Part-time professors at the University of Ottawa could be walking off the job in just over one week's time.
Professors voted 92 per cent in favour of invoking a strike mandate.
Shawn Philip Hunsdale, the Communications Director for the Association of Part-Time Professors University of Ottawa (APTPUO), says professors would rather be in the classroom but are ready to begin a full blown strike. :
"We would ideally be in the classrooms teaching students, but the university has stalled bargaining and we want to make sure they get back to the table," said Philip Hunsdale.
APTPUO, which represents more than 700 part-time professors, has been without a contract for 14 months. Two days of mediation have been scheduled for next week, with two more days reserved as a last case scenario. If a deal is not reached by week's end professors will begin job action as of midnight on October 30th.
"Part-time professors don't know what they are going to be teaching often until the week before classes start," he said. "Unpaid labour is also a significant issue for professors as well."
Students say they are hopeful a deal can be reached but are concerned their classes will be negatively impacted.
In an email to all students, the university said it is dedicated to working on a deal that both sides will agree to.
"To ensure that you are not penalized by the possibility of a strike, we are committed to openness and to make every effort to conclude an agreement before the deadline," the email read.
This news comes as students at 24 Ontario colleges, including Algonquin College and La Cite Collegiale prepare for their second week of faculty strikes. The two sides in that case appear to have stopped talking.
