News

Part-time – 1 Year Renewable Contract

Application Deadline: September 4th 2026, 11:59 pm ADT

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3912 is seeking to fill the position of Webmaster for the duration of a one-year contract with the possibility of renewal. Following satisfactory completion of a 3-month probation period, the candidate may be eligible to renew the contract at the end of the year.

Pay Rate: $30.05/hr + 6% pay in lieu of vacation

Workload: Average 10 hrs/week (actual hours may vary from week to week)

Qualifications:

• Familiarity with union operations, structures, and activities
• Familiarity with the Post-Secondary sector
• Experience with Website Management
• Experience with Mailing List Management
• Experience with MailChimp, WordPress, SimplyVoting, and Action Network
• Experience with Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Products
• Knowledge of HTML an asset
• Knowledge of CUPE policies an asset
  

Primary responsibilities include:

• Managing the CUPE3912 website
• Posting contract announcements to website within 48 hours of receipt
• Managing CUPE3912 mailing lists
• Managing CUPE3912 email account settings
• Sending Notices and Communications to membership
• Providing technical support for membership meetings and elections
• Offering Technical assistance to Executive Officers on matters pertaining to the above
• Weekend and Evening availability is required

Apply by submitting a resume and short cover letter (one page) via email to office.cupe3912@gmail.com with the subject line “Webmaster Application” by September 4th to receive full consideration. Initial receipt of applications will be acknowledged within 48 hours.

This is an update you on the vote regarding whether the strike is ending. 63 people voted in total with the following breakdown: 

• Yes votes: 56 (89%)
• No votes: 7 (11%)

This means that members will return to work on Monday, March 23. We are finalizing the return to work agreement with NSCAD Administration this evening and will share more when it becomes available. 

Thank you to all members who showed up on the picket line in person and online making this a successful strike!

As you may have seen, NSCAD has submitted an application to the labour board requesting arbitration. Let’s be clear: This move from the employer is a sign that our strike is working! 

Despite claiming that we are “not essential to their business,” after only 4 days NSCAD is crying foul and looking for an off-ramp. They want the government to take over the process that they have refused to participate in. They are seeking to achieve through government action what they have been unable to get through bargaining. They want to break our union and for everyone to just sit down and return to work.

NSCAD’s decision to pursue arbitration is disappointing, but not surprising. Binding arbitration is a process by which both parties would allow the government to appoint a third-party arbitrator with the power to impose a legally binding contract. This process effectively circumvents the bargaining process, and the Union has been given 10 days to provide a response as to whether we accept arbitration or not.

The decision to seek arbitration after only 4 days means that our strike is having an effect. NSCAD is feeling the pressure, and now they want a way out without having to make a deal. That’s why it’s more important than ever that we all show up to the picket line and show NSCAD that the only way out is to come back to the bargaining table!

We know that our demands are reasonable: They are based on what is standard practice at other universities across Halifax. We have shown our willingness to compromise toward getting a fair deal, and we encourage NSCAD to come back to the table and to do the work of bargaining in good faith.

Until then, we will continue the strike!

In the meantime, you can email NSCAD Admin directly and tell them to come back to the table.

On Monday March 23, 2026 at 6:30 p.m., CUPE 3912 will be holding its Annual General Membership Meeting (AGM) in accordance with Bylaw Section 10(a)(b) and will happen in hybrid format. Virtual and in-person meeting details are below.

In person location: 

CLARI Room (Atrium 340) at SMU (923 Robie Street)

Zoom Information:

Check your email for the zoom information.

At this meeting, the following Executive and Officer positions will be up for election:

1. President
2. Recording Secretary
3. Secretary-Treasurer
4. Communications Officer
5. Membership Officer
6. Trustees

We will also be electing Committee members and CUPE 3912 Delegates:

• Communications Committee member (1 member per bargaining unit, see bylaws hereSection 17.(b).3.
• Bylaw Committee members (between three and six people, see bylaws hereSection 17(a).2.
• Halifax Dartmouth District Labour Council Delegate

According to Section 17 Committees, (a) Special Committees, “A special committee may be established for a specified purpose and a specified period of time by the membership at a meeting.” If you interested in reviving or starting a new committee, please email president@cupe3912.ca and recording.secretary@cupe3912.ca and it can be established through a motion at the AGM and subsequent elections can take place.

All members in good standing who have held at least one CUPE 3912 contract since Winter 2024 are eligible for nomination. These roles are described in the CUPE 3912 Bylaws, SECTION 9 – DUTIES OF OFFICERS.

Members interested in standing for election to any of these roles can contact Renee Danker, our Office Manager, at office@cupe3912.ca. Nominations are accepted in advance, as well as ‘from the floor’ during the meeting. Self-nominations are also permitted. All nominees will be asked if they accept their nomination.

Before running for office, please complete the Member in Good Standing application  and submit it to our Outreach Coordinator at outreach@cupe3912.ca.

Election voting will be online, using Survey Monkey, without paper ballots. If attending in person, please bring your laptop or phone.

We will also be approving previous meeting minutes. Check your email for the link and password.

The NSCAD unit is heading into week two of our strike. Please see below the picketing schedule for the week so you can join us. Picketing will be at Granville Mall (5163 Duke Street) all week. 

We ask that all supporters join us at our solidarity rally at 11:00 am on MARCH 10 at the Granville Mall (5163 Duke Street). Afterwards, we will be marching to Province House to join in protesting cuts to arts funding.

Attend our other solidarity rally on Friday March 13 11:00 am at the Granville Mall (5163 Duke Street). We need everyone to show up so we can continue to make ourselves impossible to ignore! Please invite your students, professors, friends, and members of the arts community. I look forward to seeing you there.

After the CUPE 3912 NSCAD bargaining team met for over 8 hours with NSCAD, the university decided to walk away from the bargaining table and break off negotiations. NSCAD’s bargaining team said they were no longer interested in responding to our demands for fair wages.

As a result: as of now, all ICAs, TAs, and RAs will be ON STRIKE.

We remind and ask that all supporters join the NSCAD solidarity rally happening tomorrow at 11:00 am on MARCH 4th at the Granville Mall to kick off the strike. Afterwards, we will be marching to Province House at noon to join in protesting provincial cuts to arts funding.

In the difficult times to come, it will be more important than ever that we show up for one another, and that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity. No matter how difficult things get, there is no power on earth that can stand against workers when we choose to stand together!

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