IN THE EVENT OF A STRIKE, THE UNION WILL GIVE 17 DAYS’ NOTICE.
On Sept. 11, a large majority, composed of over 860 members, of the Association of Teaching Professors of the University of Ottawa (ATPUO), voted in favour of a strike mandate.
“Teaching professor” refers to professors who mainly focus on “teaching courses, pedagogical research and, in some cases, supervising internships,” rather than the discovery-based research full-time professors focus on. You might know them as “part-time” or “contract” professors.
Teaching professors at the U of O cite a lack of job security, unpaid hours amidst support-staff cuts, and the resulting deteriorating quality of education as grounds for the strike mandate.
Longer contracts represent a core demand, as most teaching professors have precarious four-month contracts for each semester.
Equal pay for equal work
The ATPUO states that its “professors are carrying one or more additional jobs, when their course load at the university is already more than full-time professors teach.” Union officials hold that part-time professors are not asking for a raise, but for years of stagnant wages to be adjusted on par with a rising cost of living and inflation.
Double standards and a business-centric approach to higher education also play a role.
Both ATPUO and the Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa (APUO) have pointed to the disproportionate increase in administrative positions at the University compared to research- and teaching-focused roles.
The ATPUO holds that the U of O is positively financially positioned to fulfil its demands without offloading the cost to students, pointing to this year’s budget boosting an expected surplus of 15.6 million dollars.
The ATPUO has been without a collective agreement since Aug. 31, 2025
On Sept. 17, Bargaining Committee member Luc Angers told the Fulcrum that while negotiations are ongoing, “They are treating us with contempt.”
After the U of O cancelled its most recent bargaining session with ATPUO, the union decided to “seek the assistance of the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development through the appointment of a conciliation officer,” a neutral third party meant to streamline negotiations.
Angers says, “This is my second round of negotiation, and it has always been like this.” While a mediator was also called in the 2022 bargaining, which did not result in a strike, Angers notes that “so far, we’re not too optimistic.”
“There have been no counterproposals; we don’t know where they stand,” says Angers.
At present, if conciliation does not result in an agreement, the ministry will most likely refrain from appointing a board of conciliation (“no board”), and a legal strike or lockout may be forthcoming.
How will students be affected if there’s a strike?
“ATPUO members understand that a strike or lockout would disrupt students’ studies, but [they] feel that the deteriorating conditions in the classroom pose an even greater threat.”
The ATPUO has committed to minimizing any disruption to students’ education, with certain professors sharing a slideshow which states, “Required course evaluations will be adjusted appropriately in order to account for missed time without penalty or hardship for students.”
However, in the worst-case scenario, the resource states that if a strike were to last for the majority of the semester, students might “not be able to earn credits for the affected courses,” potentially adding a semester to their studies.
Even in this most extreme case, international students can rest assured knowing that a labour dispute will not affect their study permits, provided that they collect and submit the necessary documentation from the Registrar of the University of Ottawa.
Additionally, once a potential strike begins, professors will not be able to communicate directly with students, as they’ll lose access to “their institutional email accounts and to their courses’ Brightspace pages.”
Angers says, “The possibility of a strike is there, but the one thing that I want the student body to be aware of is that negotiations are ongoing and legal procedures are in place.”
The Fulcrum is committed to providing further coverage as the situation evolves.
With Files from Manahil Elsiddig.
