Laurentian University ratifies new collective agreement with staff union

A new collective agreement with its staff union is a sign Laurentian University is "moving in a positive direction," says Laurentian's president and vice-chancellor.

Lynn Wells says the Sudbury, Ont. university's board of governors ratified the three-year collective agreement with the Laurentian University Staff Union (LUSU) on Thursday.

The agreement grants the university's 230 staff members salary increases of four per cent over each of the three years.

It also includes new provisions for mental health support.

"I think both teams came together really in the spirit of looking for a fair deal for our staff and they worked together very positively and reached a tentative agreement before the expiry of the current agreement, which is always positive," Wells said.

The new collective agreement is the first since Laurentian has gone through insolvency proceedings, which started in 2021.

That year nearly 200 staff and faculty members lost their jobs, and Laurentian cut more than 70 programs when it filed for insolvency under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA).

Wells was appointed as Laurentian president in December 2023 with a mandate to help rebuild the university's reputation and enact a new five-year strategic plan.

"Our new strategic plan for 2024 to 2029 has as one of its key directions to value and support our people," she said.

"And this agreement really puts that into action."

LUSU president Tom Fenske said in a press release that the agreement will allow staff to "redirect all our attention towards providing support to students, in both their academic and research goals."