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TORONTO — Faculty members at Western University may walk off the job next week if a last-minute deal is not reached with the school, the union representing them said Thursday. 

University of Western Ontario Faculty Association president Hiran Perinpanayagam said the union's board of directors is meeting Thursday afternoon to set a strike date for next week. 

He said the union that represents about 1,600 faculty members and library workers is in a legal strike position starting on Sunday, though collective bargaining talks with the school are set to continue this week. Negotiation sessions are currently scheduled for Friday morning and afternoon. 

"We are still at the table bargaining. The earliest we would actually do a labour disruption would be Monday or perhaps Tuesday," Perinpanayagam said.

"If we get something that looks like a deal, we will take it back to the board of directors and make a decision whether or not to initiate strike action."

Perinpanayagam said equitable workloads, equal access to benefits and job security for contract faculty members have been the key issues at play during negotiations. .

He said a piece of provincial legislation known as Bill 124, which constrains wage increases for many public sector workers including his union's members, means faculty members will see their salaries rise just one per cent annually for the next three years.

"In essence, that amounts to a pay cut for our faculty of about 25 per cent given that current inflation rate is like seven or eight per cent," he said. 

"We made the decision to focus on other items. We want to look at strengthening our benefits. We want to ensure that our professional expense reimbursements are in place. We want to make sure that our workload is adequate."

Western University did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the potential job action. 

The union said some members have been trained as picket-line captains and portable toilets have been installed around campus in preparation for a possible strike.

About 91 per cent of union members voted in favour of strike action last month during the talks with the university, which started after the union’s previous collective agreements expired in June.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2022. 

The Canadian Press