Why am I hearing about a potential strike vote at the UofA if mediation fails?
What we are told is happening at UofA
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What is really happening at UofA
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The UofA doesn’t have the money to offer
better contracts to academic staff
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The UofA had a surplus of $53.65 million in the 2020-21 fiscal year end in the Consolidated Statement of Operations
(source)
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The UofA is invested in Equity, Diversity, and
Inclusion
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The employer is directing its most aggressive
cuts at the most precarious staff
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The UofA plans to grow by 10,000 students
over the next three years
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The employer wants to educate these students by expanding its reliance on academic teaching staff (ATS) on contract, and is proposing a two-tiered pay-scale, so that these future academics will be paid less than current members
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The UofA wants to provide the best programs in Canada that engage students in experiential learning and prepare students for success; this isn’t possible without raising tuition
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Undergraduate students are paying 14% more tuition compared to two years ago, but they are not receiving more. The employer is cutting support-staff positions, and there has been a hiring freeze for the past 2 years
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The UofA is dedicated to building and maintaining a world-class research university, and it understands that academic staff are at the heart of this mission
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In 2019-2020, the employer only allocated 21.5% of its Operating Budget to academic salaries, but the average allocation at Canadian universities was 29.7% (source). If the UofA had allocated the same fraction of its operating budget to academic salaries, it would have had another $99.86 million to attract new researchers to Edmonton and provide stable employment to Albertans
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The UofA is trying to reach a fair deal with academic staff through the bargaining process and is doing everything possible to avoid labour disruption
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The employer brings unreasonable proposals to the table: their opening proposal included a retroactive pay-cut, meaning they wanted academic staff to pay back money they had already earned (source). Their latest proposal relies on a divide-and-conquer strategy.
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The UofA is dedicated to providing remote
instruction throughout the pandemic
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The employer is refusing to reimburse instructors for equipment and software they needed to purchase out of pocket to make it possible to work from home during the pandemic
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