Dalhousie University Faculty Secure Wage Gains and Job Security

Part-time faculty and teaching assistants at Dalhousie University have reached a new collective agreement that significantly enhances their wages and job security. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3912 announced that its members voted overwhelmingly, with 85 percent in favor of ratifying the agreement last week. The tentative deal was struck on October 20, 2023, successfully preventing a potential strike.

The new agreement not only addresses wage increases but also introduces changes to job security and professional development provisions. Notably, it eliminates the marker/demonstrator job category starting in the 2026-2027 academic year. This category had been criticized for undermining the value of academic work at the university.

In a release, Larissa Atkison, vice president of CUPE Local 3912 and a part-time instructor at Dalhousie, emphasized the significance of this change. She stated, “The Marker/Demonstrator job category is an important win for us at Dal because this job category was being used to devalue the labour of academic workers, as well as undermining other members of our union.”

CUPE Local 3912 represents over 4,000 academic workers at Dalhousie University. The union highlighted that markers and demonstrators had been performing teaching assistant duties while receiving lower wages compared to their peers.

Ongoing Strikes at Other Institutions

CUPE Local 3912 also represents part-time faculty at Saint Mary’s University and Mount Saint Vincent University, where faculty members have been on strike for nearly two weeks. At Saint Mary’s, faculty are advocating for improved stipends and clearer proposals regarding faculty appointments and contract timelines. They are also pushing for guaranteed work for instructors who have taught at the institution for at least three consecutive years.

Meanwhile, faculty at Mount Saint Vincent University are seeking wage increases and the removal of restrictions on their academic freedom to teach and assess students.

The successful ratification of the agreement at Dalhousie marks a significant development in the ongoing dialogue around academic labor rights in Nova Scotia, reflecting broader trends in the education sector across Canada.