Posts Tagged ‘insdieAESES August 2026’
Can You Tell Me: How Does Step Placement Work When Changing Positions?
Wednesday, August 5th, 2026
A common question members ask is how their salary step is determined when they change positions. The Collective Agreement language related to salary administration is similar for both Universities, and can be found in UW Article 24 and UM Article 26, respectively. When an employee changes position, their step placement is determined based on whether the new classification is lower, the same or similar, or higher than their previous job.
If an employee moves to a lower classification, their new step is based on the experience and qualifications they bring to the position. Their salary cannot be higher than what they were earning before and must remain within the salary range for the lower classification. This can be found in UW 24.2.1 and UM 26.2 (a).
When moving to the same or similar classification, employees will normally keep their current salary and step. The exception is when their previous experience and qualifications are not directly relevant and they require significant retraining for the new role. In those cases, Human Resources determines the appropriate step. This can be found in UW 24.2.2 and UM 26.2 (b).
Another exception is that, when changing classification families that use different salary grids, the step number itself may change. In those situations, the employee is placed at the first step that pays more than their previous salary, provided their experience and qualifications are relevant and the salary remains within the range for the new classification.
When an employee moves to a higher classification, their salary will normally increase by at least the value of two steps in their current salary scale. This can be found in UW 24.2.3 and UM 26.2 (c). For example, an employee at UW classified as an Administrative 1, Step 5 earns $31.35 per hour. Two steps higher in that salary scale is Step 7 ($34.02 per hour). Because the employee must receive at least that amount in the higher classification, they would be placed at no lower than the step that pays $34.02 per hour. Under the current salary schedule, that would be Administrative 2, Step 5.
The employee’s salary must fall within the range of the new position. In addition, the employee should not receive a salary that is less favourable than what a newly hired employee with the same qualifications would receive, which may involve a step placement above Step 1 based on experience and training directly applicable to the new role.
Members who have questions about their step placement in a new position are encouraged to contact the AESES Business Office at 204-979-5200 or LabourTeam@aeses.ca.