New Members

PROSPECTIVE FACULTY

Welcome to a new beginning! This handbook provided by the CAUT will be useful in answering many of your potential questions before making the decision to become a faculty member.

Congratulations on your job offer! But before you sign…

Like many candidates for university positions, you may feel lucky to get a job offer. The salary offered may seem very appealing compared with your income as a graduate student, and the prospects for renewing your position or for obtaining tenure may look impressive.

You may feel reluctant to ask future colleagues about their salaries and other details of their individual appointments. You might assume that those colleagues who do provide information are able to represent fully what is possible in your own situation. Meanwhile, the administration representative with whom you’re dealing may be helpful and supportive. Although you might expect that misunderstandings can be corrected after accepting the offer, in many cases this may well not be true.

Perhaps you’re worried that negotiating astutely for your future will cast you as a ‘troublemaker;’ perhaps you doubt that there is scope for any negotiation at all. You may even feel embarrassed to ask that verbal agreements be put in writing, especially if you have been assured that the issues addressed are dealt with routinely for all employees. And the deadline for signing may be approaching rapidly.

For any or all of these reasons, you might sign a contract that will put you at a disadvantage for the rest of your career. Your future faculty association or union can help you obtain more complete information about the implications of an offer and the ins and outs of negotiating a fair and reasonable appointment. If you call before you sign, here are 10 important questions you should ask.

CAUT Handbook for New Faculty – http://www.caut.ca/pages.asp?page=428&lang=1

Handbook can be found here: New Faculty Handbook

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

More information on employee benefits at UNBC can be found through the Human Resources Department website at:   www.unbc.ca/hr

Medical Services Travel Fund

A medical services travel fund is available to members of the UNBC-FA to supplement the existing extended health employee benefits.  See our “Medical Services Travel Fund Policy” to find out more about this benefit, which expenses are covered, and how to submit a claim for reimbursement.  The fund reimburses travel expenses for members who have been referred for out-of-town treatment by a physician or dentist where treatments are not available in Prince George.

Medical Services Travel Fund Policy

Full-time members can claim up to $5,000 annually and the deadline for the Faculty Association to receive claims is the 3rd Friday in January for expenses that have been incurred in the previous calendar year. Expense claim forms are available through the Faculty Association Office and can be submitted electronically or through the mail.  

Reimbursements are considered a taxable benefit by the Canada Revenue Agency, and will be subject to withholding of applicable taxes and reporting on the T4A.

Pension

For information on the UNBC pension plan for employees, visit:
UNBC Pension Plan Employee Booklet

Post Retirement Benefits

Members of the UNBC-FA who have retired and are no longer receiving benefits from the University are eligible for post-retirement medical and dental benefits.   See our "Post Retirement Benefits Fund Policy" to find out more about this benefit, which expenses are covered, and how to submit a claim for reimbursement.

Post Retirement Benefits Fund Policy

The deadline for the Faculty Association to receive claims is the 3rd Friday in January for expenses that have been incurred in the previous calendar year. Expense claim forms are available through the Faculty Association Office and can be submitted electronically or through the mail.  

Sunlife Medical/Dental Benefits