Are you frustrated with the status of negotiations? Send Minister Bloyce Thompson a letter with your thoughts! The UPEI Faculty Association has drafted the letters below to make it easier for you all to send a letter at this busy time of year. Send your letter to Minister Bloyce Thompson at: [email protected]
And see here for a list of all the MLAs, to find the contact information for yours so you can cc them on your email too: https://www.assembly.pe.ca/members
The FA would love to know if you’ve contacted Minister Bloyce Thompson or your MLA so feel free to copy us on the email or let us know by emailing [email protected].
Letter #1
Dear Minister Thompson,
As a member of the UPEI Faculty Association that represents all UPEI faculty members, librarians, sessional instructors, clinical nursing instructors, and clinical veterinary professionals, I take seriously my responsibility to provide my students with a world class education. While UPEI has faced a number of struggles over the last few years, I remain committed to preserving if not improving the quality of education at our institution.
Since April, the UPEIFA Negotiations Team has worked diligently to improve our working conditions and our students’ learning conditions. This includes advancing proposals that:
Reduce course sizes, create more course options, and open up more opportunities for supervision and directed studies
Provide benefits and supports for contract academic faculty who teach many of our classes in challenging working conditions
Secure adequate research support to enable us to help Island students reach their full potential
Ensure that we have sufficient administrative support so we can focus on our students’ success
Establish health and safety protections that enable us to focus on our students’ education
Provide mental health supports to help Island workers and their families
Establish clear and enforceable measures for enhancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and indigeneity (EDII) on our campus
Secure competitive compensation so we can recruit and retain academic staff
The UPEI Board of Governors has made it clear that any of these improvements to our students’ education will necessarily increase their tuition. I disagree, given that the UPEI Board of Governors is spending limited educational resources on silencing victims of harassment, ongoing investigations of UPEI Administration, and office renovations for UPEI Senior Management.
Through collective bargaining, the UPEI Faculty Association is in a unique position to improve the quality of our students’ education and build a better UPEI for all Islanders. I am therefore disappointed that the legislated ten (10) day conciliation process has transformed into a sparsely scheduled series of meetings that is approaching four (4) months. This has done nothing to encourage the UPEI Board of Governors to put forward a fair and reasonable offer.
As such, I am writing to request that you forthwith end the period of conciliation. The members of the UPEI Faculty Association must be free to exercise their constitutional right to a meaningful process of collective bargaining that is absolutely vital for preserving the quality of post-secondary education on our Island.
Sincerely,
[insert name]
cc: [MLA]
Letter #2
Dear Minister Thompson:
As a faculty member at UPEI, I have concerns about government intervention in a fair and legal collective bargaining process.
During the November 29 Question Period of the PEI Legislature, MLA Trish Atlass asked the following question:
UPEI is currently in collective bargaining with three of its unions. After more than a hundred hours of negotiation, the UPEI Faculty Association filed for conciliation on August 5th. Conciliation is intended to be a short, focused process lasting 10 days, but the Faculty Association and UPEI remain in conciliation almost four months later, despite repeated requests to the minister to allow the process to move on. The Faculty Association also reports that the conciliator appointed by the minister has scheduled very few meeting dates, further hampering progress.
Minister, question: Why have you used your ministerial discretion to extend conciliation so far beyond the intended timeline, a move which impedes the constitutional right of workers to bargain effectively with their employer and which only deepens the current labour instability at UPEI?
As Minister of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, your response to this question was not only unsatisfactory, it was inaccurate. Bringing an end to conciliation and allowing collective bargaining to proceed is in the best interests of students, faculty, and staff at UPEI.
Sincerely,
[insert name]
cc: MLA
Letter #3
Dear Minister Thompson,
I am a faculty member at the University of Prince Edward Island. I am writing to you today in your role as Minister of Economic Development, Tourism and Culture, responsible for appointing a conciliator to mediate negotiations between the UPEI Board of Governors and the UPEI Faculty Association. The members of the UPEI Faculty Association received an update from our negotiating team on December 2, 2022.
In this recent update, we were informed once again that there has been zero progress during conciliation on the priority proposals brought forward by the Faculty Association. This is the same update as in October and November, no progress. Three months of conciliation has done nothing to encourage the UPEI Board of Governors to put forward fair and reasonable responses or counter offers on any of the priority proposals brought forward by the Faculty Association, not one. As such, I’d argue that the conciliation process has run its course.
I respectfully request that you allow collective bargaining to move to the next stage. I am hopeful that with the conciliation process finished, the two sides will find common ground;
Sincerely,
[insert name]
cc: MLA
