The Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA) has reached a tentative collective agreement with the university.
The news comes after the two sides participated in mediation on April 26 and 27. CUASA had been in collective bargaining since early October.
CUASA president Dominique Marshall and Carleton provost L. Pauline Rankin released a joint statement on April 27 announcing the tentative deal.
“Carleton University and the Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA), which represents full-time faculty and professional librarians, are pleased to announce that they have reached a tentative collective agreement,” the statement reads. “Details of the settlement will be released publicly following ratification by members of the bargaining unit and the University’s Board of Governors.”
CUASA’s three-year contract with the university ended on April 30, 2024. In recent weeks, both sides spent five days working with a conciliator appointed by the Ministry of Labour, according to a statement on the university’s website.
CUASA requested that the conciliator file a no-board report, starting a 17-day cooling off period, according to the statement. The union would have been in a legal strike position as of early May.
With summer term classes set to begin on May 5, Marshall previously told the Charlatan that a strike would have been “bad for everyone.”
On April 28, CUASA thanked members for their support with a post on their website.
“The negotiating team would like to thank our members, students, community members and sister unions who gave us their support over the past year,” the post reads. “This battle has been hard won but our solidarity has made us strong.”
The union previously said workload was a major focus of their negotiations with the university.
“An overwhelming majority of CUASA members have identified workload as the one of the most significant challenges in their overall ability to excel academically; so CUASA made workload a priority in this round of bargaining,” the statement reads. “Equally important to CUASA members is the improvement of salary and benefits.”
CUASA also announced that two information town halls will take place May 6 and 7. The ratification vote opens on May 15.
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi/the Charlatan
