The University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) strike lasted from November 1-21, 2016. It was the first labour stoppage from University of Manitoba faculty in 20 years and caused significant disruption for students, staff, faculty, parents, alumni and community members.
Before, during and after the strike, the team within the Marketing Communications Office (MCO) led all strike-related communications, providing clear and relevant information in a timely manner to all of our constituents, including students, while also successfully managing the university's brand and reputation.
From the Judges' Report
A 20 day faculty strike can cripple a University - the communication team did great work on all fronts. Excellent departmental teamwork, but also great work collaborating with academic and student units. While outcomes are not noted, it seems like this was an incredibly thorough process with materials that should be shared through CASE as a best practice.
The team addressed each audience individually and thoughtfully and completely thought through which tools would best deliver important messages. I found the videos to be very important - hard hitting and addressing the facts. Very well done.
As noted in the entry, crises come with many unexpected challenges, even when well prepared. It seems like this team was organized to be flexible to the surprises that came along with the crisis.
