As community members, politicians and businesses challenge the possible closure of Athabasca University campuses, AUPE seeks input from Local 069 members.
Education is increasingly going digital, but a virtual world doesn’t preclude brick-and-mortar schools. Our Local 069 members know that a university campus is more than just a classroom, especially in a College Town like Athabasca, where the university is a cultural hub, research lab, library, workplace, local-economy stimulator, and so much more.
Despite the life that your work breathes into the town of Athabasca, AU’s Board of Governors has quietly voted to move the institution towards a 100% virtual learning model. This could spell the end of the Athabasca campus, which on top of the decision to shutter the Edmonton and Calgary offices, threatens hundreds of your jobs.
The consequences would be sprawling for Athabasca, where AU is currently the largest employer. Many of you and your coworkers could lose your jobs and might even have to leave town, taking your expertise with you. There’s no guarantee the University will look locally for new hires either.
This looming future is exactly why the grassroots group Keep Athabasca in Athabasca University is combining the forces of local politicians, concerned townsfolks and small business to battle the Board’s decision. Now it’s your turn to have your say.
As a union, you have the one of the most powerful platforms for speaking up about employer decisions and for planning actions in response. As an organized workforce, you have frontline knowledge, networks, and collective resources. Use them! Fill out this form if you want to get involved in engaging your coworkers. Your information will be kept safe and confidential.
A near-virtual model could affect your work, and it will certainly impact your town on a large scale; Athabasca residents deserve more than a top-down decision from AU’s small administration on big matters like this.
Collective Power Beats Consultation
Keep Athabasca in Athabasca University made an awesome and concerted effort to table a motion at the Alberta Municipalities Convention that demanded the province consult with communities before unilaterally closing, privatizing, or moving a publicly funded institution. If it had passed, it would have also required the Government of Alberta to make a strong business case for decisions like closing a campus before proceeding.
Despite receiving support from the City of Lacombe and being heard, the motion was unfortunately squashed because it missed the deadline for submission. Bureaucracies can seriously slow the efforts of grassroots groups, which is exactly why we must keep organizing on the ground and finding alternative routes for getting messages across.
The Ministry of Labour & Immigration is recommending a Labour Impact Assessment to see how changes on your work environment would affect the community, but we know this government has a history of manufacturing consultations to produce the results it wants to see. There’s no guarantee an assessment will reflect labour’s concerns, so make your voice heard now.
Consultations are limited. Your collective power is endless if you tap into it. Add your name to the Formstack and take the lead in building contacts and growing solidarity. Workers like you can take advantage of the fault lines employers create to shake things up — turning potential disaster into a potent moment for workers. The sooner you get started, and the longer you stay vigilant, the better.