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Just weeks before classes resume, King’s University College faculty have voted overwhelmingly in favour of striking if necessary after testy negotiations that began in April.
Faculty at the Western University affiliate voted 96 per cent in favour of a potential strike, with 91 per cent of members turning out, said Derek Silva, co-chair of the faculty association. The union’s last labour deal expired in May.
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“Those are very strong numbers,” Silva said, adding much rides on whether negotiations go well when bargaining resumes Aug. 29.
“We’ll see after that meeting. We wanted to plan as if a strike was a possibility, because negotiations have not been going well.”
If talks fail, Silva said they would seek a “no board report” from Ontario’s Labour Ministry that day. That’s a formal notice that a board of conciliation will not be appointed. It starts a 17-day countdown, after which a legal strike or lockout can commence.
“The timing is looking like mid-September,” he said. “But we absolutely do not want to go on strike.”
Key bargaining issues include fair compensation, job security and academic freedom, Silva said.
“King’s is going through a restructuring of its academic governance,” he said. “It’s a potential risk for our members.”
Faculty are also seeking “equitable and compassionate working conditions” including short-term leaves for domestic violence and compassionate care, Silva said.
Robert Ventresca, vice-president and academic dean at King’s, said by email the two parties will meet again on Aug. 29 with “the assistance of a government-appointed conciliation officer.”
He added: “King’s negotiation committee remains committed to successfully achieving a negotiated agreement and bargaining in good faith.”
King’s is the only full-time faculty at Western and its affiliates that are currently in contract talks, Silva said. The part-time faculty at King’s are also in bargaining.
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