Sessional instructors at the University of Lethbridge will see significant increases in their minimum stipend following a two year contract negotiated between the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (ULFA) and the employer.
In the first year, effective May 1, 2012, minimum pay will rise from $4,585 to $4,850, representing a 5.8 % increase. Stipends will rise roughly 3.1 % in year two, from $4,850 to $5,000. Spread over the two years of the contract, the increases represent an approximate per year rise of 4.4 % in minimum stipends.
Stipends are paid for one-semester courses, and sessional teachers are limited to one course per regular semester, said David Kaminski, chair of the faculty association’s economic benefits committee.
Kaminski also noted that while the contract doesn’t cover courses taught during summer semester, sessional instructors are free to negotiate payment above the minimum stipend for any course.
“Negotiation for the stipend increases basically came down to one session,” he said. “The university also has campuses in Calgary and Edmonton, where other institutions had seen significant increases. So the pressure was on.”