The University of Sudbury and the union that represents its academic staff reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract Jan. 22, averting a strike planned to begin the next day. The settlement was reached after two days of around-the-clock bargaining between university and union negotiators.

Union president Réal Fillion said the agreement met many of the union’s goals.

“Our members’ willingness to strike sent a clear message to the university that we needed more than marginal progress in our discussions,” Fillion said. “There was a lot of movement from the employer in the end and we were able to realize many of our objectives. We’re pleased our message was finally received by the university and a strike was averted.”

Highlights of the new agreement include a 5.5 per cent salary increase in each of the three years, yearly increases to contract academic staff stipends, first sabbaticals at 100 per cent salary, use of a university personal computer, improvements to professional development allowances, moving expenses and course cancellation fees for contract academic staff, conversion language for limited-term appointments and new language on release time for the union president. Sudbury’s academic staff voted to accept the terms of the new contract Feb. 8.

Sudbury’s 36 full and part-time teachers and librarians are a separate bargaining unit within the Laurentian University Faculty Association.