2001

At the end of the NDP's second term, employers sought to limit the number of items bargained at the Common Table and the parties spent weeks narrowing the issues in protocol discussions. When it became increasingly obvious that the Liberals would win the upcoming provincial election, the bargaining committee decided to try and complete bargaining before the election. The final settlement included EI top-up for maternity and parental leaves, a common disability plan (employer-paid), medical travel referral, funds for local bargaining, and the Provincial Salary Scale went from 13 to 10 steps.

The total compensation for faculty, which included wage increases and movement on the salary scale as a result of the suppression of salary steps, resulted in the average annual salary being $10,163 higher at the top at the end of the three-year agreement. But the new Liberal government did not fund the agreement, leading to faculty and staff layoffs at several institutions.