Students Frequently Asked Questions

The Association of Teaching Professors of the University of Ottawa (ATPUO) is the union that has represented contract faculty at the University of Ottawa for 40 years. More than 2,500 lawyers, engineers, historians, sociologists, mathematicians, professional musicians, healthcare workers, and other experts teach one course or more each year. Together, these teaching professors teach the majority of courses at the University of Ottawa.

That used to be us, but we recently changed our title to better reflect the current reality of our members.
In the past, most of our members worked “part-time” at the University of Ottawa while holding another position outside the university in their field of expertise. While some professionals continue to teach at the University of Ottawa alongside their main career, for a large number of our members their teaching is indeed their main career.

The title “teaching professor” indicates that, unlike APUO professors whose primary role is discovery-based research and obtaining research grants for the University, our responsibilities are mainly focused on teaching courses, pedagogical research and, in some cases, supervising internships.

A strike mandate does not automatically trigger a strike. It is simply a bargaining tool used by a group of workers to strengthen their position during contract negotiations in order to come to an agreement.

The Association that represents your teaching professors is currently negotiating the renewal of their collective bargaining agreement. A collective bargaining agreement is an agreement between an employer and a group of workers that governs all aspects of their working conditions. This agreement must be renegotiated regularly to better reflect the reality and interests of both parties. That is what we are currently trying to do.

As part of these negotiations, we have presented proposals to improve the quality of education. Our demands include, for example, smaller class sizes so that we can be more available to our students; mechanisms that allow us to plan in advance which courses we will teach in upcoming semesters; workspaces on campus where we can meet with you between classes; and resources that enable us to continue our research so that we can remain experts in our respective fields.

Our demands are entirely realistic given the university’s excellent financial health and rising enrollment. Although we have explained in detail the benefits of our demands for the student body, the university has rejected every request without a counter-offer that advances negotiations. Worse, the proposals submitted to us by the university’s negotiating team involve significant setbacks that demonstrate that they are devaluing our contributions rather than recognizing and respecting us as professionals, and you as students.

When an employer fails to cooperate, a union may ask its members to grant a strike mandate. That is what we have done.

A strike mandate does not trigger a strike, but it provides the union with bargaining leverage. It demonstrates to the employer that members are united behind their bargaining team and that they are prepared to consider a work stoppage if necessary.

In short, the ATPUO wants to force the university to negotiate. Your professors want to reach an agreement as quickly as possible, and sometimes a strong strike mandate makes it possible to achieve this goal and avoid a labour dispute.

The outcome of these negotiations will have a direct impact on your learning conditions in most of your courses. If the teaching faculty get what they’re asking for, the results could significantly enrich your experience at the university. The working conditions that teaching faculty are asking for are simply those that allow them to provide students with the quality of education they have a right to expect.

On the other hand, if faculty members are forced to make concessions, you will see your learning conditions deteriorate, and your degree will lose value in the job market. The entire community loses out if we do not prioritize the transmission of knowledge and the development of your skills.

Our demands concern several aspects of labour relations and our teaching conditions, but all of these aspects stem from a single goal: to return the university’s focus to its main objective: the quality of education.

In recent years, several challenges have emerged or worsened. For example, as administration costs have inflated, and the APUO’s negotiations have taken priority, class sizes taught by ATPUO professors tend to be increasing, creating an environment that is not conducive to learning. That is why we are demanding enrollment caps and the option to have a teaching assistant in large classes.

The university wants the ability to change, cancel, or combine programs for reasons that are not pedagogical without consulting those most affected—namely, the student body and their instructors. We want to be part of the bodies that make these decisions, and we believe that you, the students, should also be part of them. Decisions should be transparent, with the quality of education always underlining the motivation. Without transparency, and without demand for the participation of professors and students, the administrative engine loses sight of the pedagogical realities that shape our classes, and your degrees.

Your teaching professors have also been asked to accept many years of underpayment in service to the university’s reportedly poor financial situation. The same is not true of the APUO professors or the CUPE 2626 union that governs teaching assistants (TAs). Over the years, lack of pay increases, even to meet basic inflation and cost of living increases, means that our financial situation collectively has deteriorated, and many of us simply cannot make ends meet. This means many ATPUO professors are carrying one or more additional jobs, when their course load at the university is already more than full-time professors teach. This means less time for preparation, marking, office hours, and overall attention to the quality of your coursesThe university has announced a budget surplus of over 15 million dollars, and enrollment is at record highs. It’s time that the ATPUO professors insist on equal pay for equal work. Instead, the university has chosen to allow the number of positions in high administration to continue to rise while seeking to cut costs by cancelling courses and refusing to discuss the adjustment of teaching professors’ salaries. This is bad faith negotiation and the exploitation of both professors and students who are paying tuition for a degree they expect to be high quality.

