Updates

Lockout notice issued to DFA faculty for Wednesday, August 20

Monday, August 18, 2025

Colleagues

I’m writing to share that the University has filed a notice of intent to lock out members of the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 20 unless a tentative collective agreement is reached before then.

You can find more information about what a lockout would entail on the Labour Relations website.

In my letter on Monday, August 11, I asked DFA President David Westwood to bring the Board’s final offer forward to members for a vote to conclude by the end of last week. We requested this timeline because it is in the best interest of the University and our Dal community to not prolong the uncertainty about a potential labour disruption well into the start of the fall term. As of 9 a.m. today, we have not received word of a completed DFA vote.

We have been clear throughout bargaining that Dalhousie’s financial capacity to increase DFA faculty salaries is limited. The Board did what it could to find common ground on other matters, including dropping its proposals on the 90/10 rule. The union’s concerns about affordability and cost-of-living are real and are shared by Nova Scotians and Canadians across sectors. These are issues that affect Dal employees across all our unions and employee groups. The Board’s final proposal offers what the University can to increase support for DFA faculty while, at the same time, protecting core academic activity and minimizing further significant layoffs in the years ahead.

The sector-wide challenges we face are substantial and pressing. We have been consistent in communicating about the University’s financial situation. You have received our regular budget updates outlining the need to find $75M in cost savings over the next three years. Many of you joined the community conversations that Wanda, Gitta, and I hosted with other senior leaders in Faculties and Units over the winter term. Some of you would also have been present at Senate meetings where Dalhousie’s financial position and budget considerations were reviewed and discussed. Our budget documents are publicly available online.

There are aspects of Dalhousie’s budgets over which we can disagree, and I understand why some might remain skeptical about the severity of financial constraint we face as an institution. But the financial challenges Dalhousie faces are real. The reality of this situation has been felt most acutely by colleagues who have been laid off or whose contracts have not been renewed. Even if the Board’s current financial offer to the DFA were accepted, difficult choices are ahead for Faculties and Units as they work to contain costs to reflect how Dalhousie’s revenue reality has changed.

The uncertainty created by the DFA leadership’s timeline and process for responding to the offer puts the University in an impossible situation. Dalhousie does not have the financial capacity to meet the DFA bargaining team’s salary demands. DFA leadership is pushing the timeline into September, which increases the risk to the fall term. If a labour disruption is inevitable, then it’s in Dalhousie University’s best interest to move to that stage now instead of delaying until after the new academic year begins, when the consequences for students would be much more severe.

There is still time to avoid a lockout, and I remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement. There will be further communication over the next 48 hours about contingencies and procedures should an agreement not be reached by Wednesday morning. You can also find answers to many of your questions on the Labour Relations website.

I know this is not an email anyone wants to receive, let alone at this time of the year. I wish there were better options available. If disruption is unavoidable, it is better to face it now than in the middle of the fall semester.

Kim

Kim Brooks (she/her)
President and Vice-Chancellor
Dalhousie University
president@dal.ca