Carleton’s department of human resources needs to address the CUPE 4600 clawback situation in a way that minimizes the harm to both parties involved: the university administration and the teaching assistants.
As a result of a two-year error, human resources gave tuition rebates to the TAs belonging to CUPE 4600, unbeknownst to both parties. For TAs, this amount ranges from $50 to $1,600.
Carleton HR is now clawing back the money by requiring CUPE 4600 members to repay the rebate over a three-month period. They also gave the TAs the option of applying the owed money to their student accounts. The current arrangement is unfair to the teaching assistants.
Although Carleton may have the right to take back their money, they should not do so over such a short time. The money amounts to a pay cut too large for the majority of teaching assistants, who budget their salaries based on normal levels of income each pay period.
Even if the charge is transferred to their student accounts, students can’t collect their diplomas when they graduate if the amount owed is over $100 — and, for some, graduation is scheduled to happen at the end of the winter term.
Rather than being forced to pay money given over a two-year period in three months, the TAs should be given the same amount of time to pay it back.
HR made a mistake — everyone does. But now it’s time they own up to it, issue a proper apology to CUPE 4600 and select a time frame that gives ill-paid TAs a reasonable amount of time to repay the money.
