A faculty strike at Concordia University that lasted more than a week has come to an end.
On Saturday, the Concordia University of Edmonton Faculty Association (CUEFA) said 89 per cent of its members voted in favour of ratification of a new tentative agreement.
According to CUEFA and the University, the new agreement will allow for classes to begin again on Wednesday as faculty are set to return on Monday.
“This new agreement is a win for faculty, students and the community because it will enable the University to recruit and retain excellent faculty and lays the foundation for a stronger learning environment,” said CUEFA president, Glynis Price.
“Collective action is what made it possible, and CUEFA is grateful to the students, parents, other associations and allies across Canada who rallied in support of this strike.”
The strike first began on Jan. 4 and was the first in Alberta history when it comes to a faculty association taking job action. The union claims more than 1,350 people from across Canada showed their support for the union while a student petition garnered more than 500 signatories supporting the faculty.
According to the union, salary gains will begin the process of bringing CUE faculty and academic service officers into line with other institutions. The news release states CUE faculty salaries are ranked at 68 out of 70 Canadian universities.
The new agreement will also improve working conditions for CUEFA members by moving toward manageable workloads for professors, laboratory instructors, librarians and field placement coordinators. It will also add job security to its members along with preserving their ownership of their intellectual property.
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CUEFA represents the interests of all probationary and permanent faculty members, professional librarians, laboratory instructors, and field placement coordinators
University president responds
The president of Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) said he’s pleased they’ve come to terms on a four-year collective agreement.
“The agreement recognizes the value of our colleagues’ contributions through improvements to salary, workload and research opportunities,” said Tim Loreman, president and vice-chancellor of CUE.
“It marks the renewal of the relationship between CUE administration, faculty and staff, and a redoubling of our efforts to build a stronger culture of collaboration at the university. I offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to all CUE faculty, staff and students for their patience over the last few weeks, and hope to see everyone return to campus in person soon, safely and ready to take on the new year.”
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