The union representing part-time faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University has announced a strike deadline of Nov. 21.
The Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association, which represents 550 full-time and 1,069 contract faculty, including about 85 members at the Brantford campus, says it will take job action if the university doesn’t address ongoing member concerns about job security, fair compensation and benefits, said union president Rob Kristofferson.
He said part-time faculty, also called contract faculty, is the “lowest paid and most precarious faculty at the university.”
Contract faculty are hired on a course-by-course basis and many have worked at Laurier for a decade or more, said Kristofferson.
After six months of negotiations, the union has been granted a “no-board” notice from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, which starts the countdown toward a potential strike, he said.
“The pandemic has been difficult for everyone and contract faculty have been acutely affected as they have been expected to do more unpaid work without the certainty that their jobs will exist the following term,” said Kristofferson.
“Some of our contract faculty members have been teaching contract to contract, semester to semester, for over three decades and have to re-apply for their jobs every term. This level of precarity is unacceptable and makes it more difficult to serve our students.”
A statement released by Laurier said: “The university and WLUFA have been in negotiations since May. Throughout this time, the university has bargained in good faith for an agreement that is fair and financially sustainable. We remain committed to continuing talks and hopeful an agreement can be reached.”
Kristofferson said the union believes that university investment in better pay, job security and benefits for contract faculty is an investment in Laurier students and will “strengthen the foundation of our university.”
“Students deserve the best education possible, but that requires the university administration to ensure that those teaching the students are able to plan their lives and support their families year after year.
“Our priority has always been to try and settle these issues at the bargaining table and avoid a strike. But if a strike is the only way to convince (Laurier) president (Deborah) MacLatchy and the board of governors that contract faculty deserve respect in their workplace, then we are willing to strike.”
Kristofferson said the union will continue to negotiate in good faith until the strike deadline.