Press Release – Statement on Emergency Motion 0522
Statement on Emergency Motion 0522
October 22, 2021
Winnipeg, MB – Yesterday evening, the UMSU board of directors passed an emergency motion to “stand in solidarity with the University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) and students supporting UMFA”. As you may know, UMFA and The University of Manitoba began negotiations on a collective agreement in August. This is another round of bargaining in a long line of failed attempts to come to an agreement: the issue of faculty wages is one which began in 2016 and still has not been resolved. Wages have been frozen since 2017 in part due to Provincial mandates that cap the University’s ability to raise wages to the extent UMFA wishes – these provincial mandates were found to be unconstitutional but later appealed thus their legality still stands, making negotiations quite difficult.
This week, UMFA voted to authorize a strike. This action does not mean professors are on/will strike, but rather, in the event they feel their needs have not been met they have the authorization of their membership to go forward with a strike.
UMSU stands firmly with the faculties’ cause: a wage increase is overdue for our university’s professors who work hard for their students, especially as they have adapted to online learning. As your student union, we want to present a unified front during this time. We unequivocally believe faculty deserve a wage increase and to have their struggles validated. We also recognize the constraining environment, which is in part to blame for this ongoing labour dispute.
We sincerely hope that all parties can come to an amicable agreement without any major disruption to the University’s students, staff, or faculty.
We want students to know that they are fully supported by UMSU during this uncertain time. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to us. We welcome all questions and ask that inquiries be directed to the UMSU Service Centre.
For further information on bargaining, you can follow the University of Manitoba’s updates at https://umanitoba.ca/bargaining/ or visit UMFA’s website at http://www.umfa.ca/.
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The University of Manitoba Students’ Union is the official representative of the over 25,000 undergraduate students at the University of Manitoba.
For media information, please contact:
Brendan Scott
President
University of Manitoba Students’ Union
Phone: 204-474-6742
Email: pres@umsu.ca
Emily Kalo
Vice President Advocacy
University of Manitoba Students’ Union
Phone: 204-730-0809
Email: vpa@umsu.ca