Improving working conditions for one group of university workers can set an example and help ensure that all worker and student associations are better recognized and more respected.

After several months of negotiations, we have not reached an agreement on the most important issues. A strike, while never our first choice, is a way to demonstrate the importance of our work. A lockout, on the other hand, would be a decision made by the employer. In both cases, the goal remains to apply pressure to decision-makers at the university in order to reach a fair agreement.

ATPUO members understand that a strike or lockout would disrupt students’ studies, but we feel that the deteriorating conditions in the classroom pose an even greater threat. A labour dispute can sometimes become the only way to secure fair working and learning conditions that protect the quality of education.

ATPUO has put forward numerous constructive proposals which would have no cost to the employer. If no progress is made in this round of negotiations, the negative medium- and long-term consequences for teaching professors and the entire university community will be far more significant than the temporary inconveniences of a labour dispute.

A strike is a means of pressure used by workers to defend their interests. It can involve significant sacrifices for these workers: walking on picket lines, braving the elements, reduced pay for the period of the strike, among other things. That is why workers strike only when there is no other way to reach a fair agreement.
A lockout, or workplace closure, is a work stoppage initiated by the employer to pressure a union into accepting its terms. It can be described as a strike on the employer’s side. The goal is to exert financial pressure on the union and its members to force them to give in.

Finally, a labour dispute, in this context, refers to this collective challenge to working conditions leading to a work stoppage, whether initiated by the workers or by the employer.

Absolutely. The university is currently in excellent financial health, and enrollment is on the rise. In its latest budget, the university expects a surplus of 15.6 million dollars.

Most of the issues at the heart of the negotiations are related to working conditions that do not concern financial matters and could be easily met by good-faith negotiations. They involve proposals related to hiring processes, workload, representation on the university’s decision-making bodies, access to resources, and the ability to provide a quality education to students.

Even if faculty members were to receive the full salary adjustment they are requesting, which is indeed an adjustment rather than a raise, there is no reason that this would lead to an increase in students’ tuition fees.

During a strike or lockout:

• Courses taught by faculty members are cancelled
• No grading or feedback is provided
• Academic support is suspended
• No research or internship supervision is carried out

You will not be able to contact your professors during a strike or lockout, unless you visit them at the picket line.

University operations will be partially suspended in the event of a labour dispute (a strike or lockout). If such a situation arises, employees and students should expect to see picket lines and information booths on campus or in the surrounding area. Courses taught by teaching professors will be cancelled. Courses taught by APUO professors may also be affected, depending on the decision of the University of Ottawa and/or other labour unions.

If your internship supervisor is a teaching professor, your internship activities would not take place during a labour dispute.

Professors who teach online, or through distance learning are also union members and will not teach, nor be available for academic advising or grading during a strike or lockout.

No. During a labour dispute, faculty members may not provide instruction, academic advising, or grading, regardless of location or format. Moving a course off campus would also raise legal issues related to safety, liability, and accessibility.

In the event of a labour dispute, your professors will lose access to their institutional email accounts and to their courses’ Brightspace pages. You can visit them at the picket lines to discuss any issues related to the strike. They’ll be more than happy to talk with you.

Strikers will not prevent students from crossing picket lines if they need to attend activities that are not affected by the strike. Picket lines are maintained with respect for the community.

You can show your support at any time and join your professors at the picket lines.

Postsecondary students have never lost credits due to a labour dispute in the history of Ontario. Unions and universities have always agreed on a return-to-work protocol that minimizes negative consequences for students.

The average duration of recent strikes has been 19 days, and many are much shorter. A strike can be averted with strong support from students and the community.

Since a labour dispute is beyond your control, it will not affect your status as a study permit holder. Furthermore, the Government of Canada assures you that:

• you will not face penalties or enforcement actions if your studies were interrupted during the strike;
• you will be able to work off campus for up to 24 hours per week if your study permit allows it (and work full-time during scheduled school breaks, such as winter break or reading week);
• you remain eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, if applicable.

You will need to ensure that your student status in Canada remains valid when you return to class at the end of the labour dispute. If you need to apply to extend your study permit during the strike, include with your application a letter from the Registrar of the University of Ottawa confirming that the strike prevented you from attending your classes to continue your studies.

Students have considerable power to help the ATPUO secure a fair agreement. First, you can visit our website or follow us on social media to stay informed about the progress of our negotiations or, if necessary, the pressure tactics we may need to undertake to move the university back to the bargaining table.

You may also be asked to participate in a letter-writing campaign to express your support for the actions the bargaining committee is taking on behalf of your learning conditions.

In the event of a labour dispute, students are encouraged to join us on the picket lines.