Update: University of Windsor Professors Vote 90% in Favour of Strike Action

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photo from the 2008 WUFA strike at the University of Windsor

More than 1000 University of Windsor faculty members including professors, sessional instructors and academic staff voted 90% in favour of strike action, Wednesday and Thursday, to back their side of the collective bargaining process.

The Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) has been in collective bargaining with University Administration for a number of months and after a negotiation session on August 26th, WUFA filed for Conciliation with the Ministry of Labour (Ontario).  

In a statement released on WUFA’s website, a negotiations update reads:

“From our perspective, an agreement on these issues was within reach if we kept at it. We indicated our willingness to work overtime to resolve our outstanding concerns but [The University’s Negotiating Committee] were firm that they had gone as far they were willing to go.”

University Bargaining Committee chair Bruce Tucker said in a statement:

“Although we were unaware at the last bargaining session that WUFA intended to file for conciliation, we are confident this new development will prove to be another step towards reaching a successful agreement that is fiscally responsible for the university.”

WUFA lists their bargaining issues and concerns as “greater employment security for long serving sessionals”, “radical changes in our pension plan”, and “15 to 20% reduction in our take home pay” among others.

The University lists their concerns as “compensation costs, which account for the majority of the university’s operating budget”, “costs of supporting our pension plans” and that WUFA members continue to “receive base pay increases” since Provincial wage legislation was enacted in March 2010.

The University of Windsor was almost entirely shut down three years ago when WUFA went on strike on Wednesday September 17th, 2008. Students joined in to rally with their professors. Ultimately, the strike ended on October 1st of that year.

WUFA and the University have future negotiation dates scheduled for September 12th, 14th, 19th, 22nd and 23rd.

UWindsor professors and faculty have been without a collective agreement since the end of June.

The earliest that WUFA could be in a position for job action would be 17 days after conciliation is called off.