Collective Bargaining Updates

Assiniboine Community College is pleased to share that the members of MGEU Local 71 have voted to accept the tentative agreement that was presented on July 13. We are now working toward implementing the new Collective Agreement for the college.

Today’s outcome is the result of a tremendous amount of effort by all parties at the bargaining table, and we extend our gratitude to the bargaining teams and conciliator for their efforts to bring both parties together to move forward.

We appreciate your trust and support while both parties worked tirelessly to create a new agreement that ensures our staff and faculty are supported so that we can continue to deliver the programming and experiences vital to our students' success.

To our students, thank you for your continued patience and understanding as the work at the bargaining table progressed. Throughout this process, it was essential for all parties to ensure that we could reach an agreement without affecting your programs.

Work is now underway to implement the new collective agreement and more information will be forthcoming for all MGEU members.

Thank you to our entire college community for your patience, trust and support as this critical work unfolded.

On July 13, after almost two years at the bargaining table, the College and MGEU reached a tentative agreement. We are very thankful for the efforts from both bargaining committees throughout this period.

The terms of the tentative agreement are based on a proposal from an experienced conciliator that had been working with the parties since January. We understand that as part of the agreement, your MGEU bargaining committee is recommending that you accept the offer.

The new multi-year agreement includes consistent general salary increases for all employees of 2% each year.

In addition, the agreement also includes the introduction of a new max step in year four for all salary schedules, including faculty and non-faculty positions, that is 3% higher than the current max step at year four. Employees will be eligible to access the new maximum step in keeping with the implementation notes in the tentative agreement on the effective date, and then all employees will continue to move through the Salary Schedule in keeping with the merit increment article in the collective agreement.

Based on questions that we have received, we are providing the following chart to outline the cumulative compounded compensation impact calculated based on employees that are eligible for the new maximum step. These changes to compensation result in increases of up to 11.43%.

The agreement also provides increases to the following:

• Recognition bonus of $1,000 for full-time employees and $500 for part-time employees, effective date of signing of the collective agreement
• Increase Instructor Educational Supplements to:
  • Master’s Degree $2,850 per annum (increase of $125)
  • Doctorate $5,700 per annum (increase of $250)
• 50% increase in standby rates
• $350 increase to the Healthcare Spending Account (HSA) for a total annual HSA amount of $1,125

This package ensures steady wage increases and additional compensation increases to rates, stipends, and benefit improvements.

The new salary schedules will be calculated and retroactive payments for employees for year one (2021) and year two (2022), and part of year three (2023), will begin to be processed immediately following the ratification of the tentative agreement. This will equate to approximately 6.12% in retro payments, plus the recognition bonus of $1,000 for full-time employees and $500 for part-time employees.

Assiniboine Community College and MGEU Local 71 have reached a tentative agreement to renew the collective agreement for our staff who are members of the bargaining unit. MGEU will present the terms of the new agreement to their members with a positive recommendation to accept.

The tentative agreement, developed with support from the conciliator, ensures steady wage increases and provides additional benefits to all employees at the college.

MGEU has indicated they will meet with their members in the coming weeks to review the details of the new tentative agreement, with a ratification vote to be completed by August 10.

This tentative agreement is the result of a tremendous amount of effort by all parties at the bargaining table, and we extend our gratitude to the conciliator for their efforts to bring both parties together to move forward.

We appreciate your trust and support during this time as both parties worked tirelessly to reach a tentative agreement that will ensure our staff and faculty are supported to deliver the programming and experiences vital to our students’ success.

To our students, thank you for your continued patience and understanding as the work at the bargaining table has progressed. Throughout this process, it has been essential to all parties that an agreement could be reached without affecting your programs. We are hopeful that members will vote in favour of the proposed agreement, and that the collective agreement will be ratified and in place by the beginning of the fall semester.

Since the fall of 2021 the college has been bargaining in good faith with the Manitoba Government Employees Union (MGEU) to negotiate a new collective agreement for our bargaining unit staff. The previous agreement expired 2 years ago in June 2021.

Possible Unfair Labour Practice

On May 25, the college and MGEU returned to the bargaining table, with the assistance of a conciliator, to continue our efforts to reach an agreement. At this meeting MGEU presented an offer that was markedly higher than its previous offer. This is reverse bargaining, as it moved the employer and the union further apart, negating the progress that had been made during previous bargaining sessions.

The college has applied to the Manitoba Labour Board to determine whether MGEU’s last offer amounts to bargaining in bad faith and is an unfair labour practice under the Labour Relations Act.

Offers made by MGEU

College's Final Offer

In an attempt to bring closure and settlement the college made a final offer to the union on May 25, which provided additional monetary enhancements for our staff:

• $350 increase to our Health Spending Account
• Increase to Instructor Educational Supplements
• 50% increase in standby rates
• Increased application of parental leave to both spouses where both are employed by the college

It should be noted that years one and two would be paid out in retro-pay following the ratification of an agreement.

