Mount St. Vincent Part-Timers Reject Contract Offer

by TAA Staff THE UNION REPRESENTING part-time faculty at Mount Saint Vincent University has rejected a "final offer" from the university by a vote of 100 percent. The main outstanding issue is wages. The part-time faculty are looking to achieve wage parity with their counterparts at Saint Mary's University, who settled a new contract on April 10. Part-time university faculty have historically been underpaid, particularly when compared to full-time faculty.The university workers say they are fed up with being exploited as a cheap labor pool by Mount Saint Vincent University. CUPE has been bargaining with the university since October, 2000. Conciliation meetings ended on May 31 with no final agreement. CUPE Local 3912 represents more than 1,100 part-time instructors and teaching assistants at Dalhousie, Mount Saint Vincent and Saint Mary's University. For further information please contact: Ms. Linda Clancy, CUPE National Rep., (902) 455-4180 (o), (902) 452-9979 (Cell).