AUFA

April 12, 9:00am to 9:00pm MDT: AUFA members will vote on a tentative agreement between AUFA & AU.

April 4, 9:00am to 9:00pm MDT: AUFA members will vote to authorize a strike if necessary. Vote results: 79% in favour of authorizing a strike if necessary, 92% turnout. AUFA's bargaining team has suggested some dates in April for bargaining or mediation to continue. In the meantime, AUFA members should take steps to prepare for a work stoppage should this become necessary.

April 1: AUFA offered to delay the strike vote if AU could commit to additional bargaining days and provide assurances against a lockout. AU refused, instead signaling that they would be willing to offer the rejected mediator's proposal but with the option to buy out accumulated professional RSL removed.

March 2022 

March 29, 9:00am to 9:00pm MDT: AUFA members will vote to ratify or reject the mediator’s recommended settlement. Vote results: 77% voted to reject the deal, 90% turnout.

March 25: The AUFA executive is recommending that members vote to reject the proposed settlement.

March 10–24: Bargaining resumed with the support of a second mediator. The mediator drafted a proposed settlement. AUFA’s bargaining team chose to forward the proposed deal to AUFA members for decision. The AUFA bargaining team is remaining neutral.

March 8-9: Formal mediation was conducted and concluded. This triggers the 14-day cooling off period before either party can conduct a strike (or lockout) vote.

March 2: AUFA presented an updated counter-proposal in preparation for formal mediation.

February 2022 

AUFA requested formal mediation. 

January 2022 

AU finally provided its full offer and filed a baffling complaint against AUFA. 

April to December 2021 

Bargaining proceeded slowly. AU’s delay in providing a complete opening offer was a source of significant frustration of the bargaining process. AUFA filed a bad-faith bargaining complaint to encourage AU to table a full proposal. 

March 2021 

AUFA provided its opening offer; AU provided a partial opening offer. AU’s offer included several placeholders for language that would be tabled later, including details on salaries. 

early 2020 

AUFA members provided input on priorities for bargaining. AUFA’s high-level proposal was shared with and ratified by members. The collective agreement expired on June 30, 2020. Bargaining was delayed by COVID. 

Article/Schedule  

AUFA Ingoing  

AU Ingoing  

Notes  

Schedule A1&2  

Wages  

Increases to salaries and grids:  

July 1, 2020: 2.0% COLA  

July 1, 2021: 4.0% COLA  

July 1, 2022: TBD based on Alberta Consumer Price Index  

July 1, 2023: TBD based on Alberta Consumer Price Index  

July 1, 2020: 0% COLA  

July 1, 2021: 0% COLA  

July 1, 2022: 0% COLA  

July 1, 2022: 0% COLA  

Alberta Inflation was 0.8% in 2020 and 4.8% in 2021.  

Previous analyses of AU’s financial situation: spring 2021, fall 2019 

Other relevant posts: other public sector settlements, trends at AU 2005-2018 

Schedule B  

Benefits  

Benefit plan will be fully paid by AU.  

No proposal  

 Further context on health benefits. 

Schedule B  

Vacation  

Four new vacation days that float around July 1 or National Indigenous People’s Day.  

No proposal  

All  

Replace gendered language with non-gender language  

Agreed.  

1   

Definitions  

New language limiting the ability to AU to de-designate AUFA members.  

3   

Academics  

Create meaningful appeal process for academic workload disputes.  

Add recognition of indigenous elders/knowledge in promotion/tenure process  

Replace existing decision processes for probation, promotion, increment, and research and study leave; combining tenure and promotion for assistant professor; awarding tenure for new full professors.  

AU has not proposed firm language on this article.  

4   

Professionals  

Create meaningful appeal process for professional workload disputes.  

Reduce professional probation to 1 year; eliminate current probationary review process; allow immediate termination during probation at employer’s discretion; service work only at employer’s discretion; eliminate right to request position evaluation; eliminate rules around promotion of professionals.  

