Bargaining Bulletin #1: Bargaining Begins!

Dear Colleagues, 

The Bargaining Committee met with the University administration on Wednesday December 3rd for our first discussion of the protocol agreement for negotiations. We established a timeline for exchanging initial proposals, which will begin in mid-January. While we will be negotiating on a wide range of topics, we mutually anchored the discussions around the primary theme of ensuring meaningful faculty input and direction in institutional decision-making, and supporting a strong and sustainable future for all. 

One key exchange worth sharing from this round is that the Bargaining Committee raised the issue of the administration’s recent practice of emailing bulletins directly to faculty following our meetings. We reminded our counterparts that CapU has a longstanding bargaining principle, historically reflected in every bargaining protocol, that both parties independently update their own principals about the bargaining process. 

We’re pleased to report that the administration modified its approach in response to our concerns. The administration has offered to provide the CFA bargaining team with 24 hours’ notice before issuing their releases, giving us the opportunity to review and respond as needed. We have just received their written proposal, and hope to reach agreement on the protocol soon. 

We will endeavour to provide timely updates to the membership after each meeting. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact any member of the bargaining team. 

In Solidarity,

CFA bargaining team, Doug Alards-Tomalin, Dwayne Beaver, Michael Begg, Chelsea Bell Eady, Iris Gordon, and Ferdos Jamali