Dalhousie University makes new offer to union leadership

Dalhousie University’s board of governors has made a new offer to a union of nearly 1,000 members following conciliation meetings earlier this week.

The university, which locked out the Dalhousie Faculty Association on Aug. 20 after months of negotiations over a new collective agreement, says it presented a new settlement offer to the union on Wednesday.

Both parties met on Monday and Tuesday at the request of a provincially-appointed conciliator, but they concluded without an announced deal and with no planned future meetings.

University president Kim Brooks said their new offer to the union’s leadership represents an increase over their previous one, which proposed a six per cent wage raise over three years and which Brooks previously said would be their “final proposal.”

“This new proposal represents an increase on that earlier offer and includes additional financial non-compensation items that we hope address some of the concerns articulated by the DFA,” a letter from Brooks reads. “The new offer, therefore, has an increased cost. It will require additional trade-offs and difficult conversations across the university as we work towards a balanced budget.

“It’s understandable, in any negotiation, that one party may feel that holding out longer is going to lead to a better outcome. In our circumstance, doing so only increases the impact on our students—and that will be our collective failure.”

Brooks’ letter did not provide details on the new offer.

The Association has said it’s looking for a 14.25 per cent wage increase over three years. It also wants expanded parental leave benefits, expanded access to child care and conversion of long-term limited-term appointments to career-stream appointments, among other things.

The union’s previous three-year collective agreement expired at the end of June.

Brooks said Association members will have restored access to their dal.ca email accounts as of Wednesday evening.

Fall semester

Dalhousie’s fall semester started on Sept. 2, but all courses taught by Association members have been suspended due to the lockout.

In a separate letter, Wanda M. Costen, provost and vice-president academic for Dalhousie, said the tuition and fee deadline will be extended. These dates typically land 10 instruction days after classes begin.

Honours application deadline will also extend by at least 10 days after classes start. The withdrawal dates are also being extended.

Costen said the fall break in November and the December study days and exam schedule may be adjusted.

On Wednesday the Dalhousie Student Union held a rally calling for tuition refunds in light of the lockout.

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