Part-time faculty at Halifax’s Saint Mary’s University went on strike Thursday, joining their peers from Mount Saint Vincent University, who went on strike the day prior.
CUPE says the strike at Saint Mary’s comes after bargaining hit an impasse on Wednesday evening.
More than 150 part-time instructors and teaching assistants at Mount Saint Vincent walked off the job at 12:01 p.m. Wednesday after talks with the Halifax school failed.
The shared union says key issues for both groups include job security and compensation, and they note that part-time faculty at Saint Mary’s are among the lowest paid instructors in the country.
Classes at a third university in Halifax were disrupted earlier in the semester after full-time faculty at Dalhousie were locked out for nearly a month before returning in mid-September.
In a statement, Saint Mary’s says the university is committed to the bargaining process and hopes to reach a fair agreement in good faith.
“Student success and the continuity of teaching and research remain our top priorities,” the statement reads.