On June 7, 2023 the college returned to the bargaining table, where the union presented another offer that takes the parties further apart (see the above union offer table).

The college has not yet responded to this offer as it is considering its options in light of its final offer on May 25.

Other MGEU Settlements

We have been bargaining with MGEU since October, 2021 and have met 30 times in an effort to reach a new collective agreement.

In that same period of time, MGEU and other unions representing Manitoba public sector employees have settled other agreements, which are our closest comparators for general salary increments. Some of these include:

*Abritral Award

We are concerned about the effect that this length of bargaining is having on our employees and our students.

The college is committed to reaching a settlement through collective bargaining that is in line with other public sector settlements.

The MGEU has advised the college that their members have voted to reject the last offer we presented during our bargaining sessions on April 5th and 6th. You can find all previous updates around bargaining along with details of our most recent offer at assiniboine.net/bargaining.

We have been at a joint bargaining table with Red River College Polytechnic and MGEU since the fall of 2021. A conciliator was agreed upon and appointed earlier this year. In this time, the college has been working hard to provide an offer that would increase wages and improve conditions for our staff, while also working within the required parameters of a publicly funded institution.

While this result is disappointing, we would hope that a tentative agreement can be reached, and a strike can be avoided. The college intends to continue negotiating with the union in good faith and are scheduled to return to the bargaining table, with the assistance of a conciliator, later this month.

Students will remain our priority as we move forward. At this time, we can’t say if, when or how a strike may impact college operations and services, but in the event of a strike, we are committed to putting the interest of our students first.

We remain committed to keeping our college community as informed as we can. Please continue to check your college email and this webpage for updates.

As part of our commitment to keep our college community informed and as we continue to work with the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union (MGEU) to reach a fair and equitable agreement, we would like to share an update.

On April 5^th and 6^th, with the continued assistance of a conciliator, the college and the MGEU resumed bargaining with the objective of reaching a renewed collective agreement. Following these sessions, the union advised the college that they would present the college’s most recent offer to their membership for a vote.

This is encouraging and we wanted to provide the college community with the details of our offer.

What has the college offered?

Here is our most recent offer:

• New multi-year agreement for the period of June 19, 2021 – June 13, 2025, with general salary increases (GSI) each year, along with measures to enhance the faculty salary schedule in years 2 and 4:

• Retroactive pay for all employees going back to the expiration of the last agreement based on the new wage scales and wage adjustments.
• 4.5% increase in instructor educational supplements ($125 per year for a Master’s and $250 per year for a doctorate)
• 50% increase in standby rates
• $500 signing bonus for full-time members, and $250 for part-time members
• $350 increase to the Health Spending Account

The offer was presented as a package, which means that all aspects of the offer must be ratified as presented for the employees to benefit from all the enhancements in the offer. If the offer is not ratified, and should the Manitoba Labour Board be called on to settle the agreement, certain aspects of the offer such as the Faculty Special Wage Adjustments may not be included in the proposals put to the Board or the Board may decide not to include the Faculty Special Wage Adjustments in an imposed settlement.

The college has been working hard to provide an offer that would increase wages and improve conditions for our staff, while also working within the required parameters of a publicly funded institution.

The college has been paying close attention to recent settlements that align with the same years we are negotiating (2021-2025). Our last offer is competitive with recent settlements that have occurred at other public sector employers within this timeframe:

• Manitoba Workers Compensation Board (pending ratification):
  • Agreed to annual wage increases of 2.5%, 1.75%, 1.75%, and 1.5%
  • 7.5% over four years, 2021-2024
• University St. Boniface: (Ratified May 2022)
  • Agreed to 1.25%, 1.5%, 1.5%, 1.75%
  • 6% over four years, 2020-2024
• Government of Manitoba (Ratified May 2022):
  • Arbitration settlement – 1.65%, and 2.0%, for the last two years of their agreement (2021,2022), that align with the first two years of our agreement (2021, 2022). These two years were settled by an arbitrator.
  • 5.55% over four years, 2019-2023
• Manitoba Nurses Union (Ratified October 14, 2021):
  • 1.2%, 2%, 2%
  • 5.2% over three years, 2022-2024

What happens next?

Taking the college’s offer to a membership vote provides membership the opportunity to evaluate the offer on the table and vote on it.

The union has indicated that a vote could take a few weeks. In the meantime, the college will maintain regular operations, programs, and services. All programs, scheduled exams, and events will proceed as planned. While a strike is still possible, the college remains optimistic that we can reach a tentative agreement and avoid a strike.

So will there or won’t there be a strike?

Should the membership vote to accept the College’s last offer, the collective agreement will be ratified and there will not be a strike.

