University of Manitoba Faculty Association sets deadline for potential strike

The University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) says it is planning for a strike in March if university administration fails to address core bargaining issues.

The UMFA — which represents 1,300 professors, instructors, and librarians at the University of Manitoba — says negotiations have been taking place since August, however, they claim that the university’s administration hasn’t met some of their core bargaining issues including working conditions, workload, and childcare.

“Current and future students expect a high-quality education when they enroll here. That quality depends on hiring, and keeping, talented professors” said UMFA President Erik Thomson.

“But faculty have been leaving the University, or rejecting job offers to come here, because salaries aren’t competitive with other universities across Canada. Faculty who do stay are very committed to their students, but their workloads make it difficult to teach high-quality courses and mentor graduate students while simultaneously advancing research.”

The UMFA adds that jobs remain unfilled, which is leading to fewer options for students.

“The University’s administration can afford to pay faculty competitive wages, to keep workload reasonable, and to make childcare accessible to our members,” said Dr. Thomson. “The administration is not prioritizing the quality of student education.” 

Negotiations between the UFMA and the university’s administration will resume on Mar. 3 with the bargaining deadline set for 11:59 p.m. on Mar. 6. If a deal is not met by then, a strike will start on Mar. 10.