On June 26, 2025, ULFA hosted its twelfth Bargaining Town Hall in this round of negotiations toward a new Academic Staff Collective Agreement (ASCA). The ULFA negotiating team reviewed the June 24 and 25 2025 negotiation session discussion topics and provided a general overview of the current state of negotiations. The presentation also touched on some noteworthy developments in the provincial bargaining context.
As of July 1, 2025, the term of the 2020-2024 ASCA expired one year ago (note the ASCA expiry counter on the main ULFA webpage). Most of the items opened in May 2024 by the ULFA and Board negotiating teams have yet to reach an agreement. Schedule A (salary and stipends) remains the only item not yet tabled, despite concerns repeatedly raised by the ULFA team that some key proposals in play (e.g., teaching professoriate, evaluation process, merit awards) have strong ties to compensation matters.
Discussion topics following the prepared remarks included Member questions and concerns on the status and progress of the Teaching Professoriate proposals; improvements to benefits including vision, hearing, and dental coverage; the difference between the Tri-Agency research integrity policy and the Tri-Agency research framework; and why other post-secondary institutions in the province have already ratified collective agreements in this bargaining round while at the University of Lethbridge we have not yet exchanged proposals across the table on all opened items. A summary of the progress of items opened in this round of bargaining is available here. The next scheduled bargaining dates are September 3, 4, October 2, 3, 23, 24, November 12, 14, and December 11* and 12*, 2025 (* depending on final exam schedules).
