Dear Students and Colleagues,
I am writing to provide an update on the first contract process with CUPE 3912. Upholding service to our students is our first and foremost priority. A lengthy strike would have a negative impact on students and their semester, and graduation would be compromised.
To mitigate that risk as much as possible, today NSCAD applied to the Labour Board to direct the settlement of the contract through additional conciliation or arbitration.
The Labour Board responded to NSCAD and CUPE indicating that the parties have 10 days from today to notify the Board that they agree to proceed to conclude the first collective agreement through arbitration, and to provide the name of an agreed upon arbitrator.
NSCAD implores CUPE to quickly end its strike without waiting until the 10-day deadline for responding to the Board’s request. This will allow students to preserve their semester and end the interruption and disruption of classes still underway at our campuses. It will also allow CUPE members to return to work while waiting for arbitration.
If CUPE does not agree to end its strike now, they will be ordered back to work by function of the Trade Union Act once the Labour Board issues their decision about arbitration at the end of the 10-day period, preventing our students from getting back to class now.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Lewis
Director, Human Resources
Dear Colleagues and Students,
We are writing to provide you with an update on the progress of negotiations for a new (first time) collective agreement between NSCAD University and CUPE Local 3912 representing Teaching Assistants (TA), Research Assistants (RA) and Individual Course Appointees (ICA).
On Friday, CUPE filed a 48-hour notice to strike with NS Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration if a deal was not reached through conciliation on March 3. That did not happen today. The significant difference between CUPE’s wage demands and what NSCAD can reasonably offer remains unresolved. As a result, the union will be in a strike position as of midnight tonight.
This means that NSCAD will be facing a work stoppage for the part-time work carried out by ICAs, TAs and RAs. We understand that this work stoppage will cause some concern and disruption, and some may have questions about the impact of the strike. We have compiled a detailed list of FAQs (this page) for students, staff and faculty which will be updated regularly as needed.
Negotiation is about give and take. NSCAD is ready and willing to continue negotiations with CUPE to resolve the remaining issues. We will share more information on the negotiations and the operational impacts of the strike as they become available.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Lewis (she/her)
Director, Human Resources
Dear Colleagues and Students,
We are writing to provide you with an update on the progress of negotiations for a new (first time) collective agreement between NSCAD University and CUPE Local 3912 representing Teaching Assistants (TA), Research Assistants (RA) and Individual Course Appointees (ICA).
Our bargaining team has been committed to negotiating an agreement that is fair to our employees and supports the long-term sustainability and success of NSCAD.
Status of negotiations:
Next steps:
We are hopeful that on that date, CUPE will be willing to negotiate on wages.
Should a strike occur, NSCAD will provide you with information right away and will make every effort to ensure minimal disruption to the learning environment.
Where to find information:
To find accurate, timely, and factual updates, a detailed FAQ is posted on Labour Relations – NSCAD (this page) which is the official source of information from NSCAD University.
If you have questions about the bargaining process, please direct them to me, your manager/direct supervisor, or the Dean, Academic. CUPE members may direct questions specific to the proposal to their elected bargaining representatives.
We remain focused on delivering NSCAD services and upholding our commitment to students.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Lewis (she/her)
Director, Human Resources
Have a question we haven’t answered here? Please send it to humanresources@nscad.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions
CUPE Local 3912 represents Teaching Assistants (TA), Research Assistants (RA) and our Individual Course Assignment Instructors (ICA).
In winter 2026:
ICA – 27 employees
RA – 22 employees
TA – 22 employees
NSCAD’s Regular Part Time Faculty fall under the FUNSCAD Unit I collective agreements.
Teaching Assistantships are paid work experience opportunities for students to gain hands-on learning in the classroom as part of their MFA studies. TAs may assist with tutorials, demonstrations, marking assignments, critiques, or presentations. TAs are not responsible for course design, overall delivery, or final evaluation of students. Instructors are encouraged to provide mentorship for TAs to deliver a lesson plan, and on occasion, TAs can be given the chance to give a presentation or conduct a workshop to students with the instructor present.
