Cape Breton University faculty members walk off the job over wages
For the first time in more than two decades, there are picket lines in front of Cape Breton University in Sydney, N.S.
Members of the Cape Breton University Faculty Association walked off the job Friday morning, citing wages as the reason for the strike.
Faculty have been offered an eight per cent increase over three years, but are looking for 14 per cent over two years.
“I’m disappointed,” said faculty member Scott Moir. “I think this could have been done a long time ago. I feel sorry for our students who are put in this position, and there are solutions that are within reach.”
Most classes were cancelled at CBU Friday, though some did go ahead with staff represented by a different union.
“It’s actually a hard time for us,” said student Jeril Joseph Philip. “All of my classes are cancelled.”
“I would like to learn and I don’t know how long this will take,” said student Adriana Navarro.
The Alumni Association is also concerned, saying students that are focused on their studies don't need the increased stress and uncertainty of a strike.
“It's going to have a significant impact on their potential studies. If you don't have access to your professors, or if you can't ask questions about your courses, we might see some educational outcomes impacted,” said CBU Alumni Association President Brandon Ellis.
“Our faculty do so many great things, so I hope they're treated fairly, but I don't want to see tuition or fees increase for the students.”
“We are just pressing both sides to come together to reach an agreement,” said CBU Student Union President Damanpreet Singh.
Meanwhile, the university says its best offer is on the table.
“Everything comes down, at this point, to money -- that's the only thing left on the table. And I think that that's probably something that can be resolved,” said Rod Nicholls, a member of the university’s bargaining team.
“If it was a complicated, tricky issue then you might have to have a few weeks, but this is money.”
The last time there was a faculty strike at CBU was in 2000. It was a long dispute that lasted through much of the winter semester.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.