Cape Breton University faculty on strike, most classes cancelled

Faculty members at Cape Breton University walked off the job Friday.

Dozens of employees set up a picket line outside the university's campus before daylight, as talks with their employer broke down earlier this week.

The Cape Breton University Faculty Association represents professors, librarians, lab instructors, nursing practice educators and specialists.

The union is calling for respect from their employer, along with pay raises that are in line with rising costs due to inflation.

"We know that when you go on strike, students suffer. Faculty, administration, the university suffers," said faculty association president Adango Miadonye, while standing alongside about 30-40 striking employees.

"If the administration wants us to be here for a long period, we are ready … for one week, two weeks, months."

Earlier this week, university administrators said the union rejected a raise proposal of eight per cent over three years, in favour of a 14 per cent wage increase spread over two years.

After a round of unsuccessful negotiations last summer, CBU faculty members voted 92 per cent in favour of a strike in September. There were a total of 198 ballots cast by the Sydney guild, which has about 230 members.

On Friday, the striking faculty members allowed vehicles to move freely to and from campus, but  Miadonye said efforts could ramp up in the coming days, if no movement on negotiations is made.

"When the other side is not willing to bargain and not willing to come closer to your demand, then the only option that we have is to go on strike," he said. "It's up to them to make the next move."

CBU administration responds

Rod Nichols, a member of the university's bargaining team, said Friday that both parties have an obligation to move toward a settlement, but what the administration is offering is a fair deal.

"The settlement on the table is better than some universities have settled for recently and it's the equivalent of others," Nichols said.

Majority of classes have been cancelled due to the strike, but administrators could not say exactly how many students are affected. The school has about 7,000 students, two-thirds of whom are international students.

Mason Madore, a fourth-year business administration student from Glace Bay, N.S., said all of his classes have been cancelled, except one. Programs taught by members of the Nova Scotia General Employees Union are continuing as usual.

Madore said his education at CBU, which started in 2019, has already been disrupted by the pandemic.

"I don't think I've pretty much had a normal year of university since I started," he said. "Obviously, I'd like to go to class. I'm a student here and I pay tuition like everybody else, but ... it's really out of my grasp."

Nichols said when the strike is over, faculty members and students will work on a plan to catch up on course material.

He said tuition refunds are unlikely, but judgment calls may be made for students looking to withdraw from courses without penalty.

Another university strike looms

Cape Breton University isn't the only post-secondary institution facing labour unrest in the province.

Full-time faculty at Saint Mary's University in Halifax could walk off the job in February, after members voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike mandate this week.

Of the 300 professors, librarians and instructors, 255 cast ballots. All but six ballots were in favour of the strike, with three opposed and three spoiled ballots.

The union's contract expired at the end of August, and talks broke down on Jan. 19 before reaching a tentative agreement.

Remaining points to settle are salary, benefits

Cathy Conrad, the vice-president of the Saint Mary's University Faculty Union, said it has not had an increase in health and wellness benefits for a decade.

The union wants a three-year contract with a three per cent pay increase each year. Their employer is offering a three-year deal with increases of 1.75 per cent, 2.5 per cent and three per cent, respectively.

For benefits, the union wants a 0.6 per cent increase, while the employer is offering 0.1 per cent.

Conrad said it might seem like there isn't much difference between the two sides, but she noted the union's ask is already below what other university faculties have agreed to and lower than the rate of inflation.

"It's much less than cost-of-living increases. It's in effect, a pay cut," Conrad said.

Conrad, who is also a professor in the school's Geography and Environmental Studies Department, said a strike would be unprecedented for the union as it has never had to do so before.

But, she said, both sides are open to negotiations and she's hoping that leads to progress.

"We don't want to strike. We want to reach a fair agreement," Conrad said.

A final effort between the two sides is scheduled for Feb. 17.

Officials with Saint Mary's would not do an interview, but a statement on the school's website says the school is "committed to providing competitive terms and compensation for faculty and staff while ensuring the institution's sustainability."

The strike mandate comes the same week part-time faculty at Saint Mary's are voting on a tentative agreement their union reached through conciliation.

MORE TOP STORIES