5  

Term appointments  

Extend maximum duration of term appoints to new program from 3 to 5 years; eliminate requirement to automatically convert term appointments to regular appointments after 5 years; reduce length of early termination notice; eliminate accrual of professional development, research and study leave entitlements.  

6   

Salaries  

Only academic staff may appeal increment denials.  

7  

Discipline  

Limiting AU’s ability to use external investigators. Allowing AUFA members to refuse to cross other union’s picket lines.  

Allow unpaid suspension or termination to take effect before appeal process is concluded; eliminate appeal process (shifting costs onto union to grieve discipline),  

Responses to the employer’s initial offer on Article 7: analysis and member response:  

Further context on discipline at AU 

8   

Grievance  

Imposing 30-day time limit to file a grievance. Changes to grievance process.  

9  

Appeals  

Include academic and professional workloads in appeal process  

Professionals excluded from appeal process; employer chooses majority of members of appeal committee; chair can remove committee members for bias.   

10  

Harassment  

AU wishes to apply its harassment policy to AUFA members.   

Updating list of protected grounds.  

AU’s current harassment policy was implemented contrary to the collective agreement and therefore currently is inapplicable.  

11  

Academic freedom  

Strengthening professional freedom protections  

Narrowing academic freedom; eliminating professional freedom.  

Responses to the employer’s initial offer on Article 11: analysis and member response  

12   

Layoffs  

Reduces layoff notice for academics, removing professionals from this article (creating new articles addressing professionals, see below)   

Responses to the employer’s initial offer on Article 12: analysis and member response 

Further context on layoffs at AU 

15   

Research and Study Leave  

Eliminate RSL to professionals; reduce RSL for academics.  

Responses to the employer’s initial offer on Article 15: analysis and member response 

Further context in this bargaining update. 

16  

Sick leave  

Specifying when a medical note is required and ensuring AUFA is included in sick-leave, accommodation, and return-to-work discussions.  

The parties agreed to gender neutral language for maternity and parental leave  

16   

Compassionate care leave  

Extend leave to 28 weeks and allow for serious illness without risk of death.   

17  

Union leave  

Additional work release (100%) for union president and (50%) for bargaining chair.  

AU has stopped allowing AUFA to buy out additional leave; this is the subject of a grievance.  

19  

Telework  

$2500 start-up grant and $150/mo stipend for working from home.  

20  

External Professional Activity  

Narrows permissible external professional activity.  

21  

Privacy  

Limiting employer’s ability to surveil AUFA members on the job.  

22  

Resignation  

Extends resignation notice from 21 working days to 3 months.  

25  

Health & Safety  

Codifying basic OHS rights.  

Providing rights as per OHS Act and Code.  

Government has rolled back legislative OHS rights; AUFA’s proposal codifies prior rights in collective agreement. The employer offer would subject members to lesser protections under current Act.  

26   

Equity  

New language codifying obligation to address TRC calls to action, address equity in hiring, workloads and promotion, and complete periodic pay equity analyses.  

Disbanding Employment Equity Committee; committing to release an employer-created EDI framework by April 2023.  

Responses to the employer’s initial offer on Article 26: analysis and member response 

27  

Causal appointments  

Eliminate  

LOA  

Contracting out  

Eliminate  

LOA on disability accommodation  

Eliminate  

LOA on deans  

Eliminate  

AU is separately seeking to de-designate deans from AUFA.  

LOA on Intellectual property  

Eliminate  

LOA on Spousal Hiring  

Eliminate  

LOA on Overload  

Establishing consistent pay for overload   

NEW - Designation  

Require a consultation process for designation changes and requiring AUFA consent  

NEW – Layoff of Professionals  

New layoff provisions for professionals, reducing notice period  

NEW – Temporary Layoff of Professionals  

New provisions allowing for temporary layoffs of professionals