Pair of protests show support for U of Manitoba faculty on verge of possible strike

Supporters of the union that represents professors, instructors, archivists and librarians at Manitoba's largest university gatheredoutside aWinnipeg hotel Saturday, ahead of the announcement there oftheprovince's next premier.

The protesters said the candidate who is elected as the next leader of Manitoba's Progressive Conservative Party and becomes the new premiermust stop interfering in the collective bargaining process between the union and the university.

They gathered Saturday afternoon outside the Victoria Inn in west Winnipeg, where theProgressive Conservatives will maketheir leadership announcement.

The University of Manitoba Faculty Association, which represents 1,170 people, says itsmembers are closeto walking off the job because of five years of wage freezes and government interference.

"It's really the government that's keeping the university and us from reaching an agreement that can allow us to recruit and retain excellent professors and maintain a quality of educationthat's necessary for students in Manitoba," said Erik Thompson, the vice-president of the faculty association.

The association voted earlier this month to authorize strike action, and hasset a bargaining deadline of Oct. 31 and a strike deadline of Nov. 2.

Retention and recruitment of faculty have been long-standing issues at the university, as administration has imposed wagefreezes and below inflation-increasesin response to government mandates.

The provincial government introduced a bill to legislatewage freezes for public sector employees in 2017. That legislationwas struck down in court, but earlier this month, thegovernment won its appeal of that that ruling.

U of M staff on average make the second-lowest salaries among 15 research-based universities in Canada, according to the association.

Thompson and the faculty association want the next premier either Shelly Glover or Heather Stefanson, the two candidates for the party's leadership to focus on running the province and avoid interfering withthe university, as they say formerpremier Brian Pallister did.

"I would certainly hope this time it's anobvious decision for the leader to make to distance themselves from the legacyof Pallister... and a policy of restraint that's keeping us from investing in some of our most important institutions."

Paws off: Students Supporting UMFA

Saturday's rally followed one on Friday, at whichstudents showed their loyalty to thefaculty association by bringing their dogsto the legislative grounds, telling the government to keep its paws off the bargaining process.

Dozens of students, staff, faculty and other supporters, accompanied by their furry companions, gathered outside the legislaturewith signs bearing messages like "PC interference bites."

One protester dressed as the cartoon dog Scooby-Doo, while others collected dog droppings and placed them below a sign that read, "Government interference in UMFA bargaining is a pile of," and had an arrow pointing down to the collected bags.

The protest was organized by a grassroots interdisciplinarygroup called Students Supporting UMFA.

In a letterto Advanced Education Minister Wayne Ewasko posted to social media on Friday, the group said it is concerned that "the consecutive threats of academic disruption will greatly limit the value that we will be able to get out of our post-secondary education and in turn contribute to the work force."

A spokesperson for Advanced Education Minister Wayne Ewaskosaid in an emailed statement the province won't comment directly on the negotiations"or mutual and ongoing efforts to find common ground."

"Everyone wants to avoid job action, which would disrupt students and families already dealing with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic," the statement said.

A spokesperson for the universitysaid earlier this monththe U of M was continuing tomeet with thefaculty association,approaching the bargaining team "with theview to conclude a collective agreement."