The Lecturer’s Union of Memorial University (LUMUN) has released a response on their website to the University’s recent Newsline item about the ongoing bargaining process.
In the release, the University illustrates the financial package they offered LUMUN last Friday. They state that the package offers a wage increase that represents “a pay increase, by 2025, of 46% for those at the bottom of the current range ($5,000/course going to $7,312) and 25% for those at the top of the range ($5875/course going to $7,312).”
LUMUN has stated in response that “Their wage proposals aren’t anything new, but were recycled from the MUNFA negotiations,” adding that, “Unlike every other set of proposals exchanged since last April, what they gave us on 23 February was an “all-or-nothing package”, which means that it has to be accepted or rejected in its entirety.”
Better working conditions with regard to discipline and investigations is a key point that LUMUN has said was excluded from their package. Further stating that “Any language that they no longer wished to negotiate was intentionally excluded from the package, which itself contained very little language, most of which involved minor changes to the collective agreement.”
The University’s release includes a statement that their proposed wage increase will bring them to the average per-course rate for Atlantic Canada. LUMUN has countered that statement, saying, “Were we to strike, all of our members would be making more on the picket line than they would be earning this ‘average’ wage’.”
When reading Memorial’s Newsline statement, LUMUN asks we keep in mind “what has been left out of it, namely its ‘all-or-nothing’ nature and most of the outstanding language issues, and recognise it for what it is: an exercise in power by attempting to sway the University community in their favour, and an attempt to divide our membership ahead of any strike vote.”
The strike vote will take place on February 29th, more information to come.
To read LUMUN’s response in its entirety, the release can be found here: https://lumun.ca/2024/02/27/afraid-of-a-strike-lumuns-response-to-memorials-newsline-bargaining-proposal/
As well, their strike facts and FAQs page can be found here: https://lumun.ca/2024/02/23/lumun-strike-facts-and-faqs/