Research Assistants assist in the research agendas developed by faculty. Duties of RAs include, but are not limited to; Studio Research, Literature Reviews, Material Research, preparation of Research materials, assistance with Research events, and Fabrication Assistants.
Individual Course Appointees are instructional contractors hired on an as-needed basis to teach an individual course for one term (on average between 6 and 7 hours per week for 12 weeks, plus a two-week assessment period) when there is instructional work that falls outside of NSCAD’s regular full-time (FT) and regular part-time (RPT) faculty complement (FUNSCAD employees).
For the Employer – Jennifer Lewis, Director Human Resources; Kyla Mallett, Vice-President (Academic + Research) and Provost; Jacqueline Warwick, Academic Dean; Daniel Chisholm, HR Advisor
For CUPE – Mark Cunningham, CUPE National Representative; Lachlan Sheldrick, ICA; Andrew Maize, ICA; Natalie Goulet, ICA
The parties attended conciliation for day 13 on March 3. A deal was not reached and CUPE began work stoppage as of 12:01 am March 4.
NSCAD’s immediate priority is to make every effort to ensure the semester is not compromised and that students can complete their coursework. This is why we made this decision to go to the Labour Board. We want classes to resume as soon as possible and for CUPE members with active contracts to be paid while they are waiting for the Labour Board to determine first contract settlement.
Conciliation is neutral third-party intervention in collective bargaining. Nova Scotia’s Trade Union Act requires it if the union and employer can’t reach a tentative agreement independently. It’s an opportunity for the parties to revisit outstanding issues in a different forum, explore alternative solutions, and avoid labour disruption.
In labour relations, arbitration is neutral, third-party adjudication within the specialized framework of workplace law. Its primary function is to resolve disputes between a union and an employer that the parties cannot settle through negotiation or mediation. This typically relates to grievances or contract settlement.
The arbitrator acts as a neutral, third-party adjudicator who listens to both sides and then decides on the terms of the collective agreement for the parties. In Nova Scotia, this is the final step of the First Contract Settlement process.
The arbitrator agreed upon and appointed by the parties will generally hold a meeting (by phone or in person) with the parties to determine what procedure the parties wish to employ–for example, will there be discovery and if so, of whom–and any appropriate time lines. The next step is the hearing itself, and, after that, the decision. The decision is final (unless the parties agree beforehand to a right of appeal to a court). It is binding. And it can be enforced in the same way that a court order can be.
Yes, all TAs, RAs and ICAs will be expected to join the picket line.
No, you will not get paid by NSCAD for CUPE work during the strike.
Updates will be sent via email to all NSCAD students and employees, and will be posted on this page along with alerts and links on social media when appropriate.
Picket lines are anticipated to be near (but not on) university property. The purpose of a picket line is for picketers to communicate their views. They have the right to do this and they will do it by carrying signs and by speaking to people entering or leaving the property.
As a student or non-striking employee or community member, you have the right to cross a picket line. It is unlikely that you will have any difficulty crossing a picket line; we expect that all picket line interactions will be safe and respectful. You should expect that a picket line will result in a brief delay coming and going from campus.
Here are some tips for safely crossing a picket line:
Have a question not answered here? Please send it to humanresources@nscad.ca
Have a question we haven’t answered here? Please send it to humanresources@nscad.ca.
No, in the event of a CUPE strike, only Individual Course Appointees (instructors) will be on strike. Full-time Faculty, Limited Term Faculty and Regular Part-Time Faculty will not be on strike, and courses taught by them will continue as scheduled.
Yes, RAs and TAs will have access to NSCAD campuses for class and non-CUPE work. Only your TA and RA work will be disrupted as that is CUPE work.
