How many employees does Mount Royal have and how are they categorized?
Mount Royal University has about 1,624 full-time equivalent employees. From a full-time equivalent perspective, this includes about 688 staff, 393 full-time credit instructors, 278 contract credit instructors, 94 management and 170 credit-free instructors.
What bargaining units exist at Mount Royal?
Faculty are represented by the Mount Royal Faculty Association and staff are represented by the Mount Royal Staff Association. There are other groups of employees not represented by collective agreements, such as exempt staff and management.
What is the current status of negotiations?
The collective agreements between the Board of Governors of Mount Royal and the Mount Royal Faculty Association (MRFA) and the Board of Governors of Mount Royal and the Mount Royal Staff Association (MRSA) expire on June 30, 2020. Work to renegotiate the agreement between the MRFA and MRU formally began on Feb. 11. It is anticipated that the MRSA and MRU will commence negotiations by the end of the 2020 calendar year. Until new collective agreements are in place the terms of the prior agreements remain in place.
Our goal is to reach an agreement that is fair for everyone based on the interests brought forward to the negotiation tables by the MRFA and MRSA, and by the Board. We will not comment further on the negotiations, as they are confidential.
Who are the negotiating parties?
There are two collective agreements that will be negotiated. One is between the Mount Royal Faculty Association, which represents all full-time and contract faculty, and the Board of Governors of Mount Royal University. The other is between the Mount Royal Staff Association, which represents full- and part-time as well as casual staff, and the Board of Governors of Mount Royal University.
How does the collective bargaining process work?
Each party forms a negotiating team and each team has a chair. Each team presents a series of proposals, which explain that party’s issues and interests on a range of employment matters. Together, the teams work through the proposals until a tentative agreement is reached. The terms of the previous collective agreement remain intact until the parties ratify a new agreement.
What is “interest-focused” bargaining?
This means both parties agree to only focus on matters of shared interest, seeking as much as possible opportunities for mutual gain.
What influence can the Government of Alberta have on the process and the collective agreements?
This will be the first time we will be negotiating under the Public Service Employee Relations Act and Bill 21, whereby the Government of Alberta may issue directives to the employer before, during and after engaging in collective bargaining.
What are the main issues in the negotiation process between Mount Royal and the MRFA and between Mount Royal and the MRSA?
We cannot comment on issues being discussed in the negotiations as it is a confidential process.