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Unit 1 - Simon Fraser University

workers in clerical, support, library and technical positions at SFU
Collective Agreement

Collective agreements contain an “evergreen clause” which means they continue until a new CA has been negotiated and ratified–see Article 54.03.

Between Simon Fraser University and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 3338
Effective April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2019

Benefits

Refer to the language in the collective agreement for a comprehensive list of employee benefits. Refer the the SFU HR resources page for Unit 1 staff for detailed information on benefits, forms, application deadlines, sick leave, and more. Login in to your account with Blue Cross for full details on extended health  and dental benefits.

Benefits managed by SFU

The Learning Opportunities Fund and Tuition Waiver are managed by SFU.

Learning Opportunities Fund (LOF)
The Local negotiated a fund, administered by SFU, to enable continuing employees of Unit 1 (SFU) members to access Job Related courses (courses, seminars, workshops or conferences) that will enhance each employee’s performance and develop her/his skills and abilities.

Tuition Waiver
Tuition for SFU credit courses is waived for Continuing CUPE Employees and their Dependents. Details on eligibility, deadlines, and procedures are on the tuition waiver form itself.

Review the procedures, requirements, and download the application form either of this benefits from Support for Learning: CUPE staff

Pension

 The SFU Pension Plan

Many employees do not have a pension plan through their employer. For those employees, retirement may not be as comfortable as it should be after a lifetime of working.

As a CUPE Local 3338 member and and eligible for the pension, you will automatically be enrolled in the SFU Admin/Union Pension Plan.

Pension plans are essentially deferred wages you earn now so you can collect the benefit after you retire. The provisions of the plan are laid out in the Pension Plan text.

Our Defined Benefit Plan

The SFU pension plan is a defined benefit plan. When you retire the benefit is based on a set formula (see “Calculating Your Entitlement” on the next page). This is generally acknowledged as the best form of pension plan. With the defined benefit, your pension benefit is not affected by downturns in the capital (stock) market. The benefit is indexed to a maximum of 3%.

The other common type of pension is the defined contribution plan, where the rate of the contribution (your deferred wages) is set, but the benefit at retirement is not. For example, with a defined contribution if a member retires when the plan is not doing well with its investments (during a market downturn, for example) the plan benefit will be less. Although we may have some choice as to when we retire, it is not always possible to pick the right time due to health or other rea- sons. With the deferred benefit plan, which we have, you can rely on a guaranteed pension.

Who Funds Our Plan

Contributions are the monies the employer contributes to the pension plan. The required contribution the employer contributes bi-weekly into the plan is deter- mined by an independent actuary. The actuary determines the liabilities of the plan (i.e. the number of staff who will access the plan in the future), based on things such as the planʼs investment income, interest rates, mortality rates and wage increases.

Government guidelines ensure that plan is fully funded. The plan is filed as re- quired actuarial valuation to ensure the guidelines are being met by the plan. The rate of contribution to the pension plan cannot fall below the rate the employer contributes to the faculty plan (approx. 12 per cent of your gross wages). Also, the employer cannot stop making contributions (contribution holiday). Even if the value of plan exceeds the liabilities, the employer still has to contribute to the plan. If there is a surplus of more than 15 per cent, it is distributed to a separate money purchase plan (similar to an RRSP) for each member of the plan.

The “Magic 80” Formula

A key benefit of the plan is the Magic 80 Formula. When your years of service and age add up to 80 (e.g. 25 years of service & 55 years of age) you can retire if you are 55 or older without the benefit being discounted. However, your pension would be less than if you worked to 60 or 65 because there would not be those additional years of contribution to the plan.

If you retire before you reach the Magic 80 Formula your pension is discounted by 5% per year for every year to a maximum of 25%. (e.g. you retire at age 55 but with 24 years of service, the discount is 5%).

Since you cannot collect your Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) until age 60, it may not be feasible to retire much earlier than 60 but the Magic 80 formula is still a benefit. You can calculate what your pension will be with greater certainty than with the defined contribution pension plan.

Calculating Your Entitlement

You can use the following formula:
Formula Benefit = (0.0213 x avg. annual earnings x years of service pre 1990)

– (0.0063 x avg. YMPE* x years of services pre 1990) +

Formula Benefit = (0.0170 x avg. annual yearnings x years of service post 1989)
– (0.0063 x avg. YMPE* yearnings x years of service post 1989)

*Yearly maximum pensionable yearnings
You can also go to mySFU on the SFU website and use the online calculator.

Governing the Plan

The SFU Pension Plan is jointly governed by appointed Pension Plan Trustees. There are six trustees, three appointed by the university and one each from CUPE, the administrative staff (APSA) and the trades (PolyParty). Any changes to the plan must be agreed to by all of the trustees.

The joint trusteeship is the result of a 1986 agreement made by the members of the plan to resolve a dispute between the plan members and SFU. SFU had been taking contribution holidays (i.e. not contributing to the plan on our behalf) and using the monies for other purposes. The employee groups were able to reach an agreement on joint trusteeship. This is a strong example of the members protect- ing our pension plan.

Our pension trustee is elected by the members of CUPE Local 3338 for a three- year term. It is through our trustee that we can make sure our pension is protected.