If the offer is not ratified, the union and the college will return to conciliation under the threat of a strike. Should a strike be called by the union, the Manitoba Labour Board cannot be called on to settle the agreement until the strike has lasted at least sixty days.

Students will remain our priority as we move forward. At this time, we can’t say if or when a strike may impact college programs and services, but in the event of a strike, we are committed to putting the interests of our students first.

We remain committed to keeping our college community as informed as we can. Please continue to check your college email and assiniboine.net/bargaining for updates.

Today, with the continued assistance of a conciliator, the College and the MGEU resumed bargaining to reach a renewed collective agreement. Following today’s session, the Union advised the College that they will suspend their planned strike on Tuesday, April 11 and will present our most recent offer to their membership.

This development means there will not be a strike on April 11. The College will maintain regular operations, programs and services moving into next week. All programs, scheduled exams and events will proceed as planned for students.

The college has been meeting regularly with the Students' Association to address a wide range of questions and concerns in relation to the potential strike. We have committed to meeting daily in the event of a strike of any sort.

Last week, a letter was sent to the ACCSA President articulating the college's commitment to Students Rights and Responsibilities During Labour Disruption.

Please find that letter here.

This week the college will continue to work with the MGEU to reach a tentative agreement. We remain optimistic that a tentative agreement can be reached, and a strike can be avoided. We will continue to negotiate in good faith and are scheduled to continue working with a conciliator on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.

As we continue to work toward a resolution with the Union, students remain our priority. Last week, the Union notified members that strike action would begin on April 11 if a resolution had not been reached.

The Union has communicated its intended strike action, should they initiate a strike, it will be a rotating strike.

A rotating strike, while less disruptive to the lives of employees, could be potentially more harmful to the academic lives of students.

As such, on Friday, March 31 we met with MGEU to discuss the necessary protections needed for our students to allow a rotating strike to occur. These conditions will be necessary to ensure a full labour disruption can be avoided to protect our students from the harm that could be caused by a lengthy rotating strike.

So, at this time, we cannot definitively say how this disruption will impact college programs and services, but we will continue to keep staff and students informed as soon as we know further information.

In the event of a strike, the Respectful College Policy will continue to apply to all staff, students, affiliates, contractors, and visitors. We continue to have supports available to help people cope with the stress that this uncertainty can cause. The Students Association continues to have their student and family assistance program available to provide support during this time.

Students – I.M. Well – All students have access to I.M. Well a free counselling program for students and their immediate family members. Students can access I.M. Well by going to www.accstudents.com/imwell/ or 1-877-554-6935

Staff – Homewood Health - Staff may continue to access our employee and family assistance program through Homewood Health at homeweb.ca or 1-800-663-1142, Access Code: ACC770.

We have been informed that MGEU members have voted in favour of a strike mandate. This means that the union bargaining committee has been authorized to call a strike if necessary. We understand that this news may be concerning for our students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders, but we want to assure you that we are committed to working with MGEU to reach a fair and equitable agreement.

The College and the Students Association continue to have employee/student and family assistance programs available to provide support during this time.

Staff – Homewood Health - Staff may continue to access our employee and family assistance program through Homewood Health at www.homeweb.ca or 1-800-663-1142, Access Code: ACC770.

Students – I.M. Well – All students have access to I.M. Well a free counselling program for students and their immediate family members. Students can access I.M. Well by going to www.accstudents.com/imwell/ or 1-877-554-6935.

We remain optimistic that a tentative agreement can be reached and a strike can be avoided. We will continue to negotiate in good faith with MGEU, and we have additional bargaining sessions in the coming weeks.

We will keep you informed of any developments as negotiations progress

We have been at a joint bargaining table with Red River College Polytechnic and MGEU since the fall of 2021. Since that time, we have been involved in 24 bargaining sessions and have made significant progress on many items for a renewed collective agreement for the Colleges.

Despite ongoing efforts, we have yet to agree on the compensation package. The union has decided to seek a strike mandate from their members and are hosting a series of strike votes throughout this week. If union members vote to strike, it will mean that they have authorized the bargaining committee to call a strike if necessary. However, it does not necessarily mean that a strike will happen. Both parties are still expected to continue negotiating in good faith, and a strike can be avoided if a tentative agreement is reached.

We will return to bargaining this week, on Friday, March 24, at which point we will learn if the union has received a strike mandate. We have received many questions about the status of bargaining from our students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders, and want to reassure you that we are committed to the bargaining processes.

The Colleges and the union are doing everything they can to avoid a strike to reach a fair and equitable agreement that is in the best interest of both parties. We respect the bargaining process and are committed to reaching a renewed collective agreement to avoid any potential work disruption.

On March 7, 2023 we began working with a conciliator, who will be working with us to help us achieve an agreement. We are scheduled to continue this work with the conciliator on March 24, 2023.

As we approach our next bargaining session on March 24, we remain committed to finding a resolution to avoid a labour disruption at the College.