UMFA votes on new collective agreement
‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating’: UMFA president on applying the new contract
Magally Zelaya, staff
More than two weeks after the university and the faculty association tentatively agreed on the terms of a new collective agreement, the ratification of the contract is near. UMFA presented the final mediator’s report to the membership on Tuesday, Oct. 30, and voting on the report continued through Wednesday. The verdict will be known Nov.1.
Because negotiations between the university and the University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) failed, a mediator was called in. The mediator’s report is a summary of the new terms of the collective agreement that were agreed upon during mediation.
“This contract is going to be ratified this week. I expect it to be accepted, but there’s always the possibility that the membership will reject it, but I don’t think that’s a very strong possibility,” said Brenda Austin-Smith, president of the union, which represents 1,170 professors, instructors, lecturers, and librarians.
“There are some things about it that I think are very, very good and there were some things about it that I wish were better,” she said.
All members of the union will see increases in salary of 2.5 per cent in the first year, 2.5 in the second, and 2.9 in the last year, in addition to a $500 market adjustment in each of the three years.
Lecturers and instructors will also receive an increase of $2,000 to their floor thresholds (the minimum amount they can be paid).
The new agreement increases paid parental leave by three weeks (one week a year) bringing the total to 18 paid weeks of parental leave.
Though Austin-Smith said that this increase would help in the recruitment of new professors, she maintained that the U of M is still behind. “There are smaller universities in New Brunswick that give 35 weeks . . . so we’ve got a long way to go,” she said.
The university’s proposal to increase parking fees was agreed to by UMFA. Effective Sept. 1, 2007, parking fees increased by 2.5 per cent and will increase 2.5 per cent next year and 2.9 per cent in 2009.
A highlight of the new collective agreement according to Austin-Smith is the new academic freedom language granted to academic librarians as well as the granting of 12 dedicated working days for librarians to conduct research and scholarly activities. Because university committees require gender balance, female UMFA members — who make up one-third of the association — will receive a “workload adjustment” to address additional committee work, according to the mediator’s report.
Mediator Arne Peltz commented in his report that “the subject of benefits was contentious [and] the parties began from very different perspectives.” Nonetheless, the two parties compromised and the main change to benefits is the increase in the health-care spending account to $450 from $378 this year and to $500 on April 1, 2008.
No agreement was reached regarding which party would be responsible for paying the health insurance premiums when the benefit reserve fund runs out. Until it does, the premiums will continue to be paid from the fund. Discussions will continue in the next round of bargaining when the contract expires March 31, 2010, or when the fund runs out.
“I think this is the kind of agreement that we can live with,” said Austin-Smith.
Yet she maintains that it won’t be immediately clear whether or not the agreement meets the needs of the union’s members. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The proof of the collective agreement is in its application.”
The university was unable to comment on the new collective agreement at press time. “We do not wish to influence the vote in any way shape or form,” said John Danakas, director of public affairs at the university.
Danakas did say, “We were pleased that we were, together with the faculty association, able to come to a tentative agreement.”
Though Austin-Smith said the likelihood that the members wouldn’t ratify the agreement is “infinitesimal, microscopic, molecular,” she did maintain that not all members would be satisfied.
“There are people who will vote ‘No’ and will say this isn’t good enough. In a way they’re right.”
