Possibility of teachers strike distant, but real

Negotiations between Concordia and its full-time faculty will resume this month, after breaking for the holidays.
In late November the Council of Directors of the Concordia University Faculty Association, which represents full-time professors and librarians, voted unanimously to ask its membership for a strike mandate. But union president Charles Draimin said a vote on the strike vote, which would require a general meeting of the union, has not yet been scheduled.
Both sides said they still hope the negotiations will be successful and a potential strike will be averted. “I’m hopeful the situation will be resolved, but you never know what’s going to happen,” said Draimin.
According to university spokesperson Chris Mota, Concordia doesn’t yet have a plan to deal with the event of a strike, but is instead focusing on reaching a deal at the bargaining table. “The university has made a commitment to its students that we will do anything and everything legally possible to make sure students don’t suffer,” she said.
But she also said no concrete plans had been made. “There’s still faith in negotiations and that’s where all the energies are being invested right now,” said Mota.
Concordia’s full-time faculty has been without a contract for over two years. At issue are salaries, with the union asking for wage parity with faculty at other Canadian universities. According to the association, faculty at similar universities make, on average, 13 per cent more than at Concordia. They are also looking for indexed cost-of-living increases to be included in the new contract.
Full-time professors and lecturers currently make between $48,037 and $125,677, depending on rank and seniority, while librarians make between $44,194 and $108,205.