How to Prepare for a Work Stoppage

The lack of progress at the bargaining table has raised the prospect of a work stoppage. A recurring question is how should AUFA members prepare for a strike or a lock out. An average strike/lockout in PSE lasts three weeks while the vast majority of strikes and lockouts are resolved within six weeks.

A work stoppage will affect your salary and benefits. During any work stoppage, AUFA will maintain your health, dental, vision and life insurance benefits. AUFA has also arranged strike pay of $85 per calendar day (tax free) starting on the fourth day of any work stoppage.

For most AUFA members, $595 per week in pay represents a loss of net income. Depending upon your personal financial situation, it may be important to examine how to reduce or otherwise defray/delay expenditures. AUFA will be contacting all members closer to the date of any work stoppage to finalize direct deposit arrangements for your strike pay.

During a work stoppage, the university will likely curtail your access to AU facilities. It may also limit your access to your email and other electronic files. Consequently, you may wish to ensure you have access to any research or professional materials you will need to access during a work stoppage.

Once 72-hour strike or lockout notice has been served, you should set out-of-office notices on your voice mail and email, indicating you will be out of the office for an unknown period of time due to a work stoppage and that you will contact them once you return to work.

For workers in home offices, it is presently unclear how the university wishes to proceed regarding telephone and internet access during a work stoppage (i.e., will AU pay for the continuation of the service or should you cancel it? If you cancel it, will AU pay for reconnection?). As we get closer to a work stoppage, AUFA expects to raise these questions with the employer.

During a work stoppage, AUFA will be activating an email communication system based upon the non-AU emails we collected in early 2018. If your home email has changed, you are a new employee, or you have changed your mind about providing such an email, please feel free to contact the AUFA office (aufahq@aufa.ca). Note that in the days immediately preceding a work stoppage, the AUFA office will be extremely busy and may not have time to immediately process your email address changes.

The work stoppage committee welcomes questions, comments and the identification of issues we have not addressed above, please email Bob Barnetson (barnetso@athabascau.ca).

Bob Barnetson, Chair

Work Stoppage Planning Committee