Queen’s and the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA) have reached a tentative agreement to renew their collective agreement following months of bargaining.
The University announced the tentative agreement on Aug. 20. The agreement remains subject to ratification by both Queen’s and QUFA, and its terms remain confidential pending ratification.
QUFA is the certified bargaining agent for approximately 1,400 faculty members, librarians, and archivists at Queen’s. The previous collective agreement expired June 30.
READ MORE: Faculty association pushes compensation, workload reforms in bargaining
The tentative agreement follows months of negotiations between the University and QUFA. Queen’s received notice to bargain from QUFA on April 23, with bargaining beginning in May. The two parties jointly applied for a provincially appointed conciliation officer in July after negotiations continued into the summer.
Earlier this month, QUFA members voted to authorize potential strike action if negotiations failed to produce a renewed collective agreement. The strike vote ran from Aug. 11 to 14, with 83 per cent of participating members voting to authorize QUFA’s Executive Committee to call a strike if necessary.
READ MORE: Faculty union to hold strike vote as bargaining continues
In a statement to The Journal, QUFA President Karen Rudie said she’s unable to disclose the terms of the agreement before it’s ratified.
QUFA members received details of the tentative agreement by email on Aug. 27. A meeting to determine whether to authorize a ratification vote is scheduled for Aug. 31 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. over Zoom, according to QUFA’s website.
Under QUFA’s ratification process, its Executive Committee and Council of Representatives separately consider the tentative agreement and decide whether it should proceed to a general membership meeting. If either body votes in favour, a meeting is held where bargaining unit members in attendance decide whether to send the agreement to a ratification vote.
A simple majority of those who vote is required to ratify or reject the agreement.
Queen’s Board of Trustees must also vote to ratify the tentative agreement before a renewed collective agreement can come into effect.
If either party rejects the agreement, negotiations must resume.
Tags
bargaining, QUFA, ratification, strike, vote
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