Faculty Associations at Comparable Institutions

Faculty at most universities in Ontario and Canada are certified. In Ontario, both unionized and non-unionized bargaining organizations are called “Faculty Associations”. These Associations are independent organizations not affiliated with national or international unions such as the Steelworkers Union. Considering comparable institutions within the province, Queens University certified in 1995 and the University of Western Ontario in 1998. The University of Ottawa, Windsor, Wilfrid Laurier, and York have been unionized for many years. While these certification processes may not have been without rancour, collegiality was usually re-established quickly. The University of Waterloo had an unsuccessful unionization drive which did not appear to negatively impact their subsequent negotiations. The McMaster Faculty Association remains non-unionized. Over the past 10 years some unionized Associations, such as York, have had strikes.