ASTFA Union Certification
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Friday, February 8, 2010
Atlantic School of Theology Faculty and Librarians Vote to Form a Union
In a secret ballot conducted by the Nova Scotia Labour Relations Board on December 11, 2009, faculty members and professional librarians voted unanimously to name the Atlantic School of Theology Faculty Association (formed in 1998) as their bargaining agent in contract negotiations with the university. Dr. Alyda Faber, president of the Faculty Association, said, “In a smaller institution, we have the benefit of direct personal relations with the Administration and Board; for us, certification adds some formality necessary for bargaining fair terms and conditions of work. It is our hope that unionization will enhance and strengthen our relationship with the Board and Administration of Atlantic School of Theology.” The Nova Scotia Labour Relations Board made the order of certification on January 6, 2010. “Our intentions in certifying,” Faber adds, “emerge out of a commitment that we share with the Board and the Administration, to provide an optimal educational experience for our students toward their preparation for ministry, lifelong learning, or for further graduate studies.”
The smallest faculty union in the country, Atlantic School of Theology Faculty Association represents eight teaching faculty and three professional librarians. Atlantic School of Theology is a public ecumenical university of theology and Christian ministry, established in 1971 and affiliated, since 2002, with Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.