Bargaining Information For UMFA Members
Strike FAQ
Updated March 2025
General Job Action Information
1. Background
2. What would a strike/lockout look like?
3. How do I explain all this to students, my friends, neighbours?
1. Background
- Over the course of the 2021-2024 Collective Agreement, UMFA Members salaries lost 8.4% in value due to inflation.
- According to the most recent data from Statistics Canada, UM academic salaries have once again fallen to last place among the 13 English-speaking universities in the U15.
- The administration’s latest salary offer will not make up for inflationary losses, nor raise all UM ranks out of last place in the English-speaking universities in the U15.
- The administration has also not made an offer that significantly addresses improvements to your workload, child care, or benefits, which are issues you made clear were strong priorities in this round of bargaining.
- The administration’s most recent salary offer would improve the salaries of a small portion of UMFA members much more than others, which is a deliberate employer tactic to pit union members against each other and would create large salary anomalies for members that go up for promotion later in the contract.
2. What would a strike/lockout look like?
What does it mean to be locked out or on strike?
To be on strike requires withdrawing some of your job responsibilities from the employer and engaging instead in strike duties. Members must cease all teaching, supervision, advising, library work, service, and administrative duties, and instead engage in strike duties. You MUST continue with your research.
During the strike, Members must not hold, or make available, online or off-campus classes. All service duties, such as participation on committees, must also be discontinued. All administrative services provided by UMFA Members, including Heads, Associate and Assistant Heads, Directors, Coordinators, or Graduate and Undergraduate Chairs of Departments, must be withdrawn. Examples of such service include going to committee meetings, approving students’ final grades, organizing or promoting campus events, supervising research and teaching assistants, etc.
Being on strike would mean:
- Withdrawal of your teaching and service.
- Continuation of your research.
- To receive picket benefits of $200/calendar day (i.e. $1,400/week ) that are tax-exempt, you must participate in picket duties of at least 2.5 hours each weekday, Monday through Friday, to raise awareness about bargaining issues.
Members who are not physically capable of walking a picket line on the Fort Garry, Bannatyne, or other campuses can request alternate picket duties as an accommodation. These duties may include driving members and supplies to/from picket lines; preparing supplies and food at strike headquarters (#16-62 Scurfield Blvd); printing, cutting, and packaging flyers; processing picketing logs; etc.
If you need to conduct your research on campus, inform the picket captain and your colleagues on the picket line that you are only entering campus to conduct your research, and not for any other reason.
The administration has agreed that Members who withdraw their teaching and service duties, but continue with their research duties, will continue to be paid for their research duties.
When would a strike take place?
The Collective Agreement Committee has set a bargaining deadline of Friday, March 7 at 11:59 p.m., with a potential strike to start on Tuesday, March 11.
I didn’t fill out the Job Action Survey – how do I get my picket shift assigned?
If you did not complete the job action survey, you’ll receive email instructions if a strike is called.
Manitoba’s New Legislation: Strikes and Lockouts
A strike where you withdraw your teaching and service, but continue your research, does not trigger the new provisions of Manitoba’s Labour Relations Act that prohibits replacement-workers. The administration is not legally obligated to prohibit UMFA Members from working when this kind of a strike is called.
Beyond withdrawal of teaching and service, Members are required to contribute to job action in order to receive strike benefits. This includes a picket shift of at least 2.5 hours each week day, Monday through Friday.
Manitoba’s New Legislation: Essential Services Agreements
Another element of the new legislation as part of Manitoba’s Labour Relations Act, is that unions and employers are legally obligated to discuss Essential Services Agreements (ESAs) in every round of bargaining. The Association and the administration are working together to meet this obligation. In future years, this discussion will be completed no later than 3 months before the expiry of the Collective Agreement, but because the legislation was introduced long after the UM/UMFA Collective Agreement expired, discussions are currently ongoing.
The overwhelming majority of work conducted by UMFA Members will not be deemed essential.
Will my health benefits continue if I’m on strike/locked out?
Yes. If the administration does not continue paying the cost of your benefits, UMFA will pay the cost of maintaining health benefits. This means you will have access to the dental plan, extended health benefits, and your other benefits during the period of the strike. Your life insurance will continue to be in effect. You should continue to utilize your health benefits as you normally would - don’t delay or cancel any of your health-related appointments.
How much money do I receive when I’m on strike?
Picket benefits will be $200/calendar day (i.e. $1,400/week) and are tax-exempt.
You must participate in a picket shift of at least 2.5 hours each week day, Monday through Friday, to receive your picket benefit.
Are there accommodations if I’m not physically able to walk a picket line on the Fort Garry or Bannatyne campuses?
All members who are able to walk a picket line must do so.
If you are not physically able to walk a picket line you can request alternative picket duties as an accommodation. These duties may include driving members and supplies to/from picket lines; preparing supplies and food at strike headquarters; assisting with preparations of daily information leaflets; etc.
A job action survey has been distributed for you to mark your preference for picket location and times and picket shift schedules will be released the weekend of March 8.
If you did not complete the job action survey, you’ll receive email instructions if a strike is called.
