Unionized part-time faculty ratify agreements with SMU, MSVU

Nova ScotiaPart-time faculty at Saint Mary’s University and Mount Saint Vincent University are back at work after being on strike for more than three weeks.Union says workers ‘achieved key gains’ on priority issues, job security and compensationAnjuli Patil · CBC News · Posted: Nov 19, 2025 1:30 PM EST | Last Updated: 8 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 1 minuteThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Part-time faculty at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax are shown on the picket line on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Brian MacKay/CBC)Part-time faculty at Saint Mary’s University and Mount Saint Vincent University are back on the job after being on strike for more than three weeks.A news release Wednesday from CUPE Local 3912, which represents part-time faculty at the two Halifax universities, said both groups returned to work Monday after voting to ratify tentative agreements reached last week.The union said workers “achieved key gains addressing workers’ priority issues, job security and compensation.””Prior to this deal, part-time faculty at MSVU and SMU were among the lowest paid across Canada. Workers also won improvements to contract timelines and evaluations processes,” the release said.Part-time academic staff at Mount Saint Vincent went on strike on Oct. 22 and those at Saint Mary’s followed suit the next day. Both groups had been without a contract since last year.CUPE 3912 represents 5,000 academic workers, including part-time faculty, teaching assistants and independent course appointees at Mount Saint Vincent, Saint Mary’s, Dalhousie University and NSCAD University.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORAnjuli Patil is a reporter with CBC Nova Scotia’s digital team.