Get Involved!

What you can do now

AUFA is still trying to avoid a work stoppage because of the disruption this would cause for students, our colleagues, and our communities. However, AU’s recent actions suggest that the employer is not interested in meaningful bargaining. Here are some ways you can help pressure AU to return to the bargaining table and avoid a work stoppage. 

Everyone (Members, Students, Allies) 

Help us take our message to AU’s top leaders! 

It seems likely that the AU Executive and Board of Governors is receiving biased information about collective bargaining with AUFA (e.g., minimizing the extent of disruption a work stoppage could cause, framing AUFA as a small group of ne’er-do-wells rather than a complex grouping of several hundred individuals committed to AU’s mission) and more broadly about the current state of morale at AU. 

So, to combat these limited and biased perceptions, we’re collecting testimonials, personal letters, and other contributions from members and others to submit to the Board of Governors. Use the form below to submit something—anything—that you would like the members of the Board to hear. 

AUFA Members

Get Informed

The most important thing AUFA members need to do at this time is get informed. Like most unfamiliar things, a work stoppage can seem scary and overwhelming in the abstract. Combat your own fear and anxiety by reading (emails, AUFA’s blog and resources on the website, the employer’s version of events, etc.), asking questions, and talking to others (members, family, friends, etc.). In particular, the Strike FAQ for Members is intended as a dynamic resource and includes a space for additional questions or comments. 

Get Prepared 

While AUFA still hopes to avoid a strike, it makes pragmatic sense to take practical steps to prepare for a work stoppage. Assume that you might lose access to all AU accounts and back up any important research or personal files. (You may be thankful the next time your computer crashes!) Make contingency plans for a period of decreased income. Make sure you’ve submitted your non-AU contact info to the AUFA office (Brenda Skayman) and your direct deposit info to the AUFA Treasurer (Gail Leicht). 

Volunteer as a Member Caller

Solidarity is built on relationships. So, the Membership Engagement Committee is coordinating member-to-member calls to make sure members feel supported and heard in this time of upheaval. This work would ramp up during a work stoppage, but we feel it’s important for members to talk to each other sooner rather than later. If you would like to volunteer to help with these calls (either before or during a work stoppage, or both), please contact the Membership Engagement Committee Chair (Rhiannon Rutherford). 

Contribute in Other Ways

There are as many ways to contribute as there are AUFA members! If you have an idea for something you would like to do, write, say, sing, paint, dance, etc., to support our collective effort, please contact the Membership Engagement Committee Chair (Rhiannon Rutherford). 

Students and Allies

AUFA is grateful for the messages of support we’ve received from students and allies. Here are some more ways you can support us: 

  • Send an email to the Minister of Advanced Education, Demetrios Nicolaides, urging him to consider the unique value that AU brings to the Alberta postsecondary sector and to allow AU the freedom it needs to act as a responsible and responsive employer.

  • Send an email to any or all of the following AU executive team members encouraging them to change course on several years of soured labour relations: Chief Human Resources Officer Charlene Polege, AU President Dr. Peter Scott, AU Provost and Vice President Academic Dr. Matt Prineas, VP Information Technology and CIO Jennifer Schaeffer.

  • Share AUFA updates on social media.

  • Let AUFA members know you support them! This is a stressful time for us and we appreciate all the encouraging words we can get.

What a strike would look like 

During a strike, most AUFA members will be required to participate in 10 hours of strike activities per week. The following are the main ways members will be asked to contribute (all will count toward strike duties): 

  • In-person activities will predominantly take place in the Athabasca, Edmonton, and Calgary areas and may include picketing, leafletting, flyering, and door knocking.

  • Digital picketing comprises activities that can be performed regardless of one’s physical location and will include social media work, letter and email writing, phone calls, artistic activities, and educational activities.

  • Strike service work encompasses various administrative tasks, such as serving on the Strike Duty Exemption Committee and the Membership Emergency Fund Committee, or assisting the AUFA office or officers in other capacities.

  • Regular member meetings will be an important avenue for the AUFA Executive to keep members informed.

  • Member callers will expand and intensify their work, with the goal of reaching every AUFA member to check in once per week.

  • Virtual workshops and other types of educational sessions will present opportunities for AUFA members to engage in the longer-term work of deepening our collective capacity for work towards inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA).