October 13, 2008

On the morning of Monday, Sept. 29, just before this strike began, Scott Lamont stated in an interview on CBC radio that the Brandon University administration would not negotiate through the media, a claim has been made repeatedly since then.

And yet, on October 6 and 9 the Brandon University administration issued statements about BU faculty salaries through its Communications Officer, apparently intending to persuade the public that BUFA members' salaries are high, and their salary demands unreasonable. On October 12, the administration issued still another release, this time implying that BUFA is unreasonable for not accepting a salary package comparable to others. Underlying each of these releases is the implicit assumption that this strike is exclusively over salaries.

There are at least two problems here. First, and most fundamentally, the two major obstacles to an agreement at present are:

1. a "respectful environment policy" recently imposed by the Board of Governors (see http://www.bufa.org/workplace.htm), and
2. the continued erosion of pensions (see www.bufa.org/strike-info/pension.htm).

The university administration has chosen to focus on salaries to the near-total exclusion of these basic concerns (or, alternatively, they are attempting through media 'spin' to portray the strike as a single-item dispute). While it may play well with the media and the general public to focus on salaries, they are not BUFA's sole concern. Addressing salaries alone will not end strike action, but extend it.

Second, the employer's information on salaries is misleading and inaccurate (see http://www.bufa.org/Press-Releases/PR-08-10-09.htm).

BUFA believes that the administration's transparent effort to discredit faculty in the public eye reveals fundamental disrespect for those whose work lies at the heart of a reputable academic institution. It is BUFA's opinion that petty attempts to turn the community against faculty are neither collegial nor respectful, and show that Brandon University's administration has every intent of negotiating through the media rather than at the table. These strategies are offensive and alienating to faculty members, some of whom may find it difficult to "forgive and forget" once the strike has ended. Harmonious faculty-administration relations are grounded in trust and respect. These are fragile commodities that must be earned, are easily damaged, and can take years to restore. Will this be the Visentin legacy?

In the view of many BUFA members, the administration's claims to be concerned about the quality of the workplace environment ring hollow. Instead of using media releases to disseminate constructive, relevant information that might help the general public understand the issues at stake in these negotiations, the administration appears to BUFA to be intent upon sullying faculty reputations, creating diversions, and portraying the issues selectively.

If this is the Brandon University administration's vision of a respectful workplace environment we wonder what disrespect might look like.

From BUFA's perspective, the administration's basic approach to current negotiations is "my way or the highway." If the administration's bargaining position prevails, Brandon University's ability to attract excellent faculty, and to retain those who have already chosen to make Brandon their home, will be severely compromised, and for reasons that extend well beyond salaries. Many promising young faculty will simply choose "the highway."

Thus, the significance of BUFA's picket theme: STRIKING FOR A BETTER BU.