The Joint Employee Pension Committee

There is also a Joint Employee Pension Committee which is made up of members of the three employee groups. Our union believes that a defined benefit pension is the best pension plan. We can, however, make the plan better. The Joint Employee Pension Committee coordinates efforts to protect and improve our plan.

If you are interested in being on the committee, please contact the union office.

Protecting Our Pension Plan

Our defined benefit pension plan is the superior type of pension plan. Many employers are moving to the defined contribution style, where the risks are placed on each member of the plan, not on the employer. We need to protect our pension plan in order to protect ourselves.

Many CUPE 3338 members have worked hard over many years to improve our pension, to ensure the employer contributes monies to our plan, and prevent the employer from taking contribution holidays.

Let’s continue to work to protect and improve our pension plan for our future

This is a summary of the pension plan. Please see the official pension plan text for complete information.

 

Stewards

Please call or email the Union office for contact info of the steward in your area, along with details of your department and position.

Training and Development Fund for Lifeguards and Temporary Workers

The Training and Development Fund is available to temporary employees and lifeguards of Unit 1(SFU). The fund is administered by the Union. Please carefully read the policy below and contact the Secretary-Treasurer for the application form to apply for funding [treasurer@cupe3338.ca]

 

 

Policy

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT FUND

For Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3338 in Temporary Positions at Simon Fraser University (SFU),
effective April 1, 2016 to present,
(SEE: Appendix M of the Unit 1 Collective Agreement)

  1. GENERAL STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES:

The Training and Development Fund shall help temporary employees of CUPE Local 3338 acquire skills and training that will increase their opportunities for permanent employment and shall also provide bursaries to member-lifeguards.

  1. DEFINITIONS:
    1. Member –a member in good standing of CUPE Local 3338 in a non-continuing, temporary position at Simon Fraser University.
    2. Job Related Course – a course (including seminars, workshops and/or conferences) that adds value to a member’s performance of their duties and responsibilities for their current or future position at Simon Fraser University.
    3. Job Specific Course – a course that is required in order to perform a specific task in the member’s current position. For example, an EXCEL course for a member in a position that now requires the use of EXCEL spreadsheets.
    4. Union –CUPE Local 3338
    5. Year –refers to the annual fiscal period April 1st to March 31st.
  2. RESPONSIBILITY:

Member:

The member will apply to the Union for approval of funding prior to the registration of their course. The member will then register for their course, pay all registration fees, and send an application form and all supporting documentation (such as course description and receipts) to the CUPE Local Union Office, AQ5132, for reimbursement by the Union. NOTE: It is understood that lifeguards are not required to seek prior approval for courses required by the employer (NLS & CPR), as per Article 22, in Appendix J of the Unit 1 Collective Agreement.

Bursary:

Effective the Spring 2021 semester members working as a Lifeguard are eligible for a $450.00 bursary in the semester they are employed. CUPE Local 3338 will confirm employment with the SFU Athletics and Recreation department at the start of each semester (January, May, September).  Bursaries will be dispersed to Lifeguards before the end of each semester.

Union:

The Union will process applications and reimburse the member within 30 days of receipt of a properly completed application.

  1. ELIGIBILITY AND PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS
    1. The member must be a member in good standing and an employee of SFU at the time of the commencement of the Training and Development funding course.
    2. Members must apply for Training and Development funds prior to, and as far as advance as possible to, the commencement of the course.
    3. Additional funding available per fiscal year, per member, up to a maximum of $1000.00. This additional funding is subject to  approval by the CUPE Local 3338 Executive Board.
    4. A member may attend a “Job Related Course” with costs greater than the maximum annual amount allowed under the Training and Development Fund; however, any excess costs must be borne by the member.
    5. There shall be no carry over of any unused portion of a member’s annual maximum entitlement to the following fiscal year.
    6. A member is required to attend and participate in a “Job Related Course” for which they have registered unless the member has an acceptable reason for withdrawal. Acceptable reasons include departmental operational requirements and circumstances which result in any of the leaves from work which are provided under the terms of the Collective Agreement. An employee may request approval to withdraw for another reason, but the granting of the request will be at the discretion of the Union. A member withdrawing from a “Job Related Course” is required to give as much notice as possible to the Union.
    7. Any cancellation fee or other related cost of withdrawal will be paid by the member.
    8. The Training and Development Fund may cover membership or association fees, and/or conference fees. Note: this policy does not cover travel expenses or accommodation to/from the training course and/or conference.
    9. The operational requirements of the member’s department must be considered when the member is preparing and applying for funding.
  1. NON-TAXABLE BENEFIT

Each recipient member is responsible for determining the tax implications of any funding they are awarded from the Training and Development Fund and for paying any taxes owed as the result of funding they receive from the Training and Development Fund.

  1. INTERPRETATION

Questions of interpretation or administration of this fund or its procedures shall be referred to the Union. The Union has the sole and final authority in the interpretation and administration of the Training and Development Fund.

Contact the Secretary-Treasurer for the application form to apply for funding or any related questions [treasurer@cupe3338.ca].

 

Job Re-evaluation

Content being updated. Look for writing guidelines, request forms, and other JD related materials on SFU HR Compensation Forms & Resources