Two more “Mandates to Strike” for CUPE 3912 in 2022; this month from part time Instructor members at Mount St. Vincent University (MSVU) and at Saint Mary’s University (SMU)

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3912 at Mount St. Vincent University (MSVU) have voted 95.2% in favour of a Mandate to Strike in 2023. At MSVU, 72.4% of eligible votes were cast over a four-day period ending on December 19, 2022.

Members at Saint Mary’s University (SMU) voted 91.8% in favour of a Mandate to Strike in 2023. At SMU, 86.8% of eligible votes were cast over a two-day period, ending on December 2, 2022.

CUPE 3912 President Cameron Ells says, “Our members are once again seeking wage parity with their peers. They are prepared to use a variety of available options to achieve their desired goals.”

This is the third time in 2022 that CUPE 3912 has received a Mandate to Strike from its members. On October 19, 2022, CUPE 3912 members at Dalhousie University went on strike. Members voted Yes to a new agreement on November 11, 2022.

Further collective agreement bargaining and negotiating with the MSVU and SMU employers are scheduled for January 2023. At the union’s request, in both cases, a conciliator from Nova Scotia Labour will be present in an effort to help overcome the impasses that have been reached.

“Negotiations began two years ago with both employers,” says Cameron Ells. “There has been very little progress in either case over the past twelve months. Those involved in our 2023 negotiations will know that at short notice, this union may be on strike, again.”

The best way to avoid a strike is to be prepared to conduct a competent, effective strike.

About CUPE 3912

CUPE 3912 is Nova Scotia’s largest university union, proudly representing more than 3,000 academic service providers in four bargaining units at Saint Mary’s University (SMU), Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), and Dalhousie University (Dal). The union’s members are part-time instructors at all three institutions, the language instructors at The Language Centre at SMU, and the teaching assistants, markers, and demonstrators at Dalhousie University.