Laurentian Faculty on Strike: Support Jointly Sponsored Pension Plans

Solidarity with Laurentian University Faculty Association members

The following is from OCUFA:

Laurentian University faculty, academic librarians and professional academic staff members are on strike.

One of the challenges facing the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) is an exit loan agreement that the university has with the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES). The MCURES loan was approved by the courts after Laurentian University declared insolvency and filed for creditor protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). The agreement blocks movement on key bargaining issues, including pension security, pay that keeps up with inflation, and sustainable workloads that support better learning conditions for students. 

It is these restrictions which are preventing Laurentian and LUFA from negotiating a Jointly Sponsored Pension Plan (JSPP) such as the University Pension Plan (UPP).

LUFA members have been under an imposed contract since 2020 due to the CCAA process.  LUFA and OCUFA are calling on MCURES and the Laurentian University Board of Governors to lift the CCAA Exit Loan Agreement restrictions. The controls imposed under the CCAA process are no longer justified given the university’s current financial status, which includes a surplus of over $55 million. 

You can send the Laurentian University administration and government an email today to lift these restrictions and let LUFA and the Laurentian community move forward through fair and free collective bargaining.