Dalhousie University union rejects arbitration offer, files complaint with labour department

The Dalhousie Faculty Association has rejected an offer of arbitration as the lockout enters its second week.

The Dalhousie Faculty Association has rejected an offer of arbitration to end an ongoing lockout from Dalhousie University while also filing a complaint with the Nova Scotia Department of Labour.

Last week, the university locked out the union – which represents nearly 1,000 professors, librarians, instructors and professional counsellors – following months of negotiations for a new collective agreement.

The previous three-year agreement expired last June.

On Wednesday, the university’s board of governors offered interest arbitration to the union, which would have ended the lockout.

The Association said the board of governors did not suggest interest arbitration during the bargaining process, which started in May. The union says the arbitration would solely focus on wage increases.

“The Board deliberately misrepresented their offer in their messaging, omitting the key detail that their proposal on interest arbitration required the DFA to abandon all unresolved proposals except wages,” said Dave Westwood, president of the Association, in a news release. “If the Board had engaged in meaningful and substantive bargaining since we first sat down late May, it is possible that we could have already ratified a new collective agreement with no disruption to the Fall semester.

“Instead, here we are, on the picket lines and classes were supposed to start on Tuesday.”

According to a previous news release, the Association is proposing a wage increase of 3.75 per cent in the first year of a new deal, 4.75 per cent in the second year and 5.75 per cent in the third year for a total of 14.25 per cent.

Earlier this month, Dalhousie president Kim Brooks said a proposed wage increase of two per cent per year for three years would be the final offer to the union.

“We truly wish we could offer more,” Brooks said at the time. “Our priority with this offer is to protect core academic activity and minimize further significant layoffs in the years ahead. This is the most we can responsibly commit to at this time.”

The Association said other key bargaining issues include:

• expanded parental leave benefits
• increased class scheduling policies flexibility for caregiving responsibilities
• expanded access to child care
• conversion of long-term limited-term appointments to career-stream appointments

“All along we have been asking the Board to come back to the table and they have refused,” said Westwood. “They created this mess by refusing to bargain, refusing to come back to the table and refusing to listen when we warned them repeatedly of the dangerous game that they were playing by threatening, and then ultimately following through with, a lockout in August.”

The Association’s executive committee approved a motion to file a bargaining complaint with the labor board, citing Dalhousie’s use of public messages to directly bargain with members and circumvent bargaining at the table.

The complaint seeks to have the labour minister order the board of governors back to the table.

In a statement on Thursday, Grace Jefferies, vice president of people and culture with the university, said the offer of interest arbitration remains open to the union, but the board does not feel a return to the bargaining table would be productive.

“We have reached an impasse on faculty wages and the distance between the two parties is significant enough that we do not feel progress will be made at the bargaining table,” Jefferies said. “We believe the most effective path forward is introducing a neutral third-party arbitrator to help us reach an agreement.

“We remain committed to reaching a resolution to this labour disruption. We know both parties want to restore stability on campus and minimize further disruption for our students, their supporters and our broader community.”

The Association will hold a rally outside the Killam Library at noon on Friday.

Students react

Emily Sklar, a PhD candidate at Dalhousie, said the university’s behaviour towards the union has been “incredibly disrespectful.”

“I really do hope things can return to normal,” Sklar said. “It’s stressful enough starting university, moving to a new city in a lot of cases, and having this additional uncertainty on top of that. I really feel for the new students.

I just hope they understand that, at least in my opinion, I really don’t think this is the faculty’s fault. I think it’s the university admin’s fault."

Vrutta Patel, a first-year Bachelor of Nursing student, said the lockout is frustrating.

“You can’t do anything except just put our thoughts out and hopefully hoping that they will figure out something and start the school as soon as possible,” Patel said. “I was so excited to start university but knowing all this stuff is happening, its kind of stressing me out.”

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Vanessa Wright

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