90% of Dalhousie faculty vote to strike

DFA release:

More than 90% of the members who cast ballots in the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) strike vote said “yes” to strike action in support of the bargaining team’s position in collective bargaining.

A total of 86.7% of the DFA Membership participated in the vote that closed midnight on Monday, October 5, 2020.  Of those who voted, 90.6% voted in favour of strike action.

“This gives our bargaining team a powerful strike mandate as we head into conciliation later this month,” says DFA President David Westwood. “Our members have given the Board of Governors a clear and unambiguous message: we will not accept their demands for unreasonable economic concessions on pensions and wages.”

The Board’s most recent offer was presented to the DFA bargaining team on September 18. The offer included reductions in pension benefits and three years without salary adjustments to reflect cost of living increases.

The DFA filed for conciliation on September 22. Peter Lloyd has been appointed as the conciliation officer, and conciliation dates have been set for October 19 and October 22.

The DFA is the certified bargaining agent for more than 950 professors, instructors, librarians and professional counsellors at Dalhousie University.  As a volunteer-based organization, we advocate for the rights of our members and work to protect and advance the academic integrity of the University.