Update: Status of AUFA bargaining

Bargaining between AUFA and AU has stretched on for almost two years. This post provides a high-level comparison of where each side stands as of January 31, 2022 on major issues (minor language changes have been excluded).

Overall, AUFA is asking for wage increases linked to inflation and better language. AU is seeking a wage freeze and significant language rollbacks that disproportionately target professional AUFA members (although some language rollbacks affect everyone).

Provincially, the public-sector settlement pattern is modest wage increases and better language.

You can view AUFA’s opening proposal here, and AU’s opening proposals here and here. We will be posting this table on AUFA’s strike website and post periodic updates as bargaining continues.

Jason Foster, Chair

AUFA Bargaining Committee

Substantive Proposals as of February 4, 2022

(minor language changes excluded).

Article/Schedule	AUFA Current	AU Current	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.
Schedule B  Benefits	Benefit plan will be fully paid by AU.	No proposal
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),	Further analysis: https://aufa.ca/blog/2021/4/12/bargaining-analysis-2-aus-discipline-proposals
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.	Further analysis: https://aufa.ca/blog/2021/4/26/bargaining-analysis-3-academic-and-professional-freedom
12   Layoffs		Reduces layoff notice for academics, removing professionals from this article (creating new articles addressing professionals, see below)	Further analysis: https://aufa.ca/blog/2021/4/6/bargaining-analysis-1-aus-layoff-proposals
15   Research and Study Leave		Eliminate RSL to professionals; reduce RSL for academics.	Further analysis: https://aufa.ca/blog/2022/1/28/au-wants-to-grind-aufa-members-research-and-study-leaves
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.	Further analysis: https://aufa.ca/blog/2021/5/3/bargaining-analysis-4-aufas-pay-equity-proposal
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