Yukon University averted a strike this spring after the board of governors approved a new collective agreement for unionized workers on Friday.

The deal includes a 12.75 per cent raise for staff, and 10.75 per cent raise for faculty over three years. It also increases the stipend for sessional instructors, and introduces a few non-monetary changes.

Shelagh Rowles, the university’s interim president, said wages were the sticking point in negotiations.

The union entered the negotiations looking for about a 24 per cent wage increase, while the university’s opening offer was a 7.5 per cent increase over three years, she said. 

“We were really far apart,” she said. “There was a lot of work to come together.”

The union was not available for an interview. 

In an email sent to CBC and union staff on Friday afternoon, Yukon University Employees Union president Stacy Savage said “the process was long and undeniably challenging, but throughout it, our members demonstrated unwavering commitment to the essential work they do every day. With this agreement now in place, we can refocus our energy on supporting our students and strengthening the broader YukonU community.”

Rowles said the Yukon University Employees Union encompasses “everyone” from custodians, to administrative staff, and faculty. 

A tentative agreement between all parties was reached in February, and presented to Yukon University Employees Union members for a ratification vote.

Union members voted in favour of the final agreement on Thursday. The university’s board of governors approved the agreement late in the afternoon on Friday.

The new agreement applies retroactively, from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027.

Savage had told the CBC in an earlier statement that the bargaining unit had made some “major concessions.”  

Rowles called the final agreement “comprehensive,” noting it balances the rising cost of living with fiscal constraints facing the university. 

Yukon University has been “lucky” because it hasn’t faced any recent funding losses in the face of federal cuts to the international student program, she said. 

“We never relied heavily on international students to actually finance the university,” she added. 

Still, Rowles said the mandate for the university has changed, with an increased focus on building new degrees, which requires increased investment. 

“It’s just making sure we’re not living beyond our means,” she said. “That’s always a fine line.” 

Students happy there won’t be a strike

“There’s a sense of relief across campus right now,” said David Rojas. Rojas, the university’s student union senate representative. He was an advocate for student voices throughout the dispute.  

He felt the student union was successful in keeping student needs and concerns centred in discussions.

“Avoiding disruption was so, so important,” he said, referring to the potential for a strike action that’s been looming over students for weeks. 

Two student employees on campus felt the same. 

Paul Angelo Jovenes, an international student who works at the student fitness centre, said he was “glad” the strike was averted. 

A strike would have kept his managers off the job, likely leaving him without work for that duration as well, he said.

Raminder Kaur, another student who works at the campus library, said she had been tracking daily updates for news on the potential strike. For her too, it would have meant a pause on her job.

“Yukon is really expensive,” she said, “and it’s really difficult to survive without a job.”

Because a strike could delay graduation, she said she was concerned about administrative and financial costs, including reapplying for study permits and extensions.

Rojas said students’ focus is back on learning, and “rebuilding confidence across the campus community.”