Dalhousie ratifies deal with union as strikes continue at St. Mary’s, MSVU

Dalhousie University avoided job action from its part-time workers after ratifying a deal with the union, which said the new three-year contract is “not perfect but fair.”

Members from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local 3912 overwhelmingly (85 per cent) voted in favour of a deal with the province’s largest university after the two sides agreed on Oct. 20.

“We’re feeling pretty good about our Dalhousie members, they got a good fair deal, it’s not a perfect deal, but it has laid a great foundation for our members moving forward,” Lauren McKenzie, President CUPE 3912, told The Todd Veinotte Show on Thursday.

She said that the deal was not entirely based on money, but a large portion was on the precarity of work.

“As much as we look at wages, we look at trying to give our members a little more job security, a little more stability, knowing where the next paycheck is coming from, the next contract is lined up,” she said.

McKenzie said in that area, the union was able to get some “key wins.”

This comes as the CUPE describes how cold the negotiations are between St. Mary’s University and Mount Saint Vincent University.

McKenzie said that St. Mary’s has not reached out.

In its latest communication, Oct. 31, on the strike, the school said, “We recognize that the current labour disruption may be creating uncertainty, especially for students, and we are committed to supporting you through this period.”

According to the statement, the university is following a “clear and structured process” during the dispute.

The union did have a meeting with Mount Saint Vincent, which McKenzie described as “not productive.”

“They put another weak offer out there, and we felt that it’s not really a meaningful return to negotiations,” she said.

In an update Nov. 4, the university said that the union and it met with a provincially appointed conciliator, where CUPE “rejected outright” the offer.

According to the university, it offered a four-year agreement that included reducing stipend steps, increasing stipends by $1,000 and increasing per year of the agreement and changes to the part-time worker evaluation process.

The total monetary increase over four years would sit at 19.4 per cent in this offer.

Mount Saint Vincent noted in the post that CUPE’s offer included rising stipends and a total monetary increase of 45.6 per cent over three years.

“We believe our latest offer is fair and responsible,” the school said. “We believe this is a very reasonable offer and asked CUPE Local 3912 to present it to their membership for a vote; however, they have refused to do so.”

According to McKenzie, despite the cooler weeks ahead, morale remains high on the picket lines.

“We have all the power to start this strike, and the employer has the power to end these strikes and to get us back in the classroom and to get operations going,” she said.