November 11, 2022 at 9:43 am
Time is running out to avoid a strike by teachers at Western universities.
The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA), the union representing the tertiary institution’s 1,600 full- and part-time faculty, has set a strike deadline of 11:59 p.m. Monday. If no agreement is reached by then, its members will head to the picket lines on Tuesday morning.
“Despite some signs of progress, the team has yet to see an agreement,” the union said in a statement.[Western’s] The current offer is not enough. We are tired and overworked after stepping up to save the University’s teaching mission amid an unprecedented pandemic, and words of gratitude from employers must be backed by concrete action in this round of negotiations. “
The union went on to say the university saved $4 million thanks to Bill 124, a provincial legislation that caps wage increases for public sector workers to 1 percent.
“We need to see more at the negotiating table,” the union said.
Teachers have not signed a contract since the end of June.
The union said the key sticking points were benefits for part-time members, job security for contract teachers and pay equity for studio courses at the conservatory.
While negotiations between the two sides continue, the union has advised its members to remove from campus all items they wish to make available to them during any potential work action, and to prevent course materials from being automatically posted online to students.