Dear Students,

Many of you are aware that the University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA), representing 1,250 faculty members, instructors, and librarians, has asked its members to vote on possible strike action. That vote took place October 7 – 9, and the results may be made known by UMFA on October 10.

In this era of social media, we are hearing from many of you that you want to know more about what’s happening and what it might mean to you, so we have decided to come forward now with what information we can share:

• No strike deadline has been set
• Classes continue as scheduled
• The University has asked for a conciliator to help the parties reach an agreement
• The University is doing all it can to avoid a strike
• We will answer all questions students may have as soon as possible
• Important information will be shared with you through all-students emails

The University is doing its best to reach a settlement and avoid a strike. To that end, the University of Manitoba asked the Province this week to appoint a conciliator to help us negotiate a settlement. We are not content with the impasse that negotiations have reached; we want to keep the discussion going so that we can reach a settlement. We hope to be able to meet with UMFA and a conciliator this week or next. We remain hopeful that the conciliator will succeed in bringing the parties to an agreement.

The University of Manitoba has made a competitive salary offer. The University of Manitoba values the tremendous contribution faculty make to this institution and recognizes the need to compensate them competitively if we are to attract and retain the best. We are offering UMFA a four-year agreement with salary increases of 2.9 per cent in the first year, and 2 per cent in each of the following three years. That is an 8.9 per cent increase over four years.  There are additional financial improvements in the University's offer, as communicated on the University's website.

The University of Manitoba has suggested a four-year agreement. UMFA is seeking a two-year agreement, with a 5.8 per cent increase over those two years. We believe a four-year agreement would offer the University community relative stability with respect to its academic function for at least four years.  Further, if the length of the four-year contract is standing in the way of reaching a settlement, we have offered to reduce the term to three years, consistent with the duration of all recent UMFA contracts.  There has not been a two-year contract for decades, and a short contract would perpetuate the uncertainty that students face over this bargaining process.

The University of Manitoba did not propose that any rights presently enjoyed by faculty members be changed. We did not propose the addition of any new language or the removal of existing language around academic freedom. We believe the current language which has been in place for 40 years has served and continues to serve the community well, and reflects our strong commitment to academic freedom.

The decision whether to strike or not to strike remains with UMFA. Although UMFA members have voted this week on whether to grant UMFA a strike mandate, UMFA has not made known to the University any strike deadline. That means that right now the academic year proceeds normally. There is no strike date set. We expect that we would receive fair notice from UMFA should a strike date be set. It is certainly not this week.

At this point, we can say that – it warrants repeating – we are still working to avoid a strike, but in the event of a strike, we will do everything we can to minimize the impact of a strike on your academic success. We understand how troubling the uncertainty can be, but at this point it is very difficult to know what we would be facing. Past faculty strikes here and around the country have presented numerous scenarios, with varying start dates, durations, levels of support, and so on. We can also state that no Canadian University has ever cancelled a term because of a faculty strike, and that includes the 2011 Brandon University strike that lasted 47 days.

We understand that as students you would like to know more, but we simply cannot provide a higher level of detail at this point because of our obligations to UMFA and the bargaining process. Rest assured, however, that, in the event of a strike, beyond continuing to work to reach an agreement, communicating with you will be our priority. We will answer your questions in a timely fashion. However, remember that it is difficult to foresee the circumstances presented by any individual strike, so please pay close attention to future communications from the University on this matter.

We will update you again as soon as possible. I hope very much that the next update can be an announcement of a settlement, but if it is not, it will contain every possible detail we can share with you.

Marcia Davies

Assistant to the Vice-Provost (Students)

204 474 6917

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