Western University faculty to strike Tuesday if deal not reached, union says

The union representing Western University faculty says its members will go on strike on Tuesday if a deal is not reached with the school before then, however officials say they are still hoping for a last-minute agreement.

The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association, or UWOFA, represents just over 1,500 faculty members, librarians, and archivists at the university, and will be in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

Members of the union’s board of directors met for roughly three hours on Thursday to confirm whether to strike, and ultimately chose a strike deadline of 11:59 p.m. Monday, said UWOFA President Hiran Perinpanayagam.

“By having the strike deadline on Monday night, that ensures that our members have some time to go in to their offices and retrieve items that they may need so that they don’t have to cross the picket line on Tuesday if job action were to occur,” he told Global News Friday.

Some 91 per cent of UWOFA members voted in favour of strike action in September. Talks between the union and university began over the summer after UWOFA’s previous collective agreements expired on June 30.

Last-minute talks are scheduled on Friday morning and afternoon, however it remains to be seen if an 11th-hour bargaining session will be held on Monday. The two sides also met on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

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“There has been some progress, albeit slow, at the table with Western. There are still some outstanding items that are being negotiated today, this morning and this afternoon, and I hope something might come together,” Perinpanayagam said.

In preparing for a possible strike, UWOFA has moved its offices to 612 Colborne St., which will serve as a strike headquarters. Picket captain training sessions have also been held this week, and portable toilets have been set up on campus where picket lines are expected, Perinpanayagam said.

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The province’s controversial Bill 124, which caps public sector wage increases at one per cent per year for three years, has been a key element in the months-long talks. The union has said that, with current inflation, members will end up taking a pay cut of around 25 per cent because of it.

As a result, the union has sought improvements in other areas such as benefits and professional expense reimbursements, Perinpanayagam told Global News earlier this week.

The union has stated that it’s looking for, among other things, improved working conditions and workloads, better job security for contract faculty, and better access to health benefits for part-time faculty.

“Currently, the part-time instructors and lecturers that teach many of the classes on campus do not have any additional help or dental coverage, and need to purchase it themselves or utilize their spouses’ if available,” Perinpanayagam said on Friday.

Western has insisted on a four-year agreement, but has not offered anything in the fourth year, unaffected by Bill 124, to make it attractive to members compared to the three-year agreement proposed by the union, Perinpanayagam said.

“The fourth year needs to be sufficiently attractive in terms of competition and benefits to make it worthwhile for us to accept an offer.”

The university has offered a 2.25 per cent wage increase in the fourth year along with a one-time lump sum for full-time members, the union said in a bargaining update on Thursday.

Western did not respond to a request for comment by publishing time.

The union says it has seen some gains, including with annual performance evaluations, which Perinpanayagam describes as being “very laborious and onerous.”

“Annually, professors have to submit a long list of all of their accomplishments in teaching and activities. Rather than having it on an annual basis, it will be less frequent,” he said.

The union says Western has also agreed to a proposal to create a joint working group aimed at improving working conditions for faculty with disabilities.