Tentative deal reached with NAIT and academic staff

NAIT says a tentative deal with academic staff has been reached. If ratified it would prevent a strike.

The union representing academic staff at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) announced a tentative deal with the polytechnic Thursday evening.

A tentative agreement will be presented to the NAIT executive on Friday for approval, said a statement from the NAIT Academic Staff Association (NASA).

The deal comes after NASA members voted in favour of striking as negotiations reached a stalemate.

While members never actually went on strike, NASA applauded its members for supporting the elected bargaining team.

“Both parties, with the assistance of a mediator, worked hard to get to this point,” said NASA. “This comes after a long and challenging process, during which you, the membership, showed strength (and) determination.”

NAIT updated its website to reflect the new tentative agreement, which would cover the period from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2028. It added that both the college and union are recommending approval.

“This tentative agreement marks a significant milestone in the bargaining process and reflects the commitment of both parties to support academic staff, while ensuring NAIT continues to deliver the high-quality polytechnic education students deserve,” said NAIT president Laura Jo Gunter in a media release.

NASA will hold virtual town halls over the next week to share information with its members. Online ratification voting will take place later in the week with voting anticipated to wrap up on Feb. 13.

The union represents more than 1,000 members at the school including instructional specialists, librarians, counsellors and instructors.

NAIT and NASA have been in collective bargaining negotiations since July 2024.