Call November the month of the strike.
For three weeks, about 180 members of the University of Northern British Columbia Faculty Association walked picket lines at the main entrance to the campus and around the Wood Innovation and Design Centre.
At an energetic rally held the day before it began, UNBC FA president Stephen Rader said that while professors could look forward to generous increases in their salaries, "almost nothing" was being offered to those who support their work, "the lab instructors, the librarians and the other members of our union."
He also said the aim was to "set the foundation for UNBC's success for decades to come."
"We are all going to feel the pain of this, but students in 10 or 20 or 30 years will be grateful that we have laid the foundation for a university that is strong and is built on the basis of respect," he said.
With that in mind, the strike began Nov. 7, putting students in a state of high anxiety. Many participated in rallies in support of their instructors but most appeared to bide their time, catching up on their readings and assignments as much as they could while waiting for the action to end.
On Nov. 29, it finally did. But things are far from settled.
The Faculty Association filed a complaint with the Labour Relations Board alleging bad faith bargaining. The union's members are also refusing to perform duties beyond holding lectures and working with students.
In mid-December, the sides agree to take their differences to a process in which an arbitrator selects between the parties' best and final offers and without the ability to 'split the difference' between the two.
As for the semester, classes were extended 10 days and there were no final exams.
As if that was not enough, some 185 CN Rail conductors, trainmen and yard workers in Prince George were part of a week-long nationwide strike in search of better working conditions.
A show of force was made at one point when about 150 gathered in front of Mr. PG and received honks of support from passing drivers.
As negotiators worked to hammer out a deal in Montreal, one local employee shared his story with the Citizen of long hours on the rail. Nathan Briggs, a conductor who runs trains along the east-west line from Smithers to McBride, talked of 10-to-12-hour shifts and round trips of 30-to-40 hours two or three times a week.
To the relief of all involved, a tentative settlement was reached on Nov. 29 and was to be presented to members for ratification over the next one or two months.
