SFU administration the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) have returned to the bargaining table after union members voted to refuse SFU’s package deal, with over 86 per cent opposed.
In a bargaining update from the TSSU, there was mention of a potential lockout by SFU Administration, as the TSSU claimed that the university threatened to lock out members following the “no” vote to the deal.
SFU could not be reached for comment before press time to respond to this claim.
Last week, both parties discussed a recommendation made by mediator Vince Ready to enter into “binding arbitration.”
This would involve committing to 21 consecutive days of bargaining, at the end of which, “If [. . .] there are any unresolved issues, those issues shall be referred to Final Offer Selection (FOS) arbitration for a final and binding decision.” Ready has offered to act as the third-party FOS arbitrator.
After the arbitrator makes a decision, all job action would cease immediately and a new Collective Agreement would be put into place.
SFU stated, “After Mr. Ready had made his recommendation, the University sought to confirm the TSSU’s agreement and commitment to the Final Offer Selection process, but they declined to agree.”
The TSSU published an online update that outlined various problems they have with the FOS process as it has been proposed by the university, stating “SFU Administration has developed their own proposed process for binding arbitration which is in complete disagreement with the Vince Ready proposal.”
One concern the union expressed is that SFU would be able to appeal to overturn the arbitrator’s final decision, leading them to use the term “unbinding arbitration” to describe the administration’s proposal.
The TSSU will hold a meeting for its members to discuss the proposal on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 6. The union’s membership will need to put it to a vote to decide whether or not to accept the university’s proposal and enter into binding arbitration.
