Yesterday (Nov. 2) the Employer tabled their latest proposal. On the plus side, it contained provisions that would entitle a minimum of five research days for Professional Associates, on the down side it contained the same monetary package as their previous offer and no other concessions.

Today BUFA tabled a response. Given that on Monday, October 31 BUFA tabled two proposals involving partial salary arbitration, and that both were rejected by the Employer, today’s proposal substituted the offer of partial arbitration with a wage reopener in year 3. [A wage reopener is a commitment between BUFA and the Employer to negotiate, not arbitrate, the year 3 salary scale at a future date.] Here is the proposal in brief. BUFA suggested some modifications to provisions on PA research days, on RFR for sessionals, and on web-based courses, and reasserted our other existing language proposals. Our salary offer was 2%+increment+ ½ floors& ceilings in year 1; 2.4%+increment+ ½ floors& ceilings in year 2; and increment + wage reopener on salary scales in year 3.

The Employer responded, agreeing to BUFA’s language on web-courses and PA research days, rejected BUFA’s formulation of the RFR provision, and rejected BUFA’s other language proposals. The Employer’s financial package was unchanged (0.5,1.0,2.9 with $1000 back to work payment), except for allowing 50% of the potential pension contribution savings to be dispersed through PDA or a one-time payment to BUFA members, instead of forcing it into PDA.

At 5pm BUFA tabled a response, reasserting its existing language proposals (including our proposals on RFR, sabbatical replacements and sessional replacements for research-induced teaching reductions), and its existing financial position, except for a modification to our proposal on pension contribution savings that permits savings that remain once the 0.9 solvency ratio has been reached to be dispersed through a one-time payment to BUFA members.

At approximately 6pm Michael Werier declared that mediation had failed. He expects to file his report to the Minister on Monday, November 7.

BUFA has advised the Employer that we are available and willing to meet with them face to face in order to conclude these negotiations at the table.

BUFA bargaining team.

Derek Brown, Joe Dolecki, Elisabeth MacDonald-Murray, Bill Paton, David Winter