This page is dedicated to providing updates on bargaining between ULethbridge and the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (ULFA). Updates will be added once they become available.
Current Collective Agreement Expiry Date: June 30, 2024
Recent Updates
On May 21 and May 22, 2024, the Board’s Team met with ULFA at which time we presented our objectives. You will see that in this round of negotiations, amongst other things, the Board’s presentation is framed by the following objectives:
- We shared our commitment to reasonable pay and benefits. We have a mutual interest in attracting and retaining a strong academic staff.
- Flexibility to ensure the University can respond to the challenges we all face in an uncertain and evolving operating environment.
- Nimble and reasonable processes and procedures to reduce time spent in unproductive activities that do not add real value and reach quicker decisions without any discernable impact on outcomes.
- Long term labour stability.
The Board’s Team is committed to accommodating shared interests throughout the process. We had positive and productive conversations and found there is more that unites us than divides us.
The Boards team also tabled our ingoing proposal which you can find here. We took two approaches. First, we provided language in some places outlining proposed changes to the collective agreement aligned with our four main objectives. Second, we initiated a productive, interest-based conversation regarding Article 23 Evaluation Procedures, Article 9 Grievance and Interpretation, and Article 19 Supervision and Discipline. We were pleased with the positive discussions and shared interests expressed regarding these articles. We have committed to table proposals regarding benefits and Articles 23, 9, and 19 in upcoming meetings.
The Board’s Team has not tabled adjustments to Salaries and Stipends (Schedule A) at this time. We are adopting a common approach used in collective bargaining and will table our proposed economic adjustments once we understand whether any of ULFA’s proposals add costs to the operations. As we say, this is a typical approach, one we are using productively in our other negotiations with AUPE, ULGSA, and ULPA.
ULFA has not yet tabled its substantive ingoing proposal.
We will be meeting further throughout the summer. We are pleased with the tone and tenor of negotiations to date and look forward to next steps.
The Board’s Negotiating Team and ULFA met on April 22, 2024, and began the process for negotiating a renewal of the Collective Agreement covering the Academic Staff’s terms and conditions of employment. A bargaining protocol was settled with a timeline for identifying the items that will be opened for negotiation and the exchange of proposals. It is clear we all share an interest in ensuring the interests of all the stakeholders in our community are fairly and reasonably addressed.
We will be meeting on May 21 and 22, 2024, and look forward to open and candid discussions.
On Thursday March 28, 2024, the University of Lethbridge Board of Governors received a notice to bargain from the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (ULFA). As part of the collective bargaining process, the University of Lethbridge Board of Governors has now officially responded to ULFA and asked for suggestions for opening dates to begin discussions.
Arriving at a new collective agreement that supports the work of our faculty and allows the University of Lethbridge to thrive as one of Canada’s leading academic and research institutions is our primary objective. The University Board is committed to negotiate in a positive, constructive and transparent manner.
Our university community understands that an agreement will only occur when meaningful dialogue occurs between parties. The Board negotiating team believes that there is nothing that can’t be resolved through mutual hard work and honest conversations at the bargaining table.
The U of L has undergone historic leadership renewal since the ratification of the current agreement and they bring a renewed commitment to arriving at a deal with a focus on shared interests.
As this campus community knows too well, the last round of bargaining was extremely difficult and led to a labour disruption. Late in that process the Board added Dwayne Chomyn to its bargaining team, and he was critical to reaching an agreement. Through that experience, the Board learned the value of drawing upon an experienced labour relations professional to bring a steady, constructive, and productive approach to bargaining discussion. For that reason, the Board has communicated to ULFA that Dwayne will serve as chief spokesperson for the Board negotiating team throughout this round of bargaining.
As progress is made in this current round of negotiations, the University will share updates with the community as part of its commitment to transparency. These can be found on the labour relations section of the new Human Resources website that was recently launched.