News

SMU Senate By-law now includes Part-time Faculty!

After years of perseverance by Karen Harper and other CUPE 3912 members (like Philip Bennett a few years ago, and Isabel Fearon and Erica Fischer more recently), the SMU Senate bylaws have finally been amended to allow Part-Time Faculty to run and vote for a seat on the Senate. 

Read more here!

CUPE NS 2025 Convention

Convention was held last week on Sunday May 25 to Wednesday May 28. Thank you to all 12 delegates who helped campaign for Christine, shared many great conversations, and spoke in support of resolutions! We would like to thank Lachlan Sheldrick, VP NSCAD, and Karen McDonald for attending in place of two other members who had other pressing commitments.  

Elections

Congratulations to Alan Linkletter, previously VP and from 8920, was elected as CUPE NS President. While we had hoped Christine would be elected, we are renewed and excited about the conversations we helped ignite and the connections we started building. Special shout out to Océanne Tardif and Ameilya Power from 4291 Adsum House, Jackie Rodler and Margot Nickerson from 4745, Sharon Hubley from 1867 and Kristin Welbourne from 5047 for joining us and making such a great campaign team!

Christine shares, “This campaign was about raising voices, building connections, and showing what bold, inclusive leadership can look like. I’m so proud of the team, the conversations, and other solidarity we sparked.”

Front (left to right): Jackie Rodler, Océanne Tardif, Lachlan Sheldrick, Ameilya Power, Christine Saulnier, Sophie J. Boardman, and Erica Fischer. 

Back (Left to right): Alec Stratford, Julie Quin, Rena Alexander, Karen McDonald, Aiden Farrant, Lauren McKenize, Larissa Atkison, Wens Amezcua, and Margot Nickerson. 

Congratulations to the folks elected to the following positions:

• Lauren McKenize, President, was elected as Alternate for Central VP
• Erica Fischer, VP PT SMU, new member of the Political Action Committee
• Larissa Atkison, VP PT Dal, new member of the Education Committee
• Sophie J. Boardman, Communications Officer, young worker member of the Global Justice Committee

The two resolutions we submitted passed with unanimous support from convention delegates. We are hopeful that CUPE NS will follow through with the support in the post-secondary sector and the Justice for Workers Campaign! Thank you to our delegates who spoke on the floor in support of these resolutions, and to Lachlan, Alec, Rena, and Océanne who spoke in solidarity and support of other resolutions presented!

Rally to Support the Home Care Sector

On Tuesday May 27 we all attended a rally in front of Sydney’s City Hall to support Home Care Workers. We were happy to stand in solidarity with these workers as they have been bargaining and without a contract for four years!

Samantha Williams, VP SMU TAs, Receives the Sean Foley CUPE NS Health and Safety Award!

We are so proud of Sam for being nominated and awarded for her contributions for the SMU TAs fighting for accessibility and safety for all her members. Aiden Farrant (pictured and photo taken from CUPE NS), Recording Secretary, received the award on her behalf as he was one of the members who nominated Sam.

We also pledged to support the CUPE NS Solidarity Assistance Fund by contributing  $500. All locals at the convention raised $14,500! We recognize how lucky we are to have been able to send 12 delegates and we hope our contribution will support smaller locals attending the convention next year!

Other News and Reminders

• allNovaScotia covers SMU in an article titled “Part-Time Faculty Win Say In SMU Senate”. In the article it states, McKenzie says it’s a big victory for SMU academic workers, particularly after recent cuts to course offerings impacted their jobs. 
• Apply for the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour Bursaries. The NSFL offers six $1,000 bursaries to full-time students entering or returning to post-secondary studies. Applications must be received by the Federation office by Friday, July 4, 2025. Head to their website to fill out an application here.

Please send your story ideas, letters, articles, news, summaries, pictures and any relevant information for the Membership Spotlight to Sophie, Communications Officer, by July 1st, 2025

After years of perseverance by Karen Harper and other CUPE 3912 members (like Philip Bennett a few years ago, and Isabel Fearon and Erica Fischer more recently), the SMU Senate bylaws have finally been amended to allow Part-Time Faculty to run and vote for a seat on Senate.

We would like to thank CAUT for their support as well as Jason Grek-Martin (Senate Chair), Roby Austin (Chair of the Senate Bylaws Committee), Lucie Kocum and other members of the Senate Bylaws Committee for their work on these amendments. Having all members of the university represented on Senate is important to provide all perspectives in academic governance, particularly at a time when we need to work together to address issues raised by Bill 12.

We are waiting for the bylaws to be updated and published to be able to provide more details. We are also working to provide more information about academic governance to interested members. In the meantime, we can tell you that PT Faculty members who have taught at least ten courses (5 FCEs) and have taught at SMU in the last two academic years, are now eligible to vote and run for a seat on Senate. There’s currently a by-election to fill a vacancy. Nominations are closed, unfortunately, but voting is still open. If you are eligible you will be receiving a ballot from Shannon Morrison, the Secretary to Senate to vote.

We’re so excited to share that current CUPE NS President has endorsed our very own Christine Saulnier for President! Nan says, “I have known Christine for 10 years as an activist and an advocate for workers in Nova Scotia. You will find her at union and community events because at her core she is invested in workers. Christine has experience running an organization and has the political knowledge needed to hit the ground running. It is my pleasure to endorse Christine Saulnier CUPE 3912 for CUPE NS President.”

