Editor’s note: This editorial was written by NAITSA’s Advocacy Director, Jason Roth.
While most students are wrapping up their semester and looking ahead to summer, a high-stakes situation is unfolding behind closed doors. It’s something that could impact your classes, your instructors and the stability of your education next year.
NAIT and its academic staff association, known as NASA, have been trying to reach a new agreement since the last one expired in June 2024. So far, it’s been slow, frustrating and far from productive. And while no one wants to use the word “strike,” it is unfortunately still a possibility.
So what’s happening, and why should you care?
What this is really about
From time to time, NAIT and NASA must renegotiate the contract that sets salaries, working conditions and teaching expectations for instructors. These agreements are standard at most post-secondary institutions, but they’re also complex and sometimes contentious.
At NAIT, things got off to a rocky start. Instead of beginning meaningful negotiations before the agreement expired, discussions were delayed for months because the two sides couldn’t agree on when to meet. NASA pushed for evening and weekend talks to avoid high reimbursement costs for its large bargaining team. NAIT, pointing to the previous agreement, preferred to meet during business hours.
Eventually, both parties filed complaints with the Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB), which had to step in and issue a directive. The ruling required both parties to share the burden by meeting during a mix of business hours and evenings or weekends. It also set a minimum of 30 hours of negotiation to be completed by Dec. 15, 2024. They were also directed to continuing bargaining in this fashion if an agreement wasn’t reached by then.
It’s April. Still no deal.
Despite that intervention, we’re now in April 2025 and a new agreement has yet to be reached. There has been some progress. Mediation is underway, and a handful of bargaining sessions took place in March and April. But the pace is glacial, and students are left wondering how long this can drag on.
NASA has proposed a 25 percent raise in the first year and another 10 percent the following year. That’s a significant ask, especially considering that other institutions like SAIT have recently agreed to more moderate increases of 3 percent annually. According to an update posted by NASA on April 15, NAIT has proposed 10 per cent over 4 years with no retroactive pay.
NAITSA understands that after a decade without wage increases, academic staff have legitimate concerns. But at the same time, we’re frustrated by how slow and complicated this process has become. It is hard to believe that things have taken this long not because of the proposals, but because they couldn’t even agree on when to meet. Students deserve more certainty than what they’ve been given so far.
Why this matters to you
If talks break down and a strike happens, students will be directly affected. Classes could be cancelled or delayed. Program timelines might shift. Fall schedules could be left hanging. And the reputation of NAIT as a place for reliable, high-quality education could take a hit.
It’s not just a hypothetical. NAIT is already under pressure from declining international enrolment and stagnant provincial funding. A strike would make a tough situation worse. And students, who are already managing tight budgets and demanding course loads, would bear the brunt.
A call for leadership
It’s time for both sides to show leadership. There’s a path forward, and it starts with compromise, flexibility and a renewed focus on what matters most—students.
The Labour Board already laid out a reasonable expectation: meet during a mix of hours, make consistent progress, and work toward a fair and balanced deal. Yet here we are, nearly a year after the last contract expired, and still without an agreement. NAITSA is urging both parties to double their efforts and treat this with the urgency it deserves.
We’re not here to take sides. But we are here to speak for students, and students need answers. They need stability. They need to know their education is not going to be used as a bargaining chip.
Moving forward
NAITSA will continue advocating for students and keeping you informed as this process unfolds. Our message to NAIT and NASA is simple: Finish the job. Meet. Negotiate. Compromise. Get a deal done.
Because students are watching. And they need to know their future is in steady hands.
Cover photo: NAIT staff, students and other unions gathered outside in an informational rally NASA hosted in October 2024 about the ongoing collective bargaining. Photo by Skylar Boissonnault
