UPEI faculty union goes on strike as negotiations with university break down

Faculty members at the University of Prince Edward Island walked off the job Monday morning after a strike deadline passed in an ongoing dispute with the university over a new collective agreement. 

The move comes after the UPEI Faculty Association's members voted in February to authorize the executive committee to call a strike if necessary.

At the time, the union said a strike wouldn't be triggered until after the Canada Winter Games wrapped up, which happened March 5.

"Despite our strong strike mandate and willingness to compromise, our employer's negotiations team once again made it clear that they saw little reason to meaningfully move from their current positions," the union said in a written statement on March 1.

"To be clear, the best way to avoid a labour disruption and address [members'] significant concerns is through a negotiated settlement supported by both parties. For the future of our institution, we remain committed to reaching such a settlement."

According to the union, the primary sticking points at the bargaining table are workload, improved health and safety, higher pay, and the hiring of more full-time faculty. The union argues tuition fees and investments in the university have both increased in recent years, but says those resources aren't going toward improving the quality of education at UPEI.

For its part, the university says "very limited progress" had been made in recent negotiations, adding that during the last round of talks, just five of 113 outstanding issues were resolved.

"The university is committed to achieving a collective agreement with the UPEI Faculty Association [UPEIFA] that is consistent with other primarily undergraduate universities in the region," the university said in a March 1 statement.

"We believe that this is in the best interests of UPEIFA members, our students, and the community."

The faculty association's previous collective agreement with the university had been set to expire on July 1, 2020, but the parties signed a two-year extension that expired in June 2022.

The two sides had been at the bargaining table since April 2022, and met 20 times between April 21 and Aug. 4, but made little progress toward a resolution. 

In August, the union asked the province to appoint a conciliator to oversee negotiations — a move the university opposed. In November, the union asked the minister to bring conciliation talks to a close, with the university arguing the talks should continue.

The university has promised to send updates to students, staff and faculty as information becomes available.