Theology strike averted Cam Anderson | News Editor On October fifth, the Faculty of Theology at St. Mike’s ratified a new collective agreement with the administration, ending the threat of a strike which would have affected Theology students. Had the new deal not been ratified, the Faculty of Theology would have been in legal strike position by October 8th. Alternatively, the St. Mike’s administration could have locked-out the Faculty of Theology by this date also. The faculty, which represents approximately 20 professors and librarians, held a ”good faith agreement” with the college until 2010. The majority of University of Toronto faculty are unionized, but a few fragments of employees like the Faculty of Theology did not unionize in 1974 like the rest—they were operated by the St. Michael’s College directly. The good faith agreement began to break down in 2010, with the faculty being denied a pay raise by the St. Michael’s administration. A new agreement was needed, and faculty decided that unionizing was their best option in their situation. The faculty formed their collective bargaining organization, called the University of Toronto Faculty Association, or UTFA. UTFA had been the voice of the faculty of Theology since they decided to abandon their good faith agreement. It took time to become certified, but now it fully represents the 20 members of the faculty. UTFA had been negotiating their collective bargaining agreement with the St. Mike’s administration for some time, and negotiations were ongoing. A strike seemed imminent for October 8th (although being in a strike position does not necessarily mean there will be a strike). How it would have affected students is pure speculation—would classes be cancelled? Money refunded? Would it have lasted a long time? Neither the administration nor faculty of Theology would give a solid idea of what would have happened. Luckily for Theology students, they will not need to create their own scenarios. Before the Thanksgiving long weekend, after extensive bargaining a deal was reached and ratified by the UTFA members. This means as you read this the faculty of Theology is business as usual (as far as students can tell), and you will not find your Theology professor picketing in front of Brennan Hall.
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