News

The bargaining committee and employer will meet for the final time on March 3rd for our final day of conciliation. If this meeting does not produce a deal, CUPE 3912 will be in a legal strike position as of March 4th 2026. 

We will be hosting a solidarity rally at 11:00 am on MARCH 4th at the Granville Mall (5163 Duke Street). Afterwards, we will be marching to Province House to join in protesting cuts to arts funding. All CUPE 3912 members are invited. We need everyone to show up so we can make ourselves heard LOUD and CLEAR!

Invite your students, professors, friends, and members of the arts community. A strong show of support for the union puts pressure on NSCAD to make a deal quickly.

For Immediate Release February 20, 2026 Dalhousie’s Part-Time Architecture Faculty Join CUPE 3912 

HALIFAX, NS —Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3912 is pleased to  announce that part-time faculty in the Architecture Department at Dalhousie University  (Dal) are officially members of our Local as of January 14, 2026, retroactive to  November 2025. 

Architecture was one of only four departments at Dalhousie previously exempted from  the part-time faculty collective agreement. With this change, only part-time faculty in  Computer Science, Engineering, and Law remain outside the bargaining unit. 

This move brings part-time Architecture faculty working conditions into alignment with  standards at architecture programs across Canada. Instructors will now enjoy improved  compensation, a standard hiring practice, and have their seniority recognized. 

CUPE 3912 members voted to welcome the group into the Local in November 2025. An  amendment of certification was subsequently filed with the Nova Scotia Labour Relations Board and was unopposed by Dalhousie University. The Board ruled to  include the Architecture part-time faculty in CUPE 3912 several months earlier than  expected. 

Motivated by the uncertainty created by the Dalhousie Faculty Association lockout last  fall, the Architecture part-time academics completed their organizing campaign within a  single academic term. 

CUPE Local 3912 represents approximately 300 part-time faculty at Dalhousie  University. Larissa Atkison, Dal VP for part-time Academics with CUPE 3912, welcomed  the decision. “Our unit is thrilled to welcome Architecture part-time academics into the  Local and looks forward to ensuring they receive the same protections and support as  other part-time academic members on campus,” said Atkison. 

CUPE 3912’s most recent collective agreement was bargained in October 2025. 

For more information, please contact: 

Lauren McKenzie
President, CUPE 3912
president@cupe3912.ca 

Mary-Dan Johnston
CUPE Atlantic Communications Representative
mjohnston@cupe.ca

Welcome current and new members! If you are new, you can head to our website here to read our FAQs, see events happening on our calendar here, and read this article about collective bargaining updated in August. Dalhousie, MSVU, and SMU PT Faculty, and SMU TAs negotiated a CA in Fall 2025. Please reach out to your VPs if you have concerns or questions. An update about NSCAD will be below.

Keep reading for more information!

Save the Date: AGM on March 23

CUPE 3912 is holding its Annual General Membership Meeting (AGM) on Monday March 23, 2025 at 6:30PM. Elections of officers and committees will take place. More information will be communicated about this soon!

NSCAD Conciliation Update

The bargaining committee and employer met with an appointed conciliator for 8 hours on February 9th, and again on February 10th until late in the evening. During this time, we were able to come to an agreement on most of the items in our proposed collective agreement. However, there remain some key outstanding items on which no agreement was possible. Due to the remaining gulf between the union’s position and that of the employer, Conciliation has ended in an impasse.

NSCAD workers are asking for a fair and equitable hiring procedure and meaningful job security protections — basic standards the union says are necessary in a first contract. Read more in a recent CUPE brief, in this news article, or head to the bargaining page to learn more.

A final meeting has been scheduled for March 3rd in which the union and the employer will make one final attempt to make a deal. If no deal is reached, we will be in a legal strike position.

Call on the President and Senior Management at NSCAD and implore them to reach a fair deal at the last conciliation session on March 3rd!

Call for Testimonials: Impact of Program Cuts

Across our union, positions are being cut impacting our members. We are interested in what these cuts are looking like and how they have impacted members. Please fill out this form if you would like to share your experience with cuts in your department and how that is impacting your career/life.

