The Public Service Alliance of Canada Prairie Region welcomes the opportunity to support the members of the University of Lethbridge Graduate Association (ULGA) through a recently signed service agreement.
“PSAC believes that all workers deserve the protection and support of a union,” said Marianne Hladun, Regional Executive Vice-President, PSAC Prairies. “We have been fighting for members in the academic sector since 1996 and we are thrilled to be able to bring PSAC’s expertise to support Alberta academic workers through this service agreement with the ULGA.”
In 2016, the University of Lethbridge Graduate Students’ Association (ULGSA) was named the bargaining agent of all academically employed graduate students at the University of Lethbridge. Unionization has greatly benefited graduate student workers, however the precarious nature of graduate student work and limited labour relations experience posed challenges in negotiating collective agreements and maintaining stability of the union.
“When PSAC first approached us with the potential to enter a servicing agreement, we were very excited,” said Jackson R. Ham, Chair, ULGA. “We now have the resources and the expertise we need to ensure our employees are supported in both negotiations and day-to-day work. We are very excited about our future with PSAC and know that the servicing agreement is only the beginning!”