Is your incorrect pay correct?

Teacher Welfare Staff, ­Alberta Teachers’ ­Association

The majority of school boards (if not all) will be paying teachers incorrectly at the end of this month. This is a result of school boards applying increases of 4.82 per cent rather than the 5.99 per cent AAWE (Alberta ­average weekly earnings) as per the existing collective agreements.

This issue is being dealt with through the disputes resolution process in each collective agreement. Teachers, however, still need to ensure the incorrect 4.82 per cent has been applied correctly and that their employers are paying them at the correct level for experience and education, particularly those teachers who are earning experience increments, adding to their education or moving up the grid at different rates because of part-time work or taking leaves of absence. 

Teachers should verify their rate of pay as soon as possible.

 If you are on a continuous, probationary or interim contract, or on a temporary contract for more than a month, or on a contract for a full school year, here’s the process for determining if your incorrect pay is being paid correctly:

Locate your salary grid for 2008/09 in your collective agreement—it is available on the ATA website (www.teachers.ab.ca).

2. Determine your placement (years of education/experience).

3. Locate your new step if you are entitled to an increment and are not at the maximum step on the salary grid. (Entitlement to an increment is also defined in the collective agreement.)

4. Multiply that number by 1.0482 then divide it by 12. If you are part-time, multiply that by your Full Time Equivalency (FTE). 

The resulting number is your gross salary (before deductions) on your pay statement.

Example: A teacher in Calgary Public with four years’ education and five years’ experience in 2008/09 was paid $65,380. She moves to six years of experience, which is $68,352. Multiply by 1.0482 = $71,647, divide by 12 = $5,970.58.

Teachers who work less than the full school year will have their actual salary recalculated at the end of their employment to reflect salary payment of 1/200 for each day actually worked, in accordance with the School Act.

If you are having difficulty locating and calculating the increase, please contact your Economic Policy Committee member to help you with the next step. If your salary amount is incorrect, you have a limited amount of time to seek a resolution to the error. Contact Teacher Welfare if your incorrect pay has been paid incorrectly.

 

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