NAIT’s academic staff association is feeling “cautiously optimistic” about returning to the bargaining table after their recent strike vote. The results have been confirmed by the Alberta Labour Relations Board, and 83 per cent of voting members support a strike. 

“[The results] show that we’re clearly united, that what the bargaining team has been asking for and fighting against at the table is in line with membership,” NASA President Shauna MacDonald told the Nugget. “It really, truly, is a mandate to go back to the table and continue on in the hopes that NAIT will move accordingly now.” 

NASA has outlined a deadline of Jan. 30 to get an agreement signed — one MacDonald called “definite.” 

“If we were to hit that deadline, the bargaining committee would be coming back to NASA executive and a very serious conversation would be had,” says MacDonald. 

If NASA members do strike, MacDonald is “very confident” NASA has the resources to provide strike and benefit pay for several weeks. 

“For strategic reasons, I cannot tell you how many, but I can tell you that I’m very confident we will be just fine,” says MacDonald.  

Strike and benefit pay would be funded through NASA’s defence fund, established in 2017, with additional support available from the Alberta Colleges and Institutes Faculties Association’s defence fund. MacDonald says that as a member, NASA could access that resource during a strike. The union has also begun preliminary conversations with other labour groups about potential financial support.

“For those reasons, we know that we are absolutely secure if we need to go into a strike situation,” says MacDonald. “We’ve been working on this for years.” 

Negotiations are ongoing, and no strike action has been served. In a recent statement, NAIT says it is “optimistic” about avoiding job action. The institution says it will update students through their NAIT email as bargaining continues.