Part-time faculty at Dalhousie could strike by end of month
Posted Oct 13, 2025 04:20:05 PM.
Last Updated Oct 15, 2025 12:55:52 PM.
After months of negotiations that have not led to an agreement, part-time faculty members at Dalhousie University could be headed to the picket lines.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees 3912 represents part-time faculty at the university. They have been without a collective agreement since August 2024 and began the bargaining process last spring.
The union says it is arguing for three things: fair pay, job security and healthcare. It says cost-cutting measures are threatening the future of academic work, and financial compensation has not risen alongside the cost of living.
“Earlier this week, the conciliator filed a report declaring the parties at an impasse, which means that the Board and CUPE are now in a 14-day waiting period,” administration at Dalhousie University said in an update. “They will meet again with a conciliator on October 20. If they do not reach an agreement, a strike and/or lockout is possible.”
In August, members voted 87.7 per cent in favour of strike action.
If a strike occurs, it will be the second strike affecting the Dalhousie community this year. In August, approximately 1,000 librarians, professors and other teaching staff were locked out after failed talks between the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) and the school.
That strike ended when the DFA signed a new agreement in mid-September.
The university says it remains optimistic that it can reach an agreement with CUPE 3912.
The same union represents part-time faculty at St. Mary’s University and Mount Saint Vincent.
