The UNBC Faculty Association (UNBCFA) has fired back at the school after holding an association meeting this morning (Nov. 23).
UNBC released another public overview yesterday (Nov. 22) of the offer it most recently presented to the faculty, which has now prompted a strong response from the union.
Strike action officially started 17 days ago after the agreement between the university and association ended on June 30, 2019.
In a news release today, the UNBCFA says it believes the employer has been "engaging in practices that led to unnecessary bargaining delays."
"Delays of any kind in collective bargaining are unfortunate," FA President Stephen Rader said. "But we are now reaching a point of no return for the semester and we are extremely worried about our students."
Rader also says he's heard members' disappointments in the latest update posted by UNBC online yesterday, calling the move a "stunt."
"The many inconsistences, logic gaps and errors in that update were apparent to many of our members before the bargaining team presented their own update," added Rader.
"I think it’s fair to say that the Employer sought to divide our membership. The unanimous vote of confidence given to the UNBCFA bargaining team by its members this morning should send a strong message to the Employer that this sort of stunt will only strengthen our resolve to achieve a sector-norm collective agreement."
The association adds the following are still large monetary and non-monetary sticking points:
- The Employer proposes an untested pay structure that would lead to gender-based inequality in pay. The UNBCFA proposed pay structure is similar to other comparator universities that minimize gender inequality
- The Employer seeks agreement from the UNBCFA to allow the Employer to break contracts with some of its members that fall outside the collective agreement. Since these contracts are between the individual and the Employer and not the UNBCFA, such an agreement could put the union in legal jeopardy and cause grave financial risk to the union
- The Employer seeks the right to communicate directly with members’ physicians in ways that infringe upon the legal privacy of our members
Rader adds the FA understands how this is a tough time for everyone involved in job action, but believes it's important to fix the broken system.
"We must achieve a sector-norm collective agreement since it is so vital for the long-term sustainability of a University that we love so much," Rader concluded.
"The absolutely last thing we wish to see is difficult bargaining in two and a half years from now that could lead to another strike. We need to fix a broken system so we can get everyone back to classrooms and the workplace. The future of our great university depends on our actions at the bargaining table right now."
