Athabasca University’s (AU) core priority is our learners, and working to prioritize the student experience as we negotiate the collective agreements. Accordingly, the university is disappointed by AUFA’s current choice to refuse to negotiate. AU is eager to continue collective bargaining.
AU is committed to a fair, collegial, and respectful bargaining process. Our goal remains to work together to create a positive, high-quality experience for our learners, foster a healthy and desirable workplace for our team members, and enable effective and responsible stewardship of our resources.
The university commenced collective bargaining with the Athabasca University Faculty Association (AUFA) on June 28, 2024. Immediately following the first meeting of the parties, AUFA declared the parties were at an “impasse,” implying after only one meeting it would be impossible to reach an agreement. This was not a position held by AU. After some communication, AUFA agreed to meet again, at which time they demanded that AU table its monetary proposal.
AU has not yet tabled its monetary proposal. The normal practice in collective bargaining is that the parties first settle non-monetary issues, which gives the opportunity to determine the extent to which the agreed-upon proposals impact the amount that can be offered in the monetary proposal.
AU and its union partners have successfully followed this pattern through numerous rounds of negotiations, as it helps both parties reach resolution. When the bargaining framework requires that monetary proposals be tabled to inform negotiations, AU will table a monetary proposal. However, to benefit both parties, this should occur at later stages in the process.
The parties met for the second time on Aug. 20, 2024. AUFA again insisted that AU table its monetary proposal. After AU explained the rationale, AUFA’s bargaining team informed the university that the union would not continue bargaining until the monetary proposal was tabled.
AU will return to the bargaining table should AUFA choose to reverse its current position. To ensure that collective bargaining continues rapidly for the benefit of our team members and learners, the university has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Alberta Labour Relations Board.
The university is optimistic that we can return to the bargaining table swiftly with our AUFA partners.
AU will continue to provide updates on key milestones and progress on this site. Questions can be directed to hrcp@athabascau.ca.