SMU Faculty Union and CUPE 3912 Present: A Reading of the Grant Agreement (Bilateral Agreement) between the  Province of Nova Scotia and Saint Mary’s University. Join us in CLARI room (Atrium 340) or online over Zoom on Wednesday May 14 from 10 AM to 12 PM. Check your email for the zoom link or contact Erica at vp.smu@cupe3912.ca.

After the reading, there will be an open forum for questions and discussion in the spirit of teaching and learning together. We jointly bring this to you as an opportunity for transparency, disclosure, and collegial engagement.

Keith Morrison

New Democratic Party of Canada

keithmorrison.ndp.ca

Keith Morrison shares:

Thank you for your leadership and advocacy on behalf of more than 5,000 academic workers in Halifax and across Nova Scotia. You play a vital role not only in defending fair employment for teaching staff, assistants, and researchers — but in ensuring quality education for thousands of students who rely on your work every day.

As the NDP candidate for Dartmouth–Cole Harbour, I want you to know that I share your concerns — and your commitment to building a post-secondary education system that is affordable, accessible, publicly funded, and fair to those who work within it.

1. What’s your number one priority for post-secondary education?

Our top priority is making post-secondary education tuition-free for all — and supporting the institutions and workers who make that education possible.

The NDP believes education is a public good, not a private commodity. No one should be denied access to university or college because of cost, and no educator should be forced into precarious, underpaid work to make that education possible.

2. Do you have a plan to make post-secondary education more affordable?

Yes. The NDP is committed to:

• Eliminating interest on federal student loans (we’ve already made progress, but we won’t stop there)
• Converting student loans into non-repayable grants for low- and middle-income students
• Investing in tuition reduction programs with provinces and territories to move toward fully public, tuition-free post-secondary education
• Increasing direct federal support to post-secondary institutions through the Canada Social Transfer, tied to clear conditions around affordability, accessibility, and labor standards

We also support programs that reduce non-tuition costs — such as public transit, housing, and mental health services — to make education more sustainable for students.

3. Do you think post-secondary education should be affordable for everyone?

Absolutely. We believe education should be a right, not a debt sentence. The average $25,000 in student debt is a barrier to opportunity — and a drag on the economy. We must build a system that lifts students up, not burdens them for decades.

4. What’s your position on student loans?

The NDP has long called for the elimination of student debt and a move toward publicly funded, grant-based education. While we’ve pushed for interest-free loans, our ultimate goal is to make student loans unnecessary through robust public funding.

5. What’s your plan to ensure Canadian students can access opportunities in post-secondary education?

We’ll ensure access by:

• Expanding non-repayable grants and removing financial barriers
• Investing in supports for underrepresented students — including Indigenous, racialized, and low-income students
• Working with provinces to increase base funding to institutions, reduce tuition, and reverse the corporatization of campuses

6. Are you concerned about course cuts and layoffs at Dalhousie and SMU?

Yes. Course cuts, hiring freezes, and layoffs hurt students and workers alike. They reflect a funding crisis in post-secondary education that must be addressed.

The NDP supports increased, stable, and predictable federal transfers to post-secondary institutions, tied to conditions that protect public oversight, good jobs, and educational access. We also support federal frameworks that encourage provinces to reinvest in education — not download costs onto students and staff.

7. Do you see a role for the federal government in funding post-secondary education?

Absolutely. While education is a provincial jurisdiction, the federal government already plays a major role — and it should play a stronger one.

We propose:

• Boosting the Canada Social Transfer with strings attached to ensure funding goes to education — not general revenue
• Investing in research, student supports, and campus infrastructure as part of a green and inclusive recovery
• Creating national standards for post-secondary education, including fair labor practices and affordability benchmarks

You have my commitment to be a strong voice in Ottawa for students, staff, and faculty across Nova Scotia. Together, we can build a future where no one is left behind — in the classroom or on the job.

Hailie Tattrie, a member at SMU, wrote an Op Ed for Spring magazine on the cuts at SMU. Read it here: https://springmag.ca/stop-the-cuts-at-saint-marys-university

We are holding information pickets on campus about the course cuts at SMU tomorrow: Tuesday 22 April from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM and from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM. 

The picket will involve handing out flyers around the more common spaces on campus that see higher student traffic during the exam period: Atrium, Loyola, and Homburg.

Please consider joining this action! We are stronger collectively.

Meeting place: outside Loyola 170.

Email Neil to let us know you are attending.

CUPE 3912 is in the news! Thanks to our SMU VP Part-time Faculty, Erica Fischer, for her work in notifying members of the upcoming course cuts at SMU. Around 80 courses have been cut in the departments of English, religion, history, and languages and cultures and will severely impact our members! See Erica’s poster below. You can read the full article here.

You can watch the accompanying video here.

CUPE 3912 is in the news! Thanks to our SMU VP Part-time Faculty, Erica Fischer, for her work in notifying members of the upcoming course cuts at SMU. Around 80 courses have been cut in the departments of English, religion, history, and languages and cultures and will severely impact our members! See the second slide for Erica’s great poster! You can read the full article here.

You can also see the accompanying video here.