An arbitrator has found that Lakehead University violated its collective agreement by shutting down the university for four days in December 2009 and reducing the pay of faculty as a result.

“Having carefully considered (the provisions of the agreement) and the submissions of the parties, I find that by instituting a shutdown, it was not open to the university to unilaterally reduce the annual salary of faculty members by four days,” Jane Devlin wrote Nov. 23 in her decision.

Glenna Knutson, president of the Lakehead University Faculty Association, thanked the many academic staff associations across Canada, CAUT and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations for their solidarity and messages of support in the wake of the university’s action.

A statement released by LUFA said the decision “confirms the association’s assertion that the action taken by the university was a violation of the collective agreement between the association and the board of governors.”

CAUT president Penni Stewart applauded the arbitration ruling.

“Our colleagues at Lakehead won an important victory,” she said. “Hopefully other employers will learn that they cannot unilaterally cut pay and that they must respect the collective agreements they have signed.”

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Related Article
CAUT Bulletin January 2010, “Lakehead: Protest over University Closure”