(Sudbury, Sept. 14, 2018)

Dear Members,

Despite the best efforts of the membership’s Negotiating Team, the conciliation that took place on Friday for a new Collective Agreement at the University of Sudbury failed to reach a settlement. The Team has asked for “No Board” report from the provincial labour ministry. This starts the countdown to a strike/lockout in the first half of October.

“We are committed to reaching an agreement, but progress has been extremely slow on our core issues of fair pay as well as job security for our part-time members,” said Chief Negotiator Réal Fillion. “There is no choice but to prepare for job action that will put additional pressure on the employer to make us a fair offer.”

The University of Sudbury membership has already given the Negotiating Team a strike mandate. One hundred percent of the members who voted were in favour.

We must mobilize since there is no guarantee of a settlement at the mediation that will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 25 and the stronger our support for our colleagues, the more likely it will be that the university makes us a fair offer in advance of any job action.

The AGM on Friday, Sept. 21 at 1 pm will be an emergency membership meeting on the impending labour disruption including strike protocol and picket lines on campus. We ask all members to join our University of Sudbury colleagues on the picket line.

In solidarity,
The LUFA Executive