HÂþ»­

A message to students, faculty and staff from
Wanda M. Costen, PhD, Provost and Vice-President Academic

Friday, October 17, 2025

CUPE Local 3912, which represents part-time academics at HÂþ»­ along with Teaching Assistants (TAs), Markers, and Demonstrators, has filed notice of its members’ intention to strike as early as Tuesday, October 21 if an agreement is not reached at the bargaining table.

• Strike notice »å´Ç±ð²õÌýnot mean a strike is certain — negotiations are scheduled for Monday (October 20), and if successful, a strike will not happen. We remain hopeful an agreement can be reached that would prevent a strike.

• If a CUPE strike »å´Ç±ð²õÌýoccur, most university classes would continue. Only courses directly taught by CUPE members would be suspended. There may be impacts on course delivery, assessments, and/or labs and tutorials in courses supported by CUPE TAs, Markers or Demonstrators, but these courses will continue.

• If a strike occurs, students can expect to receive more information from their Faculty, program or instructors on how individual courses and programs would be affected. Please direct specific questions about this to your Faculty or department.

• All other employees (staff and faculty) would be required to continue work as usual in the event of a CUPE strike.

I know this update will be concerning to many, especially as our academic community is still navigating the impacts of the recent DFA labour disruption. CUPE Local 3912 members at our peer universities in Halifax are also on the verge of potential strike action, which means we could be looking at a possible labour disruption across multiple institutions.

That said, we remain hopeful an agreement can be reached on Monday. We recognize the vital role CUPE members play in the academic life of HÂþ»­. The negotiating team representing the Board is working hard to achieve a fair deal at the bargaining table that increases our support for CUPE members in alignment with both our financial realities and our agreements with other employee groups.

If a CUPE strike does occur, the Labour Relations website will host information on strike procedures and contingencies. You can review initial updates and information (including FAQs) here, and more information will be added should a strike become likely.

Sincerely,

Wanda M. Costen, PhD
Provost and Vice-President Academic