The CAAT-A bargaining team, which represents college faculty, has issued a strike vote in response to the employer’s request to the conciliator for a “no board” report. The report is meant to indicate that conciliation has failed.  

According to a recent statement released by the union, filing such a report could potentially allow the CEC to “unilaterally impose terms and conditions of employment 16 days after the ‘no board’ report is received.” This would allow them full authority to enforce terms on negotiated issues, such as the right to file grievances, that are in their best interest. 

The faculty union suggests that the CEC had two other possible conciliatory avenues before resorting to this: voluntary binding arbitration or a forced offer vote. Voluntary arbitration, a much more formal process than conciliation, would allow for a neutral third party to review the facts on a situation and come to a binding decision. A forced offer vote would allow the CEC to present their current settlement offer directly to faculty for a vote.  

CAAT-A claims that the employer’s escalation and refusal to exercise either of these options is indicative of the fact that their offer will not adequately meet the demands of faculty.  

The bargaining team feels that a strike vote, which will allow for labour actions such as demonstration or work-to-rule disruptions, will be the most effective way to communicate the seriousness of their demands and foster solidarity within the team and amongst faculty. 

In the meantime, CAAT-A hopes that the CEC will return to the negotiating table, as they are still open to arbitration.