Press Release: PSAC members at the University of New Brunswick to hold strike vote

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION    February 16, 2016 

 

 

FREDERICTON, NB – Negotiating teams for the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) representing the Union of Graduate Student Workers (UGSW), Local 60550, and the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton and Saint John) met last week with the assistance of a provincial conciliator.  Unfortunately the conciliator ended conciliation and has now reported out to the New Brunswick Minister of Labour.  As a result, the members will be voting on the employer’s final offer the week of March 14-18, 2016.  
 

PSAC’s negotiator, Larry Gagnon, summarizes the situation: “We’ve been negotiating since December 2013 to reach a fair collective agreement that reflects the valuable work our members do but UNB’s administration is not willing to make further improvements in their monetary offer, as well as in language to protect these workers in relation to sexual and personal harassment, abuse of authority, violence in the workplace and whistleblowing.”  Gagnon added: “We’re being more than reasonable with our demands and would expect the same from the administration of the university that was ranked 4th in 2015 by Maclean’s university ranking.”

 

This group represents approximately 400 workers employed as graduate student teaching assistants and or graduate student research assistants at the University of New Brunswick in both Fredericton and Saint John. 
 

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Contacts: 

Sébastien Bezeau, Regional Political Communications Officer, PSAC, (cell) 902.266.8589