Collective Bargaining at Laurentian University

The University and LUSU bargaining committees have now completed several days of negotiations, making progress on multiple items. Additional dates are required to continue to work through outstanding items at the table.

Since my last communication, the Ministry of Labour has appointed a Conciliator Officer to help with the negotiations process. The Conciliator Officer  will meet with the parties (virtually) on Friday, June 28th.

The parties are hopeful that the Conciliator Officer will be able to assist with moving discussions forward in a mutually beneficial and efficient manner. The parties still plan to meet on Thursday, June 27th with the goal of reducing the number of outstanding items.

The Conciliator Officer will be available to meet with the parties in July, if required.

As always, we will continue to provide updates as the process moves forward.

Following another full day of negotiations earlier this week, the University and LUSU continued to make progress towards reaching an agreement. Additional negotiation dates have been confirmed by the parties and are as follows:

●      June 21, June 27, June 28

●      July 16, July 17, July 18, July 19

Even though the existing agreement is set to expire on June 30, the two parties have agreed to set additional negotiation dates into July in the event that they are needed.

Discussions between the University and LUSU have overall been insightful, with both sides remaining dedicated to reaching a mutually acceptable and sustainable agreement. 

As always, we will continue to provide updates as the process moves forward.

The University and LUSU have been in negotiations since early May and substantial progress has been made. As negotiations between the parties may continue beyond the expiry of the current collective agreement - June 30th, 2024 - additional dates are being canvassed for July should they be required.

The University has been informed that LUSU submitted a request for a Ministry appointed Conciliator Officer and the parties anticipate to hear back from the Ministry in the coming days. Once appointed, the parties will be meeting with the appointed Conciliator Officer in the coming weeks to assist with the negotiation process.

The Bargaining Committee members continue to invest a significant amount of time working through the different positions, sharing perspectives and/or interpretations of the language, identifying mutually beneficial potential outcomes, and reconciling gaps, where possible. 

The Bargaining Committee remains focused on achieving a mutually beneficial agreement as soon as possible. The next bargaining date scheduled between the parties is on Monday June 10th. We will keep you up to date on the Committee's progress and any new developments following these discussions.

The University and LUSU completed their first couple of days of negotiations and good progress was made. Both parties remain committed to reaching a mutually beneficial agreement prior to the expiry of the current collective agreement - June 30th, 2024.  

Additional bargaining dates have been confirmed by the parties and will be held in May and early June. Meetings will be held in-person and virtually in order to ensure as many days as possible could be scheduled  to reach a timely agreement.

The Parties will be dedicating significant time over the next couple of weeks to review all the information exchanged. 

The University is looking forward to upcoming discussions with LUSU, as both parties remain focused on achieving an agreement.  

The Collective Agreement between Laurentian University and the Laurentian University Staff Union (LUSU) is set to expire on June 30th, 2024. This represents a key moment as the University and Staff Union work toward a renewed agreement. 

As part of the normal course of negotiations, Laurentian University received formal notice to bargain from LUSU on April 4, 2024. Meetings have been scheduled on May 2 and 3 to begin negotiations. These meetings will allow both parties to introduce key topics and understand what each party prioritizes. By the close of the meetings, we plan to have established further dates as required to continue negotiations. 

Typical for negotiations is to have both parties select bargaining committee members to represent their interests through the negotiations in creating a new agreement.

LUSU Bargaining Committee:

• Tom Fenske, President (Chief Negotiator)
• Thomas Matheson, 1st Vice-President
• Bill Sanders, 2nd Vice-President 
• Heather Dufour, Chief Steward
• Brendan Scott, Legal Counsel, Wright Henry, LLP
• Mélanie Gooyer, LUSU 

Laurentian's Bargaining Committee:

• David Chondon, CC Partners LLP (Chief Negotiator) 
• Shelley Carpenter Wright, Associate Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development
• Ben Demianiuk, Director of Business Development
• Kristine St-Jean, Labour Relations and Staff Partner
• Bettina Brockerhoff-Macdonald, Director, Centre of Teaching & Continuing Learning
• Maryna Lesina, Human Resources 

As outlined in the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan, Laurentian University identified four strategic directions to guide decision making. One of these directions is defined as “Valuing and Supporting Our People”. 

We are looking forward to an engaged and informative round of negotiations, where the outcomes will assist us in achieving a number of goals such as:  

• Making Laurentian an "employer of choice";
• Rebuilding Laurentian to ensure sustainability; 
• Fostering an inclusive workplace culture where employees are valued.

Thank you for your support. We will continue to provide updates as they become available.