TWU Faculty Represented By CLAC Vote in Favour of Ratifying First Contract

Langley, BC—Faculty represented by CLAC teaching at Trinity Western University (TWU) in Langley and Richmond, BC, voted in favour of ratifying their first collective agreement after many months of negotiations.

CLAC Local 62 was certified by the British Columbia Labour Relations Board on March 21, 2023, to represent all tenured and tenure-track faculty members, and all sessional faculty members with a minimum 60 workload points, employed by TWU in undergraduate and graduate programs, including faculty librarians, assistant deans, department chairs, coordinators, and graduate program directors.

The three-year contract provides the 180 faculty members with annual wage increases, a new dispute resolution process, enhanced representation, and secures many important employment conditions. In addition, as of January 1, 2025, members will be enrolled in both the union’s pension and benefits plans.

“Negotiations for a first agreement with such a diverse group were comprehensive and complex requiring many days of meetings, proposals and bargaining over the past year,” says Nathan Mathews, CLAC representative. “Over months of bargaining, we achieved resolution on all outstanding issues except wages, which required the assistance of a mediator to reach a settlement acceptable to both parties. However, throughout the entire bargaining process, negotiations were characterised by a spirit of mutual respect and collaboration. We’re very pleased with the end result, and we’re pleased that the settlement was ratified with overwhelming support by the membership.”