are a Changin’?
• Ten Years After: Sex and Salaries at a Canadian University