NAIT and their academic staff association (NASA) have been bargaining for almost a year, but with dozens of proposals unresolved and voluntary mediation on pause until the fall, the path to a new agreement remains uncertain.
Now, as the two sides begin negotiating an Essential Services Agreement (ESA)—which mandates what NASA members would continue working if they go on strike—disagreements over workload proposals, scheduling delays and miscommunication have complicated discussions.
Where things stand now
NAIT and NASA remain involved in voluntary mediation, an informal, non-binding process where a government-appointed mediator helps both sides work toward an agreement. They originally started discussing workload issues at the end of April, but the focus has now shifted to negotiating the ESA after confusion over whether NASA had withdrawn from mediation.
According to an emailed statement from NAIT, the mediator informed them near the end of the last session that NASA no longer wanted to continue voluntary mediation.
NASA President Shauna MacDonald told the Nugget that NASA did not formally withdraw.
After receiving NAIT’s proposals—“none of which fixed workload at all,” she said—NASA proposed negotiating the ESA then moving to formal mediation.
Their goal was to get the ESA finalized before their next mediation session on May 27. NASA said NAIT could not make that happen, so after consultation with their bargaining committee, NASA decided to continue with involuntary mediation while still negotiating the ESA.
What are NAIT and NASA bargaining about?
On June 30, 2024, the collective agreement—a document that outlines the terms and conditions of employment between NAIT and their academic staff—expired.
Now, NAIT and NASA need to negotiate a new agreement that works for both sides through a process called collective bargaining.
In a post on NAIT’s staff portal obtained by the Nugget, Jodi Edmonds, NAIT’s Director of Employee and Labour Relations, called the discussion during mediation “thoughtful,” and said NAIT’s proposal “was acknowledged as a genuine effort to address NASA’s concerns.” The post did not specify who acknowledged the proposal.
NAIT’s statement said they are “pleased that NASA is willing to continue voluntary mediation,” and that NAIT remains “committed to continuing negotiations in good faith.” NAIT was not able to accommodate an interview with the Nugget.
NASA prepared to strike if necessary
Several steps would need to occur before NASA could legally strike: they need to finish negotiating the ESA with NAIT and get it approved, then move to formal mediation. If no agreement is reached during that process, NASA could then hold a strike vote. And even if members voted in favour of a strike—which MacDonald believes there’s a high chance they would—NAIT could still return to the table and reach a settlement.
Still, MacDonald emphasized that NASA’s goal is to sign a collective agreement that is good for their members. “In order to do that, we have to be prepared to go on strike if the employer pushes us to that point.”
And strikes can be a powerful tool for leverage, said Dr. Jason Foster, a professor at Athabasca University who specializes in Human Resources and Labour Relations. “Broadly, the purpose of strikes is to place economic and political pressure on the employer … It’s really the only tool workers have, is to remove their labour.”
NAIT said that they believe it’s too early to speculate on a strike. “We do not want to pre-determine what may happen in the collective bargaining process,” the email stated.
NAIT and NASA met on May 21 and June 10 to start ESA negotiations. They are looking at dates in July and August, but nothing has been confirmed yet. “NAIT’s goal remains clear: to negotiate a fair and future-focused agreement that recognizes the value of our academic staff while maintaining the agility and sustainability of our academic programming,” Edmonds said.
Editor’s note: It was originally stated the collective agreement expired in August, 2024 instead of June 30, 2024.