Responses will be kept anonymous unless you consent in this form. For example, it would say “testimony from a PT Faculty member at SMU”. I am hoping to collate responses into a blog post for the website.

If you are interested, please fill out this Google form linked below by March 1st.

February is African Heritage Month

Every February across Canada and in Nova Scotia Black and African Nova Scotian’s are honoured and celebrated, recognizing that this should be done year round. The 2026 theme for African Heritage Month in Nova Scotia is: “Strength in Unity – Moving Forward with Purpose, Prosperity, Power and Progress.” I encourage you to attend events being hosted at your institution if possible or in the community. You can find a calendar of community events here: https://bccns.com/events/

“Every year CUPE honours a Black ancestor, or someone who is making history today. This year we’re honouring Carol Wall.

Carol Wall was a fearless Black feminist and union leader. She dedicated her life to dismantling barriers, confronting inequality, and inspiring people to engage in courageous, transformative conversations.”

MSVU Unit Meetings and Social

Unit meeting on Thursday, February 26, 2026 from 4pm to 5:15pm

• Following on a request made at the unit meeting in November, this special unit meeting will be to discuss cutbacks at the post secondary level and impact on part time faculty and on students. Please feel free to send examples you would like to discuss to either Katerina or Greg.

Halfway through term, almost Springtime! Social event-Thursday, February 26, 2026 @5:15pm

• After the special unit meeting let’s get together at the Rook to relax, chat and unwind. More detail on offerings will be sent out closer to the event.

Unit meeting on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 from 6pm to 7:30pm

• As required in the by-laws, this meeting will consist of elections to the role of CUPE3912 Vice-President, MSVU Part time Faculty and Steward, MSVU Part time Faculty for the 2026-2027 term.

MSVU and SMU PT Faculty Strike Photos

While the strike newsletters will stay on the website and some photos are shared, the local would like to have a member only accessible way to view photos on the website. If you took any photos or videos during the strike, please email our communications officer. A link and password will be shared once the photos have been received.

CUPE NS 2026 Award, Scholarship & Bursary Applications Open Now

“CUPE Nova Scotia is pleased to circulate the application forms for our 2026 awards, scholarships and bursaries, which can be found by clicking on the individual links below. Please make note of the deadlines for submitting applications, which are specified in the notes for each individual award.”

Find the applications at, novascotia.cupe.ca/2026/02/19/cupe-nova-scotias-2026-award-scholarship-bursary-applications/.

Winter 2026 Edition of the Instructor

Please send your story ideas, letters, articles, news, summaries, pictures and any relevant information for the Membership Spotlight to our communications officer by March 1st, 2026.

The bargaining committee and employer met with an appointed conciliator for 8 hours on February 9th, and again on February 10th until late in the evening. During this time, we were able to come to an agreement on most of the items in our proposed collective agreement. However, there remain some key outstanding items on which no agreement was possible. Due to the remaining gulf between the union’s position and that of the employer, Conciliation has ended in an impasse.

NSCAD workers are asking for a fair and equitable hiring procedure and meaningful job security protections — basic standards the union says are necessary in a first contract. Read more in a recent CUPE brief, in this news article, or head to the bargaining page to learn more.

“People are moving to Halifax from elsewhere in the country to work at NSCAD, only to find out they’re guaranteed work for just three months once they arrive,” said Lachlan Sheldrick, Unit Vice-President of CUPE 3912’s NSCAD component. “That’s hard on our members, and it’s not a reasonable expectation from the employer. As a newly organized group, we’re trying to establish clear, fair hiring rules that provide stability and recognize experience.”

A final meeting has been scheduled for March 3rd in which the union and the employer will make one final attempt to make a deal. If no deal is reached, we will be in a legal strike position.

Your colleagues and peers at CUPE local 3912 support the Nova Scotia Province Wide Student Strike to be held March 16 to the 21, 2026. We support Nova Scotia Student Strike in their fight for affordable tuition, divestment, and the right to strike. Above all, we support the call that our academic institutions must be shaped by those who receive and deliver those services.

