Dear Colleagues,
I’ve been receiving inquiries about the status of the AASUA’s negotiations for a next Collective Agreement. While negotiations have been proceeding at a rate slower than anticipated, the AASUA is still ahead of most of our academic staff association colleagues in the province, and we are also in line with the other public sector tables as bargaining continues in earnest this year.
Please remember that our negotiating team is responsible for negotiating changes not only to the Common Agreement, but also to each of the seven Constituency Schedules. The mandate given to our team by the membership contained numerous priorities, and the team is working hard to bring each and every one of those concerns to the table, and to explain and discuss the corresponding proposals with the Employer. To do this work well for you takes time.
What I can tell you is that due to a number of unanticipated delays related to the finalization of the Essential Services Agreement (ESA) between the parties, the ESA was not submitted for filing at the Alberta Labour Relations Board until February 13. We have received word from the Labour Board that the ESA Commissioner will review our ESA on March 3, and at that time will decide whether it is adequate for approval by the Commissioner, or if amendments are required. We anticipate that we will hear back from the Labour Board a week or so after the Commissioner reviews our submitted ESA with the decision.
Only once the ESA has been approved then will the Employer and the AASUA be in the legal position to seek formal mediation to attempt to finalize our renewal Collective Agreement. If sought, once Alberta’s Director of Mediation Services appoints a formal mediator, then the parties will meet with that mediator (subject to the mediator’s availability) for a minimum period of 14 days. If mediation is going well, then the parties may wish to book further mediated sessions to work towards concluding a tentative collective agreement.
However, if mediation eventually results in an impasse, the mediator may choose to “check out” without issuing recommendations. If this occurs, then there is another 14 day minimum “cooling off period” which must lapse before a strike or lockout vote can be held. So, at very minimum, a strike or lockout vote could occur no sooner than 28 days after the day in which we are notified that the Director of Mediation has appointed a formal mediator for our table. Remember that a vote doesn’t necessarily mean job action is imminent either. The parties can take a vote and continue to negotiate without giving notice of immediate job action.
If, on the other hand, mediation results in the mediator making recommendations on the terms of settlement (to form the next collective agreement), then those recommendations may come up for a vote of the membership (if, for example, the Employer accepts the recommendations but the AASUA’s Executive does not, so the Employer requests the Labour Board hold such a vote on the mediator’s recommendations). If such a vote occurs, and the recommendations are not ratified by the membership, then the 14 day “cooling off” period is again required by the Labour Board before any strike or lockout vote could occur.
As you can see, there are many variables in play and depending on the path that we ultimately may have to go down, the timeline for these events remains uncertain. At this point, we do not even know if formal mediation will be required at all. We have not yet hit an impasse that appears insurmountable, and we continue to negotiate with the Employer.
That said, it is highly unlikely that, should a strike or lockout occur, it could legally occur before the beginning of May at the very earliest, as neither party has made a request for formal mediation. The AASUA’s team is working hard to prevent a work stoppage and we continue to make progress at the bargaining table.
At this time, we have two more joint meetings scheduled with the Employer’s negotiating team: February 27 and (tentatively) March 24. We are moving into informal mediation on March 25, which is currently scheduled for March 25–27, 2025. Unlike formal mediation, informal mediation does not trigger the 28-day period explained above. We have sought the assistance of a very experienced mediator in Alberta, Mark Asbell, K.C., to bring the parties together to work towards a renewal collective agreement that is satisfactory to both sides of the table. We will continue to update you on our progress at the table as we go.
We know this process can be anxiety provoking, especially in the current circumstances we are seeing in Alberta and within North America, but we are working hard to keep you all updated and we continue to see progress being made at the table.
I have an important request of you: On March 5 at noon, the AASUA will be holding a rally at 87 Avenue and 112 Street. Please attend the rally and demonstrate your solidarity with the bargaining team as they negotiate your contract. A great turnout concretely demonstrates to the Employer that we stand united, as an Association, in our goals for this round of negotiations — and that we mean business! Please clear your calendars and make time to attend as the success of our negotiations depends on your support!
Here is the link to register for the rally: https://actionnetwork.org/events/rally-one-year-of-bargaining
I hope this helps clarify the current status of negotiations. Please, as always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions, concerns or comments.
In solidarity,
Gordon Swaters
AASUA President