SMU faculty union comes to tentative agreement with school

Saint Mary's University Faculty Union says it has reached a tentative agreement with the school after a "lengthy" bargaining process.

This comes after 98 per cent of the union's members voted in favour of a strike mandate late last month.

In a statement released on Thursday, the faculty union said while it was glad to have reached an agreement, "it took months of work to secure modest increases in wages and benefits, among other social benefits."

Members of the faculty union, which represents 300 full-time professors, librarians, and instructors, will vote on the agreement in the coming days.

"We've not had a strike in almost 50 years of union organization at Saint Mary's. That we came so close this time is a source of concern for our membership," said lead negotiator Rob Thacker. "We'll see where things go."

The union's contract expired at the end of August, and talks broke down on Jan. 19.

Cathy Conrad, the union's vice-president, said in late January that it has not had an increase in health and wellness benefits for a decade.

The union had been seeking a three-year contract with a three per cent pay increase each year. Theiremployer had been offering a three-year deal with increases of 1.75 per cent, 2.5 per cent and three per cent, respectively.