SACKVILLE, N.B. — Support is high right now among Mount Allison’s faculty members for possible strike action, if a collective agreement isn’t reached soon with the university.
The majority of full- and part-time members of the Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) voted in favour this week of a strike, “if necessary”, in response to little movement at the bargaining table.
Ninety-one per cent of eligible MAFA members cast ballots during the vote, with 74 per cent of full-time members and 94 per cent of part-time members voting in favour of a possible strike.
“We are pleased with this level of support from our members,” said Matt Litvak, MAFA president. “Today [Friday] we are meeting with the employer team and we hope that this show of resolve will demonstrate to the employer our members’ commitment to our concerns. This will only be settled at the bargaining table and we remain ready to negotiate.”
MAFA, which represents more than 200 full and part-time professors and librarians, has been working without a contract since July 1, 2019. Negotiations began in June.
A mediator was appointed last month to help resolve the labour dispute following more than six months of talks and even after a provincially-appointed conciliator failed to help the two parties reach a deal by the end of November.
MAFA president Matthew Litvak said last month that one of the faculty’s main issues of contention in the discussions is on faculty complement, or what he describes as “academic understaffing.”
In its most recent online update on negotiations, the university stated it is continuing negotiations with MAFA, with the assistance of the provincially-appointed mediator. The update also pointed out that it's important to be aware that the outcome of the strike vote does not mean that a strike has immediately been initiated. However, MAFA may be in a position to formally initiate a strike at some point. The university insisted it will not initiate a work stoppage and will not consider locking out MAFA members unless there is a strike.
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