Staff and students at one of Calgary’s largest post-secondary institutions are protesting a recent provincial bill they fear will limit academic freedom and threaten funding.
A rally was held Tuesday afternoon at Mount Royal University (MRU), where there were concerns about collective bargaining and with salaries.
Those who spoke at MRU said the Alberta government is overstepping when it comes to negotiations.
“The government has initiated some mandates in terms of what types of wage increases we’re looking at,” explained Michelle LoGullo, president of the Mount Royal Staff Association (MRSU).
She said staff has been offered two years of two per cent, and another two years of 1.75 per cent over the span of a four-year collective agreement — which, with inflation and cost of living, LoGullo said is insulting.
“I personally am taking home 20 per cent less pay than 2016 due to the erosion of my wage with inflation. So the offer that they’re putting on the table right now, which has not been presented to the staff association but has been presented to the faculty association, is considered rather paltry or insulting,” LoGullo said.
“Our folks are grossly underpaid.”
The MRSU wants the province to butt out of the process.
“Collective bargaining should be between the employees and their employer — this should not be a legislated interference,” LoGullo said. “The government stepping in and trying to legislate these kinds of wage mandates is a clear overstep of what their boundaries are. You know, since collective bargaining is protected under the Charter of Rights.”
The province says salary negotiations are a local bargaining matter between the university and the union.
“Alberta’s government provides bargaining directives to public sector employers, including post-secondary institutions, which use them to devise their negotiation strategies,: said Varun Chandrasekar, the press secretary for Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney.
“We encourage the parties to work together to come to an agreement.”
Concerns were also raised on Tuesday over Bill 18, the Provincial Priorities Act, which was passed in May.
It requires provincial entities — including cities and municipalities, health authorities, school boards and public post-secondary institutions — to get approval from the Alberta government before entering into, amending, extending or renewing an agreement with the federal government.
At the time, Premier Danielle Smith said Bill 18 acts as a bulwark against Ottawa muscling in to fund federal ideological priorities — such as safe supply addiction treatment and green power mandates — that run counter to her province’s objectives.
Educators are concerned the bill will create a barrier to receiving funding for key projects and damage the reputation of Alberta schools when it comes to academic freedom.
“What kind of students are we drawing? Is this going to impact the appeal of Mount Royal University for higher education?” questioned LoGullo. “If you’re putting a limit on what kind of research you’re able to do, that could deter someone from choosing to come to Mount Royal.
“Very concerned about the autonomy of our institution and just being allowed to promote higher education.”
Earlier this year, Smith addressed those concerns, saying she’s heard from other professors who claimed they haven’t received grant proposals because those proposals don’t align with the federal government ideology.
The bulk of federal post-secondary research funding comes from three Canadian government agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
The advanced education ministry said it has been actively engaging with post-secondary institutions, including MRU, since the spring to make sure the regulations are streamlined when it comes to the approval process, adding that the Alberta government is committed to ensuring federal funding aligns with provincial priorities.
“We are working to develop and implement regulations to ensure Alberta’s post-secondary institutions maintain access to research and other funding from the federal government, while safeguarding Alberta’s interests,” a statement from Chandrasekar said.
Those at Mount Royal University said on Tuesday if they don’t see any progress on collective agreements and collective bargaining, they will be looking at job action such as a strike.
“We’ve never been a part of job action before, but the rumblings are growing louder and louder,” LoGullo said. “At some point we have to draw a line in the sand to say we can’t continue down this path.
“The minimum living wage for Calgary right now is in around $23, $24 an hour. We have a huge number of staff that are making less than that.”