Carleton University support staff officially on strike
Carleton University administration is countering claims by the union representing hundreds of striking support staff who began picketing Monday with signs reading “Hands off my Pension.”
Last-minute negotiations between Local 2424 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees — representing about 850 campus administrative, library and support staff — broke down in the early hours of Monday without an agreement.
Union president Jarrett Clark joined picketing workers, saying bargaining teams reached an impasse after 20 hours of negotiations. Disputed language regarding the employee pension plan is “the most significant” issue leading to the impasse, he said.
“The university is proposing to completely remove existing collective bargaining language in our collective agreement around pensions, language that has existed there for about 40 years, since our very first collective agreement,” said Clark.
“We acknowledge the university is not proposing to change the (pension) plan,” Clark continued.
“We fear, based on certain amendments that the university has managed to push through historically, that what they are proposing — and by removing our collective bargaining language and protections — that it could open the door to that very kind of change.”
University interim president Alastair Summerlee said university negotiators have not proposed changing the pension plan — from its current defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan — and said the union’s demand for “greater control over the way the university manages its pension plan” would be unfair to other labour unions on campus.
“At no time has the university, the board, or the university’s negotiating team ever raised the prospect of converting the pension plan at Carleton to defined contribution or changing the composition of the pension plan committee,” he said.
“We obviously heard them talking about this and we were completely prepared to put that into the collective agreement.”
Summerlee said the university has also offered a “competitive” salary package and improved benefits.
“But the union persisted with its demand that it wants greater control over the way the university manages its pension plan.”
Summerlee said Carleton has for 50 years taken a unique approach to managing pensions, which he called “a collaborative and collective decision of 50 per cent of employee representatives and the university.
“At no time has the board ever made a decision that hasn’t been a direct recommendation of that collective group.”
Summerlee said Local 2424 wants “much greater control and privilege” over the decisions and the composition of the pension plan group. “For the sake of the plan, and to be fair to everyone else in the university, we feel that with a 50-year history and such success, that’s the wrong thing to do,” he said.
Clark said union members are concerned that removing certain pension protections from the collective agreement could lead to “adverse changes” to the current plan.
“Of course that is a concern and we look at what is happening outside of Carleton’s borders, nationally and internationally around pensions and changing plan types and gutting benefits,” said Clark. “We’re concerned. We want to protect our members from these types of adverse changes.”
Clark said union members “understand the issue; they’re prepared to stand behind it.”
Renée Lortie, who holds an administrative role at the school’s economics department, said workers want to maintain status quo when it comes to their pensions.
“We are on strike about a serious pension issue, and this is not simply about a few dollars and wages,” said Lortie. “This is a big deal. The big issue is maintaining the language in our collective agreement, about our pension and how it’s run.”
The campus remains open and classes will be held as scheduled, the university said as picket lines snarled traffic along Bronson Avenue on Monday morning.
Hundreds of picketers demonstrated on campus throughout the day with signs reading “Protect our Pensions” and “Hands off my Pension” as passing motorists honked in support.
Students are expected to attend class and continue with academic and research work.
The undergraduate and graduate registrar’s offices, the library and other administrative offices will continue to operate with “limited services available.”