Salary and merit

The ability to collectively negotiate the terms and conditions of your employment, including your compensation, is an important advantage of being a unionized professional.

When employees negotiate together, they achieve better results and in turn, promote fairness and consistency at work. Collective bargaining of compensation also reduces the wage gap for women and for racialized and young workers.

Your Collective Agreement defines the parameters of your salary and merit in Articles 19, 37, 39.

Your salary

Your salary is based on your position’s classification. Each classification has a minimum and maximum. You can see the ranges for each in Schedule A of your Collective Agreement.

The union negotiates increases to salaries as a part of collective bargaining with the employer—this is called an across-the-board increase. An across-the-board increase means that the minimum of the salary range, the maximum of the salary range, and everyone’s individual salary increases by the negotiated percentage.

Additional increases to salary range minimums and maximums may also be negotiated separately from across-the-board increases.

Your current Collective Agreement

Your 2018–2022 Collective Agreement between AMAPCEO and the Ontario Arts Council sets across-the-board increases to both individual salaries and to all salary ranges of:

• 1.5% on April 1, 2018;
• 1.5% on April 1, 2019;
• 1.5% on April 1, 2020; and
• 1.5% on April 1, 2021.

The union also negotiated a one-time 1% increase to the maximum of all salary ranges, effective April 1, 2020. While this does not affect your current salary, it improves the maximum for your position’s classification.

AMAPCEO also negotiated a lump sum payment of $750 for all members employed on the date the contract is ratified. This payment is non-pensionable and is pro-rated for part-time employees.

See Article 39 (page 71) and Schedule A of your Collective Agreement for details.

Merit pay increases

In addition to any across-the-board increases negotiated with the Employer, you may also be eligible for merit pay increases to your current salary based on your work performance during a 12-month work cycle.

Merit pay increases can be between 0% and 5% of your salary and are pensionable earnings.

Eligibility

You are eligible for a merit pay increase if:

• you have successfully passed your probationary period; and
• your current salary is within the range for your position’s classification.

If you are a new employee who has successfully completed your probationary period by December 31, you are eligible for a pro-rated merit pay increase based on your hiring date.

Receiving a merit pay increase

Your supervisor will assess your performance between January 1 and December 31 against your yearly performance objectives.

They will then assign a rating for your performance. There are five potential ratings (poor, fair, good, very good, and excellent). If your rating is very good, you will automatically receive a 2.5% merit pay increase to your current salary.

While a merit pay increase is reflective of your performance in a calendar year, it will become effective on April 1 of the following year.

If your merit pay increase causes your salary to exceed the maximum for your position’s classification:

• your new salary will be set to the maximum; and
• the excess amount will be paid out to you as a lump-sum bonus.

Any lump sum you receive will not increase your base salary beyond the maximum salary range.

Extra duty pay

If you are requested to take on extra duties at work, your salary may temporarily increase if:

• the additional duties you have been assigned are significant and substantial functions that are not typically part of your area of responsibility; and
• they are performed on a regular basis for a defined period longer than 10 working days.

Extra duty pay increases can be between 3% and 10% of your current salary. The Employer will set the rate of the temporary increase based on:

• the anticipated amount of work each week;
• the duration of the work; and
• the scope of the work.

Mentoring or committee work are not considered to be extra duties.

Eligibility

The Employer will extend an offer of extra duties to an employee based on the employee’s qualifications, experience, seniority, and capacity for extra work.

If two or more employees are relatively equal in this regard, the Employer must award an offer of extra pay based on seniority.

Receiving extra duty pay

Your extra duty pay will be paid as a temporary, pensionable increase to your current salary.

If the duties last for less than three months, or if the temporary increase would cause your salary to exceed the maximum for your position’s classification, your extra duty pay will be paid as a lump sum.

If you believe you are entitled to extra duty pay

If you haven’t received extra duty pay, and you believe you are entitled to it, please seek the assistance of an AMAPCEO Workplace Representative.

If you have questions or need assistance

Please contact an AMAPCEO Workplace Representative at Ontario Arts Council, and get in touch by email.

Workplace Representatives are trained union members who have volunteered to confidentially assist members like you in the workplace. They should be your first point of contact in seeking information and representation with an issue at work.