Faculty at the University of Windsor walked off the job Sept. 15 for a one-day strike, forcing the university to cancel the day’s classes.
The Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA), which represents about 1,000 professors, librarians, and other academic staff, announced Sept. 5 it would strike if an agreement was not reached by midnight Sept. 14.
WUFA and university administration officials have been negotiating a new collective agreement for university faculty members since mid May.
“Our decision to take strike action was not made lightly,” a statement on WUFA’s website said. “The University Administration has left us little choice.”
According to WUFA, rotating half-day work stoppages, announced two hours in advance, will follow Sept. 15’s faculty-wide walkout until the end of the month. If an agreement is not reached by Oct. 1, the union said it would implement a full work stoppage.
This strike was the second time staff at the university walked out in the past two years. Workers with CUPE Local 1393 previously striked in 2013, causing disruptions for textbook deliveries, cafeteria services, and building maintenance.
“Students are just fed up that we have to go through this, especially after having gone through a similar situation last year,” said Tim Mlinaric, a fourth-year physics student at Windsor.
Mlinaric said the strike is a distraction and disrupts students’ routines. He said it also affects his job in the university’s research labs, which close during strikes.
Other students, such as fourth-year environmental studies student Kristi Dupuis, said they are worried about the long-term strike.
“Classes won’t be made up, so if it gets to the point where [faculty] go on full strike and all my labs are cancelled, we’re out of luck on that. We won’t get the grades,” Dupuis said.
“I’m in my fourth year. If I can’t get my required classes finished then I can’t graduate,” she said.
According to a news release from the university, the administration agreed to attend mediation Sept. 23.
WUFA president Anne Forrest said the union is still going ahead with the rotating strike.
“We are encouraged by this signal from the administration,” said Forrest. “[But] this is only a first step to getting things back on track.”
“It’s a first step, but what we’ll be looking for now is evidence that the administration is committed to seeing things through,” she said.
Until both sides reach an agreement, students are unsure as to what will happen with their courses.
“The strike hasn’t really had a major effect on us yet, but that could all change in the next couple of weeks,” fourth-year kinesiology student Matt John said. “We don’t really know what days [strikes] are going to be or what classes are going to be affected.”
“I don’t really know what to expect from the strike, like the amount of time we’re going to miss,” he said. “I mean, that could mess everything up.”
Related articles:
