By Sarah Klein
The University of Winnipeg Faculty Association (UWFA) ratified a new collective agreement late Friday, voting overwhelming 221 to 26 in favour of the deal.
The contract includes a 5.41 percent salary increase and other benefits over three years. Members had originally been asking for an 8.4 percent increase.
The agreement, which comes into effect on April 1, will last until March 30, 2013, and include increased pension contributions and improvements to administrative issues.
Under the new agreement, U of W faculty, librarians and coaches will earn similar salaries to other Manitoba universities by October 2012.
“At the end of this difficult period of negotiations, we are happy to be in our classrooms with our students to finish up the academic term,” said UWFA president Kristine Hansen. “The settlement is reasonable in the Manitoba university context, and it builds the basis for fairness in the years to come.”
Both the Faculty Association and university say neither party will make further public statements on the contract.
