UWOFA ratifies new interim agreement – November 4, 2019 Western and UWOFA-LA reach a provisional agreement – October 7, 2019 The OFR team is in contact with librarian and archivist guides and their administrators, librarians and archivists, as well as UWOFA-LA. We are responsible for negotiating collective agreements, letters of understanding and waiver declarations; Settlement and/or decision-making of complaints and complaints; Reviewing and approving future measures; The development of management Support for new librarians and archivists moving west. Our interest is to perform these tasks in a way that enhances the work experience at Western while ensuring that Western excels in its educational and scientific mission. The university is in negotiations to reach a collective agreement with Western librarians and archivists (UWOFA-LA). Both sides have worked hard to reach an agreement. „This agreement serves important objectives on both sides and respects the essential work of this negotiating unit,“ said John Ciriello, President of UWOFA. Further details of the agreement will be published after the ratification votes. Western University and its librarians and archivists (UWOFA-LA) will continue negotiations on August 19 after a summer break. To date, discussions have progressed in a collegial manner and the university expects that this will continue and that progress will be made towards a solution. However, UWOFA-LA requested conciliation and scheduled a strike vote on 21 August. Conciliation is a procedure in which a third party helps the parties reach an agreement. Conciliation and strike voting are a standard element of collective bargaining and do not mean that a work stoppage is imminent or inevitable. All the measures taken to date have been standard elements of the collective bargaining process.

This recent development does not mean that a strike is imminent or inevitable. „This positive result of collective bargaining is the result of the hard work of the negotiating teams who approached this process with collegiality and goodwill,“ said Karen Campbell, Vice-Provost (Academic Planning, Policy and Faculty). Under the new agreement, UWOFA-LA members will receive 1.0% in the first three years of the agreement and 1.5% in the remaining year. UWOFA-LA`s last contract expired on June 30, 2019. Today, the Western Board of Governors ratified a new four-year collective agreement with the university`s librarians and archivists (UWOFA-LA), which represents 42 members. The agreement has already been ratified on 4 November by 89 per cent of the members of the UWOFA librarian and archivist. UWOFA-LA decides not to ratify the interim collective agreement – 23 October 2019 The agreement will be ratified by the members on 4 November and the Board of Governors of the University on Nov.