Advertisement 1

'We're trying to stand up for a better teaching environment': Faculty at University of Lethbridge begin strike

Negotiations are expected to resume soon, but no meetings between the parties were immediately scheduled

Article content

University of Lethbridge faculty members went on strike 11 a.m. Thursday after they were unable to agree on a new contract with the university administration.

Talks between the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (ULFA) and the university broke down Thursday morning shortly before the strike deadline, the union said, leading members to take to picket lines on campus and outside university buildings in downtown Calgary and Lethbridge.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content
Article content

Union president Dan O’Donnell told reporters Thursday afternoon that work will continue toward a resolution but the work stoppage will continue until a settlement is reached.

“This is something that we’ve really regretted. It’s never been our goal to go on strike. As far as we’re concerned, the strike can end today if the two sides are able to reach an agreement. If not today, tomorrow, the day after,” O’Donnell said.

“We are university people. We are teachers and researchers. That’s what we love doing. We know this is inconveniencing and disrupting studies of our students and we want it to be over as fast as possible.”

In a statement posted to its website, the University of Lethbridge said it is committed to negotiating with the union. They said instruction will pause for the institution’s 9,000 students, and they will begin a lockout of all faculty 11 a.m. Friday.

“The association’s choice to take job action follows several bargaining sessions during which the University presented various settlement offers that included pay raises and protection of benefits and academic freedom,” the university said. “We appreciate the anxiety and inconvenience this circumstance causes for students.”

Article content
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

The breakdown comes after both parties said Wednesday some progress had been made in negotiations.

The faculty association announced earlier this week its members voted 92 per cent in favour of a strike, with 87 per cent of members casting a ballot. The University of Lethbridge had requested the labour board delay the strike, but later withdrew that request. The university has also filed a bad faith negotiations complaint against the ULFA.

In Calgary, about 25 people picketed outside the university’s local campus on 6th Avenue S.E. Thursday afternoon, including faculty member Robbin Derry. She said faculty haven’t had a collective agreement since the end of June 2020. Picketing is slated to continue outside the campus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily until the strike ends.

“Our classes are getting bigger without more funding and resources to support this. So we’re trying to stand up for a better teaching environment for our students,” Derry said. “I’ve had correspondence with lots of students who, of course, are concerned, but also supportive because I think they understand faculty need resources to do their jobs.”

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

More than 200 people reportedly attended picket lines in Lethbridge, including fifth-year general sciences student Karina Almeida. She said she isn’t worried about the strike because previous faculty strikes in Canada have all been resolved before the semester was lost.

“My profs have done absolutely everything for me. They are the ones who have shown me my true potential,” Almeida said. “I’m willing to stand by our profs as long as it takes for them to get a fair contract, because I know they will work their butts off to make sure we finish the semester.”

The union has said its aims in bargaining have been to secure pay raises, increased job security and greater respect from school administration. O’Donnell said another sticking point is the university’s focus on “management rights,” charging that a small group of administrators are making directional decisions for the institution without consulting faculty.

UFLA chief negotiator Locke Spencer said he believes the thing currently holding back negotiations is the university declining to offer concessions on key points.

Advertisement 5
Story continues below
Article content

“We need to be able to discuss things. We need to know there is an expectation of flexibility and fluidity,” Spencer said.

“We’ve indicated that we don’t need absolutely everything that we’re asking for. But we do need some things in some of the key areas, and we simply haven’t seen any willingness from the university to discuss those.”

In its statement, the University of Lethbridge singled out an alleged ULFA ask for 12 per cent raises as something holding back a new collective agreement.

“This is three times the salary increase recently awarded to Alberta’s front-line nurses, and not sustainable to the University nor affordable for our students,” the university said.

The UFLA accused the university of fabricating that position, saying their offer had been for a roughly five per cent raise over four years.

Negotiations are expected to resume soon, but no meetings between the parties were immediately scheduled.

The strike marks an escalation of an increasingly acrimonious labour dispute, which has now been building for more than 600 days. The union’s previous contract with the university expired at the end of June 2020.

The strike action at the university is part of a wave of unprecedented labour strife at Alberta post-secondary institutions. The province’s first-ever faculty strike took place last month at Edmonton’s Concordia University, while disputes are also ongoing at Mount Royal University, the University of Alberta and Athabasca University.

jherring@postmedia.com

Twitter: @jasonfherring

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers