The Acadia University Faculty Association (AUFA) is entering the second week of its strike following an impasse at the table with the administration.

AUFA is seeking to increase the number of tenure-track faculty to meet rising student enrolment, make hiring and working conditions gains for precarious and Indigenous faculty, and keep salary improvements in line with cost-of-living increases.

AUFA members are frustrated with the Acadia Board of Governors’ unwillingness to “recognize that decent working conditions guaranteed by a fair and equitable contract are paramount” to sustain the university’s “strong academic programming” said AUFA President Andrew Biro.

Meanwhile, other academic staff associations are also moving toward potential job action, including the Mount Royal University Faculty Association, the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association, University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty Association, and l’Association des professeurs et bibliothécaires de l’Université Sainte-Anne.

This follows the first academic staff strike in Alberta’s history, when Concordia University of Edmonton faculty ratified an agreement after a two-week strike last month.

AUFA members have been without a contract since July 2021. They voted to authorize a strike last November, with 94 per cent voting in favour

CAUT is hosting an online campaign – Stand with Striking Academic Staff at Acadia! – asking allies to send letters to Acadia’s President, Provost, and Chair of the Board. The campaign has gathered close to 800 signatories.