uOttawa professors to hold strike vote next week if deal not reached

Full-time professors and librarians at the University of Ottawa will be holding a strike vote if conciliation with the institution is unsuccessful.

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At a rally on Oct. 30, the Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa (APUO) announced the union would be holding a special meeting on Nov. 12 to trigger a strike vote.

The union represents approximately 1,300 full-time faculty, including professors, librarians, language teachers and special appointments professors.

Meanwhile, the union and the university will be starting conciliation on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"The Employer continues to refuse to negotiate seriously on our proposals seeking to remedy the deterioration in working and learning conditions," the APUO said in a news release on Wednesday.

Employees with the union have been without a contract since April, with bargaining starting in June.

Over 70 per cent of its members signed a petition last month asking the university to address issues surrounding increasing workload and governance.

The union is also seeking an across-the-board salary increase of 2.81 per cent for 2024-2025 and 2.84 per cent for 2025-2026.

If conciliation between the two sides fails, voting for a strike will take place between Nov. 12 and Nov. 14.

The University of Ottawa said in an email that it has met with the union in bargaining sessions over 20 times and has led to agreement on "a range of proposals."

"We are optimistic that the parties can reach a settlement through mediation and/or conciliation," the university said.