Updated Jan. 19: NAIT and NASA are back at the bargaining table.
With the assistance of a mediator, the parties met today to discuss a new collective agreement. They will continue to meet throughout the week.
According to an email obtained by the Nugget, NASA’s goal is to sign a new agreement by Jan. 30 to “ensure [they] maintain the momentum created by the strike mandate.”
“Being clear about timing does not mean we want job action,” the email says to NASA members. “It means we are using the tools our members have given us to push for a deal that better reflects your priorities and addresses the concerns you’ve raised throughout this round of bargaining.”
NAIT also emphasized their desire to sign a new agreement. “We are eager to reach a fair and sustainable agreement that respects our academic staff, while ensuring a positive learning experience for students,” they told the Nugget via email.
Updated Jan. 16: NAIT’s Board of Governors has passed a motion to give NAIT the ability to apply for a lockout.
In an emergency meeting on Jan. 16, the Board discussed labour relations in camera. After the session, they voted by secret ballot on a motion to “delegate the President and CEO the authority to initiate lockout action with respect to the Bargaining, including the authority to take any steps required to initiate such lockout action.”
The motion passed with 11 votes in favour.
To initiate a lockout, NAIT would need to apply to the Alberta Labour Relations Board and receive approval. At this time, they have not done so.
NAIT’s Board of Governors Chair Yasmin Jivraj emphasized NAIT’s desire to minimize disruptions to students and continue bargaining with the assistance of a mediator.
Updated Jan. 15: The Nugget has learned that the unofficial results from NAIT Academic Staff Association’s strike vote have passed overwhelmingly, with 83 per cent of voting members voting in favour of a strike.
Official results from the Alberta Labour Relations board to follow.
“This was not just a vote—it was a collective statement,” says Shauna MacDonald in an email sent to NASA members. According to the email, 83 per cent of eligible members voted on Jan. 14 and 15.
The email says NASA’s bargaining team will meet on Jan. 16 to discuss the continuation of negotiations with NAIT.
NAIT’s Board of Governors will also meet to discuss labour relations tomorrow, according to the public meeting agenda. “We respect the outcome of the vote, and NAIT remains committed to minimizing disruption to student learning. We want to get back to the table, with the help of a mediator, to reach an agreement,” says NAIT in a statement.
On Jan. 14 and 15, NAIT’s Academic Staff Association (NASA) will hold a strike vote after collective bargaining stalled in December.
To pass, 50 per cent plus one person would need to vote in support of a strike. If that happens, NASA will have 120 days to call a strike. They’d need to provide NAIT 72 hours’ notice before doing so.
If members vote in support of a strike, this does not automatically mean a strike will happen — NAIT and NASA could go back to the bargaining table and still reach an agreement. But if NASA does call a strike, classes could be disrupted and NAIT could issue a lockout.
According to a post on NAIT’s staff portal, a lockout means academic staff would not have access to campus, NAIT-issued devices, emails or systems like Brightspace.
Time may be added to the end of the semester for significant disruptions, NASA’s website explains. NAIT is “committed to minimizing any potential impact to students and their learning environments,” they told the Nugget via email.
But the NAIT Students’ Association (NAITSA) is worried about the impact a strike would have on students.
“NAITSA is deeply disappointed that after 18 months there is still no agreement,” says Lilly Houcher, president of NAITSA, via email.
“Students are the ones that will get caught in the middle of this, and we hope that both sides recommit themselves to making every effort to coming to a fair agreement.”
It is unclear if services and campus would remain open should a strike occur, but currently, campus remains open and there are no disruptions to classes.
NASA says they are bargaining for ‘quality and sustainability of education at NAIT’
“Faculty want to be in the classroom, focused on teaching and supporting learners,” says Shauna MacDonald, NASA president, in a press release. “A strike vote is not something faculty take lightly. It’s a signal that we need real movement to resume bargaining and protect the learning environment students expect and deserve.”
On their website, NASA highlights concerns about employee benefits. A statement explains that NAIT is proposing a “formulary system” which would “significantly degrade” their benefits package.
They are also seeking things like job security and additional compensation. The post says that “the last time instructional staff saw a wage increase that kept up with inflation was in 2016.”
“In ‘real dollar’ terms, the average instructor is making almost less than they were 10 years ago,” the post says. NAIT has offered a retroactive wage increase of 12 per cent over four years. They told The Nugget via email that they also proposed an increase to the professional development fund and health spending account.
NAIT ‘disappointed’ NASA choosing a strike vote
Jodi Edmunds, the interim associate vice-president human resources and labour relations, said via email that NAIT is disappointed in NASA’s decision to go ahead with a strike vote.
“Our hope was that we would be able to reach a collective agreement during mediation in December 2025.”
NAIT says that during bargaining, they narrowed their outstanding proposals, but realized NASA was not willing to do the same. “What became clear to the NAIT bargaining committee was that the NASA bargaining committee was not willing to narrow the outstanding items in a way that would allow the parties to reach a collective agreement,” says Edmunds.
“NAIT remains committed to returning to the bargaining table, with the continued assistance of a mediator, to reach a fair and sustainable collective agreement with NASA.”
NASA members will vote online between Jan. 14 at 8 a.m. and Jan. 15 at 4 p.m.
Feature image via NAIT Content Collective
