On 30 March 2026, the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association published an update regarding contract negotiations for their members.
The most recent collective agreement for ULFA members expired in June 2024, nearly two years ago.
ULFA met with its members that same day to let them know that their bargaining team had reached a memorandum of agreement with the University of Lethbridge board of governors, and they were recommending to ULFA members to vote in favour of ratification.
The vote was held from 30 March to 2 April 2026.
According to an email sent to ULFA membership on 2 April 2026, Jim Wishloff, the ombuds officer for ULFA, stated that 344 ULFA members participated in the ratification process. Of those, 98% voted in favour of ratification.
The new collective agreement, which is now in effect, includes a sector-wide 3% cost-of-living adjustment in each year of the 4-year agreement for all floors, ceilings, salaries, and minimum sessional stipends.
This is similar to the 3% annual increases other public sector bargaining agreements have been receiving over the last year or so.
As well, the Instructor 1/Academic Assistant I floor was set to $60,000 for the first year of the agreement, and teaching-stream faculty members were to see their salaries be equal to or higher than those for Instructor III positions.
Salary structure and increments (career progress increment, metir, and PAR) have been revised in the new agreement to be more transparent, streamlined, and equitable.
For example, all ranks of academic staff will have access to career progress increments and merit awards, which were previously available to only faculty members and professional librarians.
Health coverage in the new collective agreement saw a huge improvement. Previously, ULFA members had to cover 100% of increases to their premiums for extended health, dental care, and vision care benefits. The new agreement has the university covering 80% of the cost of premium increases, dropping worker coverage to just 20%. As well, the university will pay 100% of the premium for the Employee and Family Assistance Programme.
As well, the prescription plan will no longer be reimbursement-based. Instead, workers will receive a direct-bill card. This card also introduces a managed formulary, which includes special authorization for select high-cost prescriptions, step therapy for certain prescription classes, maximum allowable cost pricing, generic drugs with prescriber override, a dispensing fee cap of $12.15, and medical aids and supplies.
Health coverage has been extended to include glucose sensors and vaccines, the latter of which maxes out at $250 per participant per year.
Mental health coverage has increased to $2,500 per person per year.
Workers will no longer need a physician’s note to access physiotherapy services, which covered 100%. All other paramedical services have increased maximums of $1,000 each per participant per year.
Adult vision care has also increased to up to $1,000 per participant, but it is only for 2 years. Child vision care has increased to $500 per participant, also every 2 years.
The hearing aid benefit has increased to $1,000 per participant every 3 years.
Sessional lecturers will be able to access “member reimbursement for textbooks and other essential material to teach assigned courses”.
The new collective agreement is effective as of 1 July 2024 and expires on 30 June 2028.
