Welcome to Our Member Resources

The process for assigning workload can vary based on your type of appointment and faculty/department. In general, you can find specific details in the Collective Agreement based on your appointment as follows:

• Professional Librarians - Article 11
• Instructors - Article 12
• Professional Counsellors - Article 13
• Professoriate - Article 20

Your workload assignment should be fair and equitable. If you have concerns that this is not the case, or are uncertain about how to address a particular issue with your workload assignment, please contact our Membership Services Officer, Travis Perry (Travis.Perry@dal.ca).

You have a right to safety in your workplace. If you are facing harassment/discrimination, you should contact either your Chair/Director, your Dean or equivalent, an Advisor with the Human Rights and Equity Services Department (HRES@dal.ca), or the DFA Office for support.

If you have a conflict/dispute in relation to your workload assignment or something else related to the terms of your employment, please contact our Membership Services Officer, Travis Perry (Travis.Perry@dal.ca).

If you have a conflict/dispute with a student, raise the matter with your Chair/Director or your Dean or equivalent.

In any of these scenarios, if you feel the issue is not being properly addressed, please contact the DFA Office for our support.

Clause 31.04 of the Collective Agreement outlines the order of operations for your annual salary adjustment. If you believe there is an error with your newly adjusted salary, please contact Dalhousie's Payroll office (payroll@dal.ca). If you are unable to resolve the issue directly or have questions, please contact the DFA Office (dfa@dal.ca).

Normally, the only opportunity you have to negotiate a higher salary is at the time of your initial appointment. During the appointment process, a Y-Value will be calculated based on your qualifications and prior experience. While this Y-Value determines the minimum salary you can be given depending on your rank, at the time of appointment you can negotiate a higher salary within the salary minimum and maximum for your rank. If you have questions about the Y-Value calculation or would like support in negotiating a higher starting salary, contact our Membership Services Officer, Travis Perry (Travis.Perry@dal.ca).

There are two other avenues to request an increase in your salary after your initial appointment: a Special Salary Increase and an adjustment through the Anomalies Fund.

Special Salary Increase (SSI)

Clause 8.01(b) allows the Board to provide a Special Salary Increase to no more than 12 Members in any Academic Year. Such adjustments are subject to the approval of the Association-Board Committee. For each Faculty, a salary graph is created with a linear least squares (LLS) line drawn through all data points on the graph. For every SSI provided to a Member on or above the LLS line, an equivalent number of Members and equivalent amount of money must be provided as an SSI to Members below the LLS line. If you would like to be considered for an SSI adjustment, please contact your Dean or equivalent. For further details, please read Clause 8.01(b) and Appendix XI of the Collective Agreement.

Anomalies Fund

If your salary is anomalously low when compared with the salaries of other Members accounting for experience and rank within your Faculty, you may be entitled to an adjustment through the Anomalies Fund. Each year, typically in the Winter term, details on how to access the Anomalies Fund will be communicated to all DFA Members. For further information on the fund and the process, please read Article 31A of the Collective Agreement.

If you have questions about these processes, contact the DFA Office (dfa@dal.ca).