Faculty strike off table following tentative agreement
Uncertainty surrounding a potential strike vote has been eased with the announcement of significant progress in collective bargaining between Queen’s and its faculty association.
On the morning on July 29, the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA) and the University reached a tentative agreement on the terms of a new contract.
Queen’s and QUFA, USW reach tentative agreements pending pension discussion: Both agreements are subject to th… http://t.co/HY7xOYSXxN
— Queen’s University (@queensu) July 30, 2015
Both the University and QUFA expressed satisfaction with the gains made in collective bargaining via their respective social media outlets.
The new developments came after meetings with Ministry of Labour conciliator Greg Long during the month of July. According to QUFA’s most recent update on the negotiations, the two parties settled conflicts on subjects such as online teaching, working conditions and the expected function of Queen’s faculty members.
QUFA Announcement: Significant progress in QUFA-Queen’s Bargaining: http://t.co/XGDNWkKB92
— QUFA (@QUFAtweet) July 30, 2015
Moving forward, both parties say they’ll continue to strive towards an agreement. The most prominent issue remaining is the Memorandum of Agreement, which will create a process for discussing the Queen’s Pension Plan (QPP).
Because the QPP serves three other employee groups within the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), negotiations on the subject must involve those parties as well. Negotiations have been ongoing between these groups, with meetings scheduled for Aug. 5 and 6.
On July 30, Queen’s reached a tentative settlement with United Steelworkers (USW).
Bargaining processes with all remaining CUPE groups are set to conclude following a meeting on Aug. 13. After this date, QUFA will inform its members of the details of the new collective agreement and it will be put forward for ratification.
When contacted by The Journal, QUFA President Lynne Hanson said she would be happy to discuss the progress made in negotiations and the new agreement, but only after information has been shared and voted upon by QUFA members.
The Journal will update this article as new information becomes available.
