(December 12, 2023) – The Syndicat général des professeurs et professeures de l'Université de Montréal (SGPUM), the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL), and the Mount Saint Vincent University Faculty Association (MSVUFA) each voted last week in favour of strike mandates for their bargaining teams.

At an extraordinary SGPUM general meeting, about 600 professors voted 97% in favour of a 12-day strike mandate. “This is a clear message to the management of the Université de Montréal: it is high time to negotiate in order to reach an agreement quickly and avoid the first labour dispute with professors in 18 years,” the SGPUM said in a statement.

At McGill University, 90% of the members of the AMPL voted 85% to adopt a strike mandate. As the AMPL continues negotiations with the university administration, the executive can now call up to a maximum of five strike days. The newly certified association is negotiating its first collective agreement.

In Halifax, MSVUFA voted 97% in support of a strike mandate. Ninety-nine per cent of MSVUFA members voted for the strike mandate. The bargaining team will head into conciliation with the university administration next month.

“The MSVUFA is seeking a fair and equitable settlement to ensure parity with other Nova Scotian and regional universities and to advance decolonizing and [equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility] efforts,” said MSVUFA Spokesperson Dr. Jeff MacLeod, in a statement. The union represents all full-time faculty, librarians, and lab instructors.