In December, the Job Action Committee (JAC) provided AUFA’s Executive with some preliminary recommendations to five strike-related questions:
Who will be required to actively participate in a strike?
What labour will be withdrawn and what labour will be permitted to continue?
How will AUFA allocate strike pay?
What strike duties will members be asked to perform?
How will we resolve disputes about these issues during a work stoppage?
AUFA’s Executive then sought feedback from AUFA members on those preliminary recommendations.
Nearly 100 members offered up their thoughts. Overall, there was strong support for the recommendations (ranging from 90.5% to 98.9%) and a number of very useful suggestions.
This blog summarizes the responses and indicates some of the changes we’ve made as a result. The revised recommendations will be presented during a townhall meeting in later January (tentatively January 19, from 2-3 pm; invitation and agenda forthcoming) with an online ratification vote to follow. This blog also answers some of the questions that were raised by members in the comment section of the online consultation.
Who should strike?
JAC recommended that all members be asked to withdraw their labour (i.e., strike) excepting:
those on maternity and/or parental leave,
those on workers’ compensation,
those on long-term disability, or
those who receive an exemption (adjudicated by a committee).
When polled, 94.7% of respondents supported this recommendation.
Throughout the consultation, there was strong support for exempting members who are on research and study leave (RSL) from striking. The underlying arguments were RSLs take a long time to arrange, and that it’d be unfair to interrupt them.
JAC agreed, and adjusted its recommendation:
All members be asked to withdraw their labour (i.e., strike) excepting:
those on maternity and/or parental leave,
those on workers’ compensation,
those on long-term disability,
those on research and study leave, or
those who receive an exemption (adjudicated by a committee).
What labour should be withdrawn?
JAC recommended that during a strike:
academic members be directed to stop teaching, coordinating their courses, and performing university service work, and
professional members be directed to not engage in their professional duties and to stop their university service work.
When polled, 98.9% of respondents supported this recommendation, and as such, JAC has left this recommendation intact.
How will strike pay be allocated?
JAC recommended that strike pay be allocated to members who:
provided contact and banking information (a practical requirement)
withdrew their labour as set out above, and
participated in strike duties.
When polled, 93.7% of respondents supported this recommendation, and as such, JAC has left this recommendation intact.
What strike duties will AUFA members be asked to perform?
JAC recommended that AUFA members be asked to perform approximately 2 hours of strike duties per day and provided an illustrative list of strike duties. Members who are on casual sick leave (or become ill during a strike) would be excused.
When polled, 90.5% of respondents supported this recommendation.
Member comments focused on two issues.
Several members requested AUFA ensure there be strike duties that could be performed by members who could not picket in person.
Several members suggested that greater flexibility around the time (e.g., requiring 10 hours per week, rather than 2 hours per day) would
It has long been AUFA’s intention to ensure everyone would have accessible picketing options. This was clarified in a December blog post. Shifting from 2 hours per day to 10 hours per week also makes sense.
In light of this feedback, JAC has adjusted its recommendation to be:
All members would be expected to perform 10 hours of strike activities per week, excepting those who are sick or who receive an exemption.
How will AUFA resolve disputes about these issues during a work stoppage?
JAC recommended AUFA set up a Strike Pay Eligibility Committee to adjudicate disputes about strike pay and other related matters. The committee will also administer all requests for exemptions to the general approach set out above.
While every AUFA member should share the costs of a strike equally, it is important to have a fair process by which we can address instances when the strike disproportionately impacts some members and accommodate them. Since this is our first time through a strike, we also need a process to handle events that we haven’t foreseen.
When polled, 95.7% of respondents supported this recommendation.
Member comments focused on committee composition and selection. JAC’s original proposal was to have the Vice-President chair the committee with six members appointed by the Executive (this is how AUFA usually creates ad hoc committees). Members suggested electing committee members and ensuring the committee had an equal number of academic and professional members.
In light of this feedback, JAC has adjusted its recommendation such that the committee would be chaired by the Vice-President and comprise three academic members and three professional members selected via a membership nomination and election process. The Executive will draft the terms of reference for this committee.
Member Questions
Q. Why is AUFA proposing using direct deposit instead of e-transfers for strike pay?
A. Direct deposit can be more easily automated (reducing the work and errors), creates an easier paper trail to audit, and allows for easier correction of errors.
Q. How can I digitally picket when I’m not on social media.
A. As set out in the December picketing post, there will be several digital picketing options, including ones that do not require access to social media. That said, social media accounts are also easy to create and operate. You can also create an anonymous and/or second social media account if you are concerned about your privacy or professional reputation.
Q. What happens if I withdraw my labour but don’t perform strike activities?
A. If the membership ratifies the criteria JAC is recommending for strike pay eligibility and you choose not to meet one of the criteria and do not receive an exemption, then you will not receive strike pay. The rationale for this is that everyone benefits from the collective agreement, thus everyone must share the costs (including performing strike activities) associated with winning improvements.
Q. How will AUFA be communicating about a strike to students?
A. AUFA is in periodic contact with the student associations. When a strike appears imminent, AUFA will provide student-directed communications as well as talking points for AUFA members should students contact them directly.
Q. What will happen if I am on vacation and a strike commences?
A. Members who are on vacation when a strike commences will be expected to withdraw their labour and receive strike pay. Members on vacation at the start of a strike whose vacation circumstances would impede them performing strike activities, can request a temporary exemption to that requirement from the Strike Pay Eligibility Committee.
Q. Why are you focused on a strike instead of a work to rule campaign?
A. It comes down to an assessment of risk and reward. Working to rule is a form of a strike. In order to legally strike (whether that means working to rule or withdrawing our labour entirely), AUFA needs to be in a legal strike position (we’re a ways from that at the moment) and serve notice of a strike on the employer.
When a strike commences, the collective agreement is no longer in effect. This allows the employer to impose whatever terms and conditions it likes upon us. Typically, employers impose their most recent offer. Continuing to work (even if it is working to rule) in these circumstances would allow the employer to implement things like their proposals for cheaper layoffs and less academic and professional freedom.
Working to rule, while doubtless an irritant to the employer, would not exert much pressure on them to settle since working to rule would not profoundly disrupt operations and we would be working to rule under the terms they want. AUFA’s counter move to an employer imposing its terms on us is to have a full strike (which would apply significant pressure to settle on AU). Given this, it makes sense to focus on a strike, rather than a work-to-rule campaign.
JAC hopes this update is useful. The townhall agenda (with a full set of proposals) will be circulated next week by email. In the meantime, you can send question to barnetso@athabascau.ca .
Bob Barnetson, Chair
AUFA Job Action Committee