UPDATE ON SEIU NEGOTIATIONS

The SEIU local 902 (Acadia Campus) has reached a new collective agreement and would like to thank AUFA members on campus for their solidarity and support which certainly helped to set the stage for a successful round of bargaining.

In the climate of Acadia’s present financial difficulties, the SEIU had braced itself for tough negotiations signaled by the reduction of SEIU positions and layoff of SEIU staff before contract negotiations began. Furthermore, the fear of job loss was making its way through the SEIU membership not unlike Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine. However, in this atmosphere of job insecurity, it was imperative not to lose perspective, or as Naomi Klein points out, not to forget history. And the history for SEIU members is that no matter if student enrollment is low or high, we have always faced resistance from Acadia administration when it comes to negotiating wage increases or benefits. For example, when the SEIU went to the negotiation table in 2005, at a time when student enrollment was at a record high, negotiations between SEIU and Acadia almost broke down over a modest wage increase of 3% which amounted to a sum of about $120,000.

This time around, SEIU members again received a wage increase of 3% for each year of the three years of the duration of the contract as well as a differential shift premium for staff working weekends or late hours. The supplement of the employment insurance benefit during maternity leave was raised from 75% to 100% and vacation time was increased for new and long time SEIU staff. SEIU members will also receive an increase in the health spending account in the third year of the contract, mandatory retirement was lifted, and members can apply for the Acadia facility pass free of charge. The whole package will cost the university about $500,000 over the next three years according to calculations provided by Acadia. This translates into 0.0023% of the overall budget of $213,000,000. This figure is based on Acadia’s current yearly budget of $71,000,000.

Again, to keep the sum of $500,000 in perspective we need to look, for example, at the 2007 T4 taxable yearly income for salaries coming out of the President and Vice-President offices alone which in 2007 totalled $775,416. When looking at this figure, we must remember that this amount was paid to only a handful of employees including the President and Vice-President. In contrast, the increase in wage and benefits which was just achieved for SEIU staff comes to a yearly total of $166,000 but this sum is not shared by seven people but by ninety-six SEIU members. This should be kept in mind when we hear that SEIU received a wage and benefit increase despite the fact that Acadia is in the midst of financial difficulties.

Elke Willmann

President, SEIU local 902 (Acadia Campus)

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