The University and the McMaster University Staff Association were back at the bargaining table again last night (Thursday, Feb. 22). Both sides agreed to suspend talks at about 2 a.m. and will return at 2 p.m. this afternoon.

“The latest session was encouraging,” says Roberta Shaw, a member of the University's bargaining team. “We were able to discuss key issues including seniority, how people are hired, priority placement and recall procedures.”

However, Shaw says the University's team is disappointed that there still have been no talks about money. “We need to discuss how people get paid and how much they get paid. The union is not prepared to do that and although we're hopeful that a collective agreement can be reached before the union's deadline of Feb. 27, it will be impossible to reach a deal if the union doesn't put its financial demands on the table.”

MUSA has received the letter it requested from the University extending the freeze period past Feb. 27. It assures the association that negotiations can go beyond that date with the confidence that working conditions will not be altered until a collective agreement comes into effect or until a strike or lockout commences.

See also: MUSA answers questions about negotiations in e-mail to members