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FUNSCAD on strike

(Ottawa — March 1, 2019) Members of the Faculty Union of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (FUNSCAD) set up picket lines this morning after negotiation with their employer reached an impasse.

“We have spent months trying to get the university to bargain productively for a fair and equitable collective agreement,” said FUNSCAD President Mathew Reichertz. “Our requests are reasonable and affordable. We want a fair and more equitable settlement that will bring our working conditions closer to parity with teaching staff and librarians at other Nova Scotian universities.”

Academic Staff at NSCAD have been working without a contract since June 30, 2018. FUNSCAD started bargaining last September and went through conciliation. In January, members voted 97.5% in favour of a strike vote.

“FUNSCAD has the full support of the Canadian Association of University Teachers and its 72,000 strong membership across the country,” said CAUT Executive Director David Robinson. “We are hopeful that a quick resolution to the strike is possible if the university administration returns to the bargaining table.”

In 2016, in order to help NSCAD deal with a difficult fiscal environment, FUNSCAD members agreed to roll over the terms of their previous contract, suspend limits on the reduction of numbers of full-time faculty, and accept wage increases well below cost of living. NSCAD is now forecasting a significant budgetary surplus and student enrollments have increased.

CAUT is the national voice of more than 72,000 academic and professional staff in 125 colleges and universities, colleges, and institutes across the country.

For more information, please contact:

Valérie Dufour, Director of Communications, 613-293-1810 or dufour@caut.ca