The union representing academic staff at Edmonton's Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) has received a powerful mandate from its members, with an overwhelming vote in favour of strike action should negotiations fail.
Strong Mandate for Negotiations
The NAIT Academic Staff Association (NASA) announced that 83 per cent of voting members supported a potential strike. The vote, held on Thursday, saw 83 per cent of eligible members participate, demonstrating significant engagement on the issues. The results are pending official verification by the Alberta Labour Relations Board.
NASA President Shauna MacDonald emphasized that the strike vote is a tool to strengthen their position at the bargaining table, not an immediate call to walk out. "We want to go back to the bargaining table. We don't want to strike, but we will strike if that's what it comes to," MacDonald stated. She expressed hope that the clear mandate would lead to more meaningful proposals from the employer.
Key Issues on the Table
The two sides have been negotiating a new collective agreement since July 2024, with a mediator involved since April before talks stalled. NAIT's latest offer, outlined in a Thursday news release, includes:
- A proposed 12 per cent salary increase over four years.
- Retroactive pay for 2024 and 2025.
- Increases to health spending accounts.
- More funding for the professional development fund for academic staff.
Jodi Edmunds, NAIT's interim associate vice-president of human resources and labour relations, said the institution also hopes to resume negotiations with the mediator. "Like all publicly funded institutions, we have a responsibility to ensure any collective agreement is fair and sustainable but also balances the long-term financial health of the institution," Edmunds told Postmedia.
Concerns Beyond Wages
While the wage offer was roughly in line with recent settlements at other institutions, MacDonald highlighted other critical concerns for the approximately 1,200 academic staff. A significant point of contention involves proposed changes to prescription drug coverage, which could affect which drugs in a class are covered and exclude drugs prescribed for "off-label" uses.
The union is also pushing for stronger job security provisions, including issues related to intellectual property and protections surrounding the use of AI-generated course materials.
If the strike vote is certified, NASA will have a 120-day window to take action, with a requirement to give at least 72 hours' notice. Both sides publicly express a shared desire to avoid a disruption, aiming to resolve their differences through continued bargaining in the coming days.
