Crédit photo Jean-François Hamelin On Monday, July 23, the 20 unionized employees of Fondation de l’UQAM and their employer signed their very first collective agreement. A tentative agreement was reached on June 18 and approved at the union’s general meeting on July 3. The general meeting voted 94 per cent in favour of ratifying the new contract.

“It was a long process, but we’re satisfied with the results. We were asking for parity with comparable foundations, and we now have a salary scale for the first time, among other things. We are now turning our attention to the future and to the success of the 100 million ideas campaign,” explained Mathieu Rodrigue, Vice-President of CUPE 5262.

Employees will receive a retroactive salary increase of just over 5 per cent for the last three years, and a minimum 1 per cent increase per year for the next three years.

The new collective agreement runs from 2018 to 2021.

“I’m very pleased with the signing of this first collective agreement. Negotiations took place in a spirit of openness and collaboration, and were in keeping with this organization’s respectful working environment. Constructive exchanges between parties allowed for an agreement that is tailored to the realities of the Fondation,” said Pierre Bélanger, Fondation de l’UQAM’s director general.

Since its creation in 1976, the mission of Fondation de l’UQAM has been to raise donations to contribute to the vitality of training, research and creation at UQAM, and to facilitate access to university education by offering scholarships to students. To date, with the assistance of its donors and partners, the Fondation has raised more than $200 million to support UQAM’s priority activities, $33 million of which has been distributed to students in the form of scholarships.