Please know that you are not alone and we are all striving to improve our collective situation and shore up eroding rights for workers and students alike. Your victories are our victories, and we are honoured to support your goals and ambitions. We commend the bravery and unity as Nova Scotia Student Strike continue to organize and plan a week-long student strike.

Your colleagues and peers at CUPE local 3912 stand with you after being laid off by Ubisoft. It is abhorrent that Ubisoft workers were laid off after recently unionizing, and we stand with you in your fight for answers and proper compensation after being fired.

Please know that you are not alone. Across the Union and at all levels in the labour movement, we are striving to improve our collective situation and shore up eroding rights for workers. We support your members in the next steps and join you in demanding transparency and clarity from Ubisoft.

We invite you to participate in a free single-session Organizing for Power workshop scheduled for Wednesday the 4th of February (or the following morning in Asia-Pacific). This session will focus on “Structure Tests”, the escalatory campaign actions that are critical to you winning your most important campaigns. We will run this individual session twice, at our usual times for our global audience. It will last no more than two hours and will take place entirely in plenary.

We have exciting news from our November 25 unit meeting: our unit voted in favour of welcoming part-time academics from Architecture into our Local. They are now proceeding through the required formal processes with the employer and the Nova Scotia Labour Board, and we hope to welcome them as full members soon.

As part of the process, please see this notice to Dalhousie CUPE 3912 members: Form 10A Notice to Employees

We would like to thank the following Unions and organizations for their strong solidarity. Over 80 thousand dollars was generously contributed to our fight for improved working conditions for precarious academics.

Thanks to:

• Association of Academic Staff, University of Alberta
• Acadia University Faculty Association
• Association des professeurs, professeures, et bibliothécaires de l’Université Sainte-Anne
• Association of Professors of Bishop’s University
• Atlantic School of Theology Faculty Association
• British Columbia Institute of Technology Faculty Association
• Brandon University Faculty Association
• Brock University Faculty Association
• Canadian Military College Faculty Association
• Canadian Military College Faculty Association
• Cape Breton University Faculty Association
• Coalition of Faculty Associations at McGill
• Concordia University Faculty Association
• Carleton University Academic Staff Association
• CUPE 3904 Toronto Metropolitan University Contract Faculty
• CUPE 4163 University of Victoria Contract Faculty
• Dalhousie University Faculty Association
• Faculty Association of Western University
• Faculty Union of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University
• Grant MacEwan University Faculty Association
• Lakehead University Faculty Association:
• L’Association des bibliothécaires, professeures et professeurs de l’Université de Moncton
• McMaster University Academic Librarians’ Association
• Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association
• Mount Allison University Faculty Association
• Mount Royal Faculty Association
• Mount Saint Vincent University Faculty Association
• Nipissing University Faculty Association
• Queen’s University Faculty Association
• Saint Mary’s University Faculty Association
• St. Francis Xavier Association of University Teachers
• St. Mary’s University Faculty Association
• Syndicat des professeurs et professeures de l’Université de Montréal
• Syndicat des professeurs et professeures de l’Université de l’Ontario Français
• Syndicat des professeurs et professeures de l’Université Laval
• Toronto Metropolitan University Faculty Association
• Trent University Faculty Association
• Syndicat de l’Université de Montréal, Faculté des sciences infirmières
• University of Calgary Faculty Association
• University of Lethbridge Faculty Association
• University of Manitoba Faculty Association
• University of Northern British Columbia Faculty Association
• University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association
• University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association
• University of Toronto Faculty Association
• University of Waterloo Faculty Association
• University of Western Ontario Faculty Association
• University of Windsor Faculty Association
• Wilfred Laurier University Faculty Association

We are happy to announce that SMU and MSVU Part-Time Faculty members have ratified the both tentative agreements. Members ate 88.6% of members at SMU voted to accept the deal; 90.4% at MSVU. Members will return to work and classes will resume on Monday.

Thanks and congratulations to the negotiating and strike committees, volunteers. And, thanks to all you supported us during the strikes.