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MRU and faculty association reach tentative agreement in contract negotiations, Lethbridge university strike continues

An agreement in principle between MRU and the Mount Royal Faculty Association had been reached Monday

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Mount Royal University announced Monday the faculty association and board have come to a tentative collective agreement, as a strike continues for University of Lethbridge faculty following months of unsuccessful negotiations.

MRU said in a statement the university’s Board of Governors has been bargaining with the Mount Royal Faculty Association (MRFA) to reach a “fair and reasonable collective agreement,” and that an agreement in principle had been reached Monday.

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“This follows a period of mediation which concluded with the mediator issuing a report containing recommendations for terms of settlement,” said MRU in the statement, adding that details of the agreement in principle will remain confidential as it’s submitted to MRFA membership for ratification.

University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (ULFA), meanwhile, continued to picket on campus and outside university buildings in downtown Calgary and Lethbridge on Monday. They have been on strike since Thursday at 11 a.m. when they were unable to agree on a new contract with the university administration.

“Both sides have indicated they’re ready to meet if the other side has something to offer. We did in fact send the board team an offer on Saturday night trying to bridge some of the monetary gaps so that we can focus on some of the language issues. And we haven’t heard back from them yet,” Joy Morris, a professor and member of ULFA’s negotiating team, said Monday morning.

The University of Lethbridge noted in a post online that ULFA had presented them with a “more reasonable offer,” which the university said was a step towards good-faith bargaining in pursuit of a fair agreement.

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Classes continued to be paused Monday; however, the campus remains open for students.

Students with the University of Lethbridge Student Solidarity Action Council and Student Action Assembly groups spoke out Monday morning in support of their professors.

“This institution is not a collection of buildings. It is our people, our faculty, staff and students who play a critical role in the community and the world and are a significant part of our futures. It is these people who administration must rely on and co-operate with to succeed, just like students,” said Angie Nikoleychuk, a psychology student, during a press conference.

“We would never support an institution that fails to pay its faculty equitably and fairly, or one that fails to respect the people that it relies on for its existence.”

The students groups also addressed their concerns with the safety of faculty and students on or around campus with increased security personnel and added security cameras.

When asked about this, the University of Lethbridge said they have heard these concerns over security activities related to the strike and are in the process of reassessing their protocols to find an appropriate balance.

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“We are taking responsible and prudent steps to assess the potential impacts of the strike on campus safety and security,” said the university in a statement.

Morris said ULFA is grateful for the support from students, despite the challenges.

“We know this is a really difficult situation for our students. They’re in some ways caught in the middle of this situation and have no power or control over it,” she said.

“One of the main topics — in broad terms — that we’re trying to fight for with this strike, is increased respect and input into how the university is run. And it’s not only faculty members who have been seeing a lack of respect and a top-down attitude from the university administration increasingly in recent years.”

The ULFA strike is the second job action at an Alberta post-secondary in two months, after staff at Concordia University in Edmonton picketed in January — marking the first strike of its kind in Alberta’s history.

sbabych@postmedia.com
Twitter: @BabychStephanie

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