Carleton teaching assistants (TAs) are up in arms over “clawbacks” of their salaries due to a two-year long human resources accounting error.
The TAs, members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 4600, held an information picket Feb. 27 and a rally Feb. 28 to raise awareness about the situation.
Members of CUPE 4600 received notice from the union Feb. 9 that their pay will be docked to make up for the two-year payroll error.
In the 2009 collective agreement, CUPE 4600 negotiated a tuition increase rebate for their members, which protects teaching assistants against tuition fee increases. However, the system that properly calculates the amount of money refunded wasn’t set up, according to assistant vice-president (human resources) Lise Labine.
As a result, TAs who started after September 2010 got a rebate, even though tuition didn’t increase from 2009 to 2010.
To recover the funds, the university will deduct from teaching assistants’ salaries over the remaining pay periods this semester.
After some backlash from the union, the university announced that they would put the amount on student account for those who didn’t consent to having the money deducted from the paycheques. Neither option is acceptable, according to the union.
CUPE 4600 co-president James Meades said such clawbacks are illegal under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act. The Act states that an employer cannot force an employee to return their wages unless authorized to do so in writing or under a court order, according to the Ontario government’s website.
“This is only the start. We will continue this fight, bringing it right to their doorstep,” said Meades at a rally in the Unicentre Feb. 28.
“Until they’re mature enough, as adults, as employers, to be like, ‘We screwed up. We will deal with the consequences.’”
The rally started in the Unicentre atrium, then marched to Robertson Hall, squeezing through the stairwell up to the human resources department. The door to the office was locked, but Meades and others used loudspeakers to address the department, and passed a grievance sheet under the door into the office.
The accounting error affects about 1,200 TAs, according to Labine. The amount owed by students ranges from $50 to $1,600.
However, only three students owe over $1,000. Out of the 1,200 students affected, 1,000 owe under $250, Labine said.
“For the three students owing over $1,000, we have invited them to come to HR to discuss their payment options,” Labine said.
She said she was keen to minimize any hardship caused by the error and said her department was open to working with TAs to find different ways for them to pay back the money.
For now, the union is focusing part of their energy on telling people what’s happening.
“We’re just letting [people] know what’s going on, how the administration is trying to claw back our pay and how this represents a severe sign of disrespect to TAs,” said CUPE 4600 co-chief steward Samantha Ponting.
“It’s also going to have a significant impact on TAs’ livelihoods and their ability to really sustain themselves this year, especially given the fact that the average salary of a TA is $8,900 a year.”
Ponting said the university was trying to act quickly because a majority of the students affected are graduating this year.
She said there were concerns students won’t be able to graduate because of the amount owed being added to their student accounts.
“The fees owing are quite similar to parking fees, or library fees [on the account],” Labine said. “It does not prevent [the students] from graduating.”
However, if the amount owed is more than $100 and graduating TAs don’t pay, their diploma and official transcripts will be withheld, according to Carleton’s website.
“As a student, and as a TA, we’re making below poverty wages as it is,” said human rights TA Aidan Macdonald.
“We’re living below the poverty line. We don’t have so much money to just give back to the university. They made this mistake and it’s an illegal act for them to try to take this money back from us.”