CUPE began work stoppage as of 12:01 am March 4. Here are a list of classes currently disrupted by this strike action:
AHIS-2505-OL1
TEXL-2501-1
TEXL-1001-2
CERM-2001-1
EDAR-5050-1SP
PNTG-1500-3X/PNTG-2000-3X
EDAR-5050-3SP
AHIS-3052-1
SCLP-1500-2
PNTG-1500-1X/PNTG-2000-1X
PHOT-3616-1
CERM-2001-2
FILM-2400-1
JWLY-2000-2
JWLY-2500-1
EDAR-5050-2SP
FILM-3461-1
FILM-4101-1
EDAR-5050-4SP
DSGN-3318-1
TEXL-2502-1
PHOT-1000-3
MDES-6120-1
ARTS-3110-OL1X/CRFT-3110-OL1X
EDAR-5620-1SP
FILM-3340-1
If you have any questions regarding class disruptions due to the strike, please contact the academic advisors in the Registrar’s Office by emailing registrar@nscad.ca or by setting up an advising appointment via https://nscad.janeapp.com/locations/fountain-campus/book. For more information on academic advising visit: https://nscad.ca/student-experience/academic-resources/academic-advising/
The university will give at minimum a 24-hour notice before classes resume.
It depends. Most work placements will continue as scheduled. That said, some placements may be affected by a CUPE strike.
CUPE members do not supervise thesis or masters’ projects. Directed or independent study courses being supervised by a CUPE member will be subject to the strike action. Otherwise, all supervision, directed study, independent study, and challenge examinations that are carried out by regular full-time and part-time faculty will continue.
Yes. Student access to course Brightspace sites will be uninterrupted.
In the event of a strike tests, midterms, and other assessments scheduled in disrupted courses will not occur. They may be rescheduled after the strike ends.
All student services, including the university Library and Office of Student Experience will remain available.
Students are encouraged to carry on with their assignments, readings, and other academic work as far as is possible. You are not required to complete assignments in classes disrupted during a strike, but assignments and assessments will continue in classes taught by non-CUPE members.
Striking ICAs will continue to have access to their NSCAD email, but it is not expected that they will be responding to student messages during the strike.
It is too soon to determine how we will manage this. That will depend on the duration of the strike and the decisions of the university Senate. We will provide an update as soon as more is known.
The university will explore a variety of options to support students in completing the semester. Although we cannot guarantee any outcome at this moment, that is the university’s priority. The university Senate will address these questions in a way that aligns with its policy on Academic Implications of a Significant Disruption.
We will provide you with as much information as possible as it becomes available through updates posted to this web page. Any updates affecting students will be communicated to you directly via your student email account. We will also post updates on the university’s social media accounts when needed.
Have a question we haven’t answered here? Please send it to humanresources@nscad.ca.
CUPE members who do not have other jobs on campus will not have access to most campus services during a strike.
Yes. CUPE Local 3912 members who hold roles at NSCAD outside of their part-time teaching contracts are expected to continue fulfilling those responsibilities as usual, including maintaining their regular hours, work locations, and duties.
No. During a strike, CUPE Local 3912 members will not be paid by the university for their CUPE-related work. Members of CUPE Local 3912 who are employed by in a non-CUPE capacity will continue to be compensated for their non-CUPE work.
Have a question we haven’t answered here? Please send it to humanresources@nscad.ca.
All non-CUPE NSCAD employees must report to work as usual. However, if you are in another union, check your collective agreement provisions regarding picket lines.
You can join your colleagues on a picket line provided doing so during your break times only (i.e. not during your regular working hours).
Employees seeking support are encouraged to engage the Nova Scotia Mental Health Crisis line at 1-888-429-8167 (toll free) available to help 24/7.
If you have EAP, you may access support through your Greenshield account at www.greenshieldplus.ca using the organization code NSCAD or by calling 1-833-707-4747.
Have a question we haven’t answered here? Please send it to humanresources@nscad.ca.
Yes. The university is open, with services operating as usual.
Yes. All campus services will remain operational, though you should expect delays accessing campus due to picketing during any strike action.
At this time, yes. If an event is affected, an update will be shared broadly at that time. You can also contact organizers directly for updates.
This page will be updated with the most recent and comprehensive bargaining updates (at the top of the page).
Have a question we haven’t answered here? Please send it to humanresources@nscad.ca.
