As we reported last week, ULFA filed an application with the Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB) for a ruling on the relationship between the Sessional and Faculty “Handbooks.”
This application came as a result of our December 15th meeting with the Board of Governor’s bargaining team at which time we discussed the issue of whether there were two bargaining units (Sessional Lecturers vs Faculty/Professional Librarians/Instructors/Academic Assistants) and, therefore, two collective agreements (the Sessional Lecturers Handbook vs the Faculty Handbook) or whether we have one unified bargaining unit and one unified collective agreement.
It became clear at this meeting with the Board of Governors that the two parties had irreconcilable interpretations of the Labour Relations Code and the Post-Secondary Learning Act as they pertain to this issue. ULFA subsequently filed an application with the ALRB on January 4th, who in turn has accepted the case for an expedited hearing.
The hearing will take place in Calgary at a date yet to be determined in the near future. You may have also seen around campus a notice of the ALRB case posted for ULFA members to see. If you haven’t seen it in your department or around campus, please follow up with your Dean’s Office to ensure this notice is posted publicly.
We will keep you informed of developments as they arise.