A MUNFA supporter holds their sign during a late January picketing.
Since the end of the MUNFA strike in mid-February, spring break, and a discombobulating return to class, many students have wondered- what exactly came of it? With students spending many hours at the picket line and showing solidarity with striking professors, we are left with the question, what was in the final collective agreement?
The strike was premised on four contested issues of negotiation between the MUNL administration and MUNFA, that being: Remuneration (Pay), Collegial Governance, Benefits, and changes to Contractual Professors’ work arrangements.
Prior to job action, and after the initial strike vote, the university conceded on pay offering a 6% increase in compensation (up from 2%). However, refusing to budge on the other three. With this, the strike ensued.
After the strike, both parties reached a tentative agreement, with finalized details and its contents were revealed shortly after.
On the issue of pay MUNFA’s website states gains were made such as:
- A 12% salary increase over the life of the collective agreement, including 6% retroactive to September 1, 2022
- Professional development funds increase for all ASMs, including term appointments, to $1800 per year, up to $5400 maximum in three years.
- Stipend for overload teaching has increased to $6500, with salary increases applied accordingly (i.e. the stipend will be $6890 as of September 1, 2022, $7028 as of September 1, 2023, etc.)
- For term appointments, two additional steps added to the top of the Lecturer scale.
- $2000 signing bonus for all term appointments employed in the Academic Years 2021-22 and 2022-23.
On the issue of Improvements to Contractual Academic Staff, gains were made such as:
- Length of Teaching Term Appointment contracts increased by one month, with normal start dates defined as August 1, December 1, and April 1 to ensure recognition and compensation for teaching preparation.
- Conversion language expanded to all term appointments, with the option to convert to either a Regular Term appointment or tenure-track appointment.
- A Letter of Understanding to strike a Joint Committee to investigate a permanent teaching stream and to make recommendations to the Parties for future consideration.
On the issue of benefits, MUNFA rejected initial requests for modifications to post-tenure review, a residency requirement for Newfoundland and Labrador, and changes to post-retirement benefits that would have resulted in a system with different entitlements for new and current ASMs, requiring the former to pay more and work longer.
Finally, the matter of collegial governance- an issue of great concern to students:
- A Letter of Understanding to form a committee consisting of representatives from the Board of Regents, Senate, ASMs, and students to carry out a review of collegial governance at the University. This review shall include broad consultation and will result in a public report within 24 months of signing the collective agreement.
In spite of MUNFA’s ask, no language in the collective agreement or commitment was made for a change in university governance. What was agreed upon was the creation of a committee of which faculty and students hold a majority to look into collegial governance and provide a report within two years.
This makes up the bulk of the contents of the collective agreement. So, what is the feeling and response to the gains made? We spoke to Dr. Lucian Ashworth, a Professor in the Department of Political Science to get his opinion.
“The strike was a victim of its own success, as we can see from the strike vote and support from students, support from other unions and even those outside the bargaining units not unionized showing support on the picket lines there was a very strong sense of solidarity across the board here.
It felt less like a picket line and more like a colour revolution – there was a real sense we could change the world. So, there was an immediate sense of unfulfilled promise. This was a labour dispute and a lot of the problems that we were facing weren’t going to be solved with this round of negotiation, they were merely a step in the right direction.”
Dr. Lucian Ashworth, Professor of Political Science, MUNL
When asked about the planned committees to study collegial governance, contract academic staff, and what their influence might be, Dr. Ashworth had the following to say:
“Those committees will be as good as we want them to be. Particularly when we look at the CA one, the majority is going to be made up of students and faculty. So, if that majority want to use that committee to really get some hard questions answered, it can happen, it’s a question of will. Now it’s linked as a timescale of 2 years – there is a report at the end. I think if it’s carried out in the open, it will actually shift the conversation.”
Additionally, Dr. Ashworth believes there is a broader undertone to the strike implicit in many similar issues being faced around the world.
“We’ve got a strike in Sydney, we’ve got strikes all over Canada, In the US, we’ve got major strikes taking in all institutions in the UK. Now some of the issues on these are about pay, some of the issues – I know in the UK one of the big issues is pensions.
But it’s also in all of these you are seeing a running thread of the two issues that were kind of central to the strike here: one is collegial governance, there is a real strong feeling amongst students and faculty is that we’re not having a say in universities and that’s right across the western world.”
As the dust settles from the strike, it remains to be seen precisely what work will lie ahead for Memorial and faculty going forward.