What kind of assistance is available in terms of childcare during a strike?
The union is not in a position to provide childcare. Schedule your picket duties so you can maintain your existing childcare arrangements.
Will I need to declare to the administration that I’m on strike?
No. To strike, you don’t have to make any formal declaration. To receive the strike benefit ($200/calendar day), you have to perform strike duties and withhold your teaching and service work from the employer.
Strike and Tenure
Does supporting a strike influence my future tenure/promotion?
No. Participation in union and strike activities is a legally protected right in Canada. If you feel you may be experiencing retaliatory or discriminatory behaviour due to union activities, contact the UMFA office immediately: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 204.474.8272
Does the time spent in lockout/strike extend my untenured period?
Upon return to work after the UMFA strike in 2021, an agreement was negotiated that extended all such deadlines by the length of strike plus 10 days. In the event of a strike or lockout this would have to again be negotiated with the administration.
Supervising/Communicating/Working with Students
Am I allowed to advise/communicate with students using personal contact info during a strike?
No. Advising and communicating with students as part of your regular teaching duties must cease for the duration of the strike.
However, communication may continue with students who have been hired as research assistants as part of your research if they are not completing the work as part of their degree requirements.
Will students continue to participate in course work during a strike/lockout?
In the past the University Senate has not required students to cross the picket line or attend classes during a strike. However, students are responsible for keeping up with all assigned class work. Once classes resume, remediation plans will be developed. Students can learn more about their rights and responsibilities by contacting UMSU.
Members on Leaves/Reduced Appointments
If I’m on Maternity Leave, Parental Leave, Sick Leave, or Long Term Disability, will my salary/benefits continue to be paid?
Yes. In the event of a strike Members on leave for the above reasons will continue to be paid and have access to their benefits. You will not be expected to participate in picket duties, and are not eligible for strike benefits. You are, however, encouraged to demonstrate your solidarity by participating in rallies or demonstrations, and on social media.
I am on research/study or administrative leave. Will I be on strike if a strike occurs?
No. Members on research/study or administrative leave are not expected to participate in any form of job action, and are not eligible for strike benefits. Members on leave are, however, encouraged to demonstrate their solidarity by participating in rallies or demonstrations, and on social media.
If I have vacation scheduled during the strike/lockout, will I still be able to support the picket lines and receive the strike benefit?
Alternate picket duties may be accommodated in the event you have scheduled vacation during a strike/lockout. Contact UMFA’s Job Action Committee to discuss your individual situation.
I am on a reduced appointment, do I receive the full strike benefit amount or half that amount?
If you are a Member of UMFA and perform your assigned strike duties, you will receive full strike benefits.
Clinical Practices and Supervision
I offer clinical services to the community and students. Will I continue to offer these services in the event of a strike/lockout?
The Essential Services Agreement outlines which non-research activities will continue during a strike. Unless provided for in an Essential Services Agreement, all other work will be struck.
3. How do I explain all this to students, my friends, neighbours?
What can I tell my students about potential job action?
If your students ask you questions about a possible strike, you can tell them that you'll talk about it at the end of the class. Stress that it won't be during class time, that they don’t have to stay to hear the answer if they don’t want to, and that what you say won't be on the exam or graded in any way.
What you might tell them: UMFA, which represents professors, instructors, librarians, coaches, and counsellors, is currently bargaining with the administration over our collective agreement - issues that are still not seeing an adequate response from administration include salary, workload, childcare, and job security. Since our last agreement, UMFA salaries have lost 8.4% of their value due to inflation. After having our salaries frozen or severely limited from 2016-2021, the modest improvements we were able to get with our 2021 strike have not been enough to make us competitive. The latest data from Statistics Canada on academic salaries shows that we remain in last place amongst the 13 English-speaking research-intensive universities in Canada.
The university can afford to improve its offer, but the administration’s bargaining team has said they must stay within the “mandate” provided by the administration. Over the last five months the administration has only updated their salary offer twice, and only after you publicly supported UMFA’s proposals. The administration’s proposed salary increases are only applicable to a small portion of UMFA members – a clear and classic negotiation tactic designed to pit union members against each other.
Faculty members need the administration to demonstrate that they are taking bargaining seriously, and are responding to the improvements that are needed for faculty working conditions. Right now the administration is not prioritizing improvements to faculty working conditions, so we need to make them. Sometimes, that means a strike.
Faculty don’t know whether there will be a strike, and there will be uncertainty for the next little while. We hope we don’t have to strike. In the previous recent strikes, regulations were passed stating that students could not be penalized for their attitude towards the strike, the university calendar was modified to allow courses to finish, and a notation was put on students’ transcripts to show a strike had taken place during that year.
This FAQ for students is also available.
What can I tell my friends and neighbours about job action?
You need a salary that keeps up with inflation and is competitive with other Canadian universities, but the university administration hasn’t offered a competitive salary increase, despite the ability to pay you more. You also want to ensure that students continue to receive quality education and research opportunities for years to come, which can only be achieved if the university is able to recruit and retain top faculty members.
