Long strike, long recovery

As we sort of wrap up Week 4, we're all looking with trepidation at the state of bargaining and what will happen to the rest of the school year as a result. Senate has approved a number of 'scenarios', if the strike ends by such-and-such a date then this will happen, if not then by such-and-such a date this other thing will happen. Basically we've already passed a couple of scenarios, and in another week or so we get into serious trouble. If we managed to go back before the 30th, interrupted classes will continue until December 23 and begin again on the 5th of January, and continue to January 12th. Classes that were not interrupted will finish on time, December 10th, and have their final exam period December 11-23. While interrupted classes are continuing. Under this scenario, Winter term begins on schedule on January 17th.

If we managed to return to work before December 7th, then interrupted classes will continue to the 23rd and resume on  January 5th, as above.  The last day of instruction will continue until January 19th, with its exam period shrunk to three days and Winter term would run Jan 24 to Apr 20. The winter mid-term break will be reduced to two days from five (accommodating the Louis Riel Day holiday on Feb 21, and the following day, instead of being that whole week. Various internal deadlines (fees, appeals, voluntary withdrawal, etc.) will also change mutatis mutandis. Which is a Latin expression which I never thought I would have occasion to use, meaning 'changing as changed' or roughly 'with concomitant changes as appropriate', Yay scholar-robh!

There are further scenarios that get successively more dire, that I don't even want to consider. Aside from the burden, on us and on our students, of making up the dates, managing one exam period while some classes are continuing, and having to forego the mental health breaks many of us have come to depend on, or at least try to get the most out of, there's the domino-effect of delays that, after December 7th, would not only effect Spring and Summer, but potentially next Fall as well.

In other words, no one can wait until the end of December, when the 60-day threshold hits and we (and they) can be forced into binding arbitration. The rumor I heard that was circulating, that the admin was just digging in until then, appears to a) be false, and b) would have truly dire repercussions for months, perhaps years to come, and everyone--whether from 'inside' the university or not--seems to be aware of it.  As it is, I'm not sure the university can take the reputation hit that would result.

What's more, many programs, for instance in health and rehab sciences, are required to offer some number of days of instruction per term as part of their certification programs. As it is, the university has to balance the general schedule with the needs of specific programs: certain programs in agriculture, dentistry, dental hygiene, education, and I don't know what all else have to be coordinated with outside schedules (for instances, student teachers have to be ready and available for placements during the regular primary and secondary school years). And of course everything was fouled up by Covid to begin with.

In other news, yesterday I got a personal response from the president to my open letter from the other day. It didn't actually say anything unexpected, but it didn't have the same anti-union narrative that the official communications are having. So I sent back a short note thanking him and hoping we could all resume normal working relationships.  Which I figured was the appropriate thing to do.

I'm exhausted. Everyone is, on all sides. I understand the mediator, having recommended arbitration, has officially resigned. Nonetheless, this weekend will see some pretty intense, un-mediated, bargaining, hopefully to iron out some of the outstanding governance issues that we feel shouldn't be arbitrated. For a change (if you have been paying attention to previous blogs or other sources about the 2013 debacle, or the 2020 near-debacle. Which as far as I'm concerned was pretty debacular*).

*It may not have been a 'word' before, but it is one now. An example of how language is a 'living' thing that changes constantly and adapts to speaker need.

So as I head into my weekend, my plan is to do what I can to rest and recharge, possibly isolate myself from the strike-related social-media cycle a little.  Hope you have a good weekend.  To my colleagues stay #umfaStrong. To my students, thanks for your support, patience, and resilience. It really can't go on much longer.