Pair of protests show support for
U of Manitoba faculty on verge of
possible strike
Faculty association has set a bargaining deadline of Oct. 31 and a strike deadline of Nov. 2
Supporters of the union that represents professors, instructors, archivists and librarians at Manitoba's largest university gathered outside a Winnipeg hotel Saturday, ahead of the announcement there of the province's next premier.
The protesters said the candidate who is elected as the next leader of Manitoba's Progressive Conservative Party — and becomes the new premier — must stop interfering in the collective bargaining process between the union and the university.
They gathered Saturday afternoon outside the Victoria Inn in west Winnipeg, where the Progressive Conservatives will make their leadership announcement.
The University of Manitoba Faculty Association, which represents 1,170 people, says its members are close to walking off the job because of five years of wage freezes and government interference.
"It's really the government that's keeping the university and us from reaching an agreement that can allow us to recruit and retain excellent professors and maintain a quality of education that's necessary for students in Manitoba," said Erik Thompson, the vice-president of the faculty association.
The association voted earlier this month to authorize strike action, and has set a bargaining deadline of Oct. 31 and a strike deadline of Nov. 2.
Retention and recruitment of faculty have been long-standing issues at the university, as administration has imposed wage freezes and below inflation-increases in response to government mandates.
The provincial government introduced a bill to legislate wage freezes for public sector employees in 2017. That legislation was struck down in court, but earlier this month, the government won its appeal of that that ruling.
U of M staff on average make the second-lowest salaries among 15 research-based universities in Canada, according to the association.
Thompson and the faculty association want the next premier — either Shelly Glover or Heather Stefanson, the two candidates for the party's leadership — to focus on running the province and avoid interfering with the university, as they say former premier Brian Pallister did.
"I would certainly hope this time it's an obvious decision for the leader to make to distance themselves from the legacy of Pallister ... and a policy of restraint that's keeping us from investing in some of our most important institutions."
Paws off: Students Supporting UMFA
Saturday's rally followed one on Friday, at which students showed their loyalty to the faculty association by bringing their dogs to the legislative grounds, telling the government to keep its paws off the bargaining process.
Dozens of students, staff, faculty and other supporters, accompanied by their furry companions, gathered outside the legislature with signs bearing messages like "PC interference bites."
One protester dressed as the cartoon dog Scooby-Doo, while others collected dog droppings and placed them below a sign that read, "Government interference in UMFA bargaining is a pile of," and had an arrow pointing down to the collected bags.
The protest was organized by a grassroots interdisciplinary group called Students Supporting UMFA.
In a letter to Advanced Education Minister Wayne Ewasko posted to social media on Friday, the group said it is concerned that "the consecutive threats of academic disruption will greatly limit the value that we will be able to get out of our post-secondary education — and in turn contribute to the work force."
CBC News has sought a comment from the province, but a response wasn't immediately provided.
A spokesperson for the university said earlier this month the U of M was continuing to meet with the faculty association, approaching the bargaining team "with the view to conclude a collective agreement."
With files from Marouane Refak
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