A union is an organization or association of a group of employees who are recognized by legislation to collectively bargain terms and conditions of employment with the employer.

The Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association (MUNFA) represents academic staff members (ASMs), including full time faculty, librarians, counselling faculty members and co-operative and field education coordinators. It also includes contract faculty with teaching term or regular term appointments.  

Lecturer’s Union of Memorial University of Newfoundland (LUMUN) Per Course Instructors represents individuals who teach no more than two courses per semester.

Lecturer’s Union of Memorial University of Newfoundland (LUMUN) Postdoctoral Fellows represents postdoctoral fellows at Memorial who carry out research across a broad range of academic units. 

Teaching Assistants’ of Memorial University of Newfoundland (TAUMUN) represents graduate assistants at Memorial University.

Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE) represents instructors, demonstrators, research scientists, research and technical personnel at the Marine Institute.

It is a written document which outlines the terms and conditions of employment for unionized employees. Each of the academic unions above has a separate collective agreement.

A process by which the university and the respective academic union negotiates the terms and conditions of employment for members of that union. It commences with either party (union or university) serving notice to the other of their intent to negotiate amendments to the existing collective agreement. 

Proposed amendments are exchanged in writing over an extended period of time.  Changes are commonly proposed regarding working conditions and wages.

The union negotiating committee is a representative group of union members who negotiate amendments to the collective agreement on behalf of the entire group of union members covered by the collective agreement. Similarly, the employer’s negotiating committee negotiates on behalf of the employer. When both negotiating committees reach an agreement on the specific amendments proposed to the collective agreement, they will communicate they have reached a tentative agreement. It is tentative at this point because it has to be ratified/approved by the broader group of stakeholders; namely the union membership and the Board of Regents.

This is the process the union and employer use to approve the tentative agreement reached at the negotiating table by the union and employer negotiating committees. Typically the union will distribute the proposed collective agreement amendments to their members and hold information sessions explaining the impact of the changes. After the information sessions, union members will vote to accept or reject the tentative agreement. A similar process will occur with the employer negotiating committee seeking approval from the Board of Regents of the proposed collective agreement amendments.