WHAT HAPPENS IF WE VOTE “NO”?
A work action is the last thing anyone wants, including our Union bargaining team. However, Membership who are considering a “no” vote on the tentative agreement may be wondering what would happen if the majority vote was a “NO.”
First, our Union negotiating team would NOT be offended and they would not feel any need to resign. They would feel a need to re-connect with management’s negotiators and get back to the table to seek a better deal.
What would the management team do? Of course the short answer is that no-one knows, but they would have some options. First, they could agree to sit down and negotiate with our Union negotiating team. Second, they could choose to give us an “imposed” settlement. This is a fairly likely outcome. However, if the membership voted against the tentative agreement, then it is extremely likely that the membership would also vote against an imposed settlement. Result? The Union bargaining team would again ask management to go back to the bargaining table.
If management refused all requests to return to the table, our bargaining team would probably feel a need to ask the Membership for a strike vote through a sanctioned voting process involving all Members.
A strike is the last thing anyone wants, including our Union bargaining team. However, past gains have come about as a result of the membership showing a willingness to strike if necessary in order to protect core concerns such as protection of full-time faculty jobs.