University of Manitoba (UMANITOBA.CA)
WINNIPEG — Classes have resumed at the University of Manitoba today after faculty members ratified a new tentative agreement on Monday night, ending a 35-day strike.
The new agreement enhances working conditions for University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) members by improving maternity and parental leave benefits, and establishes a Family Resources Position to assist UM community members in finding childcare.
“Our members were on strike to improve working conditions for faculty and learning conditions for students,” said Orvie Dingwall, UMFA president.
“This agreement will improve equity for the lowest paid and most precarious UMFA members, while also ensuring that we can recruit and retain professors, instructors, and librarians at the University of Manitoba.”
Compensation will be determined through binding arbitration, which will ignore government mandates and be guided by a “reasonable advancement toward” the 25th percentile when compared to Canada’s top 15 research universities.
Dingwall said the provincial government interfered in the association’s negotiations and the UMFA should have only been bargaining with their employer.
“We defended the university’s independence from the government, and thank everyone who joined us in our efforts to end government interference at the University of Manitoba.”
The final results of the ratification vote were 881 members in favour, 88 opposed with 969 out of 1,264 members voting. The UMFA represents over 1,200 professors, instructors and librarians at the University of Manitoba.
