U of M strike: Conciliation talks continue after late meetings
Meetings between union, administration continued late into the night on Wednesday
Collective bargaining talks continue between the University of Manitoba administration and the faculty association on Thursday after a round of late-night discussions.
University spokesman John Danakas and University of Manitoba Faculty Association president Mark Hudson both said the two sides will meet again with the provincially appointed conciliator, but neither will make any statements about the progress or details of Wednesday's talks.
After discussions broke off on Sunday, the administration and union headed back to the table Wednesday afternoon, with UMFA presenting a new proposal on workload, one of the key sticking points in the 17-day strike.
Those talks were still going at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The union and administration have been in on-and-off discussions since March 2016, when the last collective agreement expired.
UMFA, which represents more than 1,200 members, went on the picket line Nov. 1 after mediation failed. The conciliator was brought in Nov. 2 but the two sides have accused one another of not being willing to make acceptable concessions.
- 'Enough of this': U of M asks faculty to sign short-term offer, get students back to class
- Students 'divided' on U of M strike as undergraduate union votes to support professors
Administration had said if the dispute wasn't resolved by Wednesday, it would affect the university term that starts in January. More than 29,000 students have already had classes juggled around in the current term.
Some classes have been going on as usual because they are taught by non-UMFA members — teaching assistants and sessional instructors. As well, some faculty association members have decided to cross the picket lines and keep teaching.
However, the majority of students have had classes impacted in some way.
Info on courses, classroom scheduling and service changes can be found on the university's website.