A strike is a work stoppage initiated by employees (DFA) while a lockout is a work stoppage initiated by the employer (Dal).
In this case, on August 11th, 2025, Dalhousie University Board of Governors and the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) met for their final conciliation meeting. The DFA represents approximately 1000 professors, instructors, librarians and professional counsellors at Dalhousie University. The Board walked away from this meeting at noon without any notice to the DFA team or the conciliator. The Board’s final offer was presented to DFA members on August 14th and 18th, 2025, with voting on it set to close on August 21st, 2025, at 4pm. Despite voting on the Board’s final offer not yet being complete, Dalhousie University announced on August 18th, 2025, that it would take the unprecedented step of locking its faculty out, beginning August 20th, 2025. This lockout is the first ever by a Canadian U15 University. At 9:30am on August 20th, 2025, the DFA launched a defensive strike.
PSAC members at Dalhousie are not in a legal strike position. Do not do DFA bargaining unit work. If you are asked to complete work that is normally done by a DFA member, please contact us. You have a right to a safe workplace and are encouraged to contact a supervisor or manager for assistance crossing the picket line.
The campus remains open, although whether individual labs and facilities are able to remain open will depend on whether the appropriate forms were filled out prior to the Lockout/Strike. Please contact your supervisor/department if you are unsure.
Although the University so far has said that students should plan to arrive on campus as normal, David Westwood, DFA President, says: “The start date for the academic year is now subject to return-to-work negotiations and is therefore out of the control of senior administration. Students can expect the start of the term to be pushed back by one day for every day that DFA members are locked out.”
The "Keep Dal Strong" Facebook page will have regular updates from the DFA, along with the DFA website, the DFA Instagram account (@dalfacultyassoc), and the DFA Bluesky account (@dalfaculty.bsky.social). You can see all communications sent from us to PSAC Local 86001 members on the News and Blog page.
PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President, Chris Di Liberatore, shared the following for PSAC Local 86001 members:
As you know, the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) has been locked out by the employer. The PSAC recognizes that picket lines are an essential part of applying pressure to the employer for workers to get a fair deal at the table. I understand that the employer has sent out information regarding the situation, but I would like to provide some guidance on how to deal with picket lines at your workplace.
By working together, workers can get what they need to do their critical work. I encourage you to use the DFA lock out as an opportunity to learn more about the importance of collective action, and how university workers can come together to better our post secondary education system.
The below button will allow you to send a pre-written email to the Dalhousie President, Dr. Kim Brooks, Dalhousie Chancellor, Dr. Rustum Southwell, and Dalhousie Senior advisor, President's Office and communications, Erin Stewart-Reid.
Please modify this if you would like to! A personal email is always more effective.
Faculty wages have fallen behind inflation, so the DFA is asking for increases that maintain their salaries with cost of living increases.
The DFA is currently asking for 3.75%, 4.75%, and 5.75% income maintenance changes in Years 1, 2 and 3, respectively. They originally proposed 9%, 6%, and 6%. The University is offering only 2% per year.
The DFA is seeking better supports like childcare assistance, extended parental leave top-ups, increased health spending account, retirement incentives, longer Indigenous ceremonial leave, and fair workload expectations for librarians and counsellors.
On Thursday August 21st, we sent the following letter:
Dear Dr. Brooks and the Dalhousie University Board of Governors,
Background: On August 11th, 2025, Dalhousie University Board of Governors and the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) met for their final conciliation meeting. The DFA represents approximately 1000 professors, instructors, librarians and professional counsellors at Dalhousie University.The Board walked away from this meeting at noon without any notice to the DFA team or the conciliator. The Board’s final offer was presented to DFA members on August 14th and 18th, 2025, with voting on it set to close on August 21st, 2025, at 4pm. Despite voting on the Board’s final offer not yet being complete, Dalhousie University announced on August 18th, 2025, that it would take the unprecedented step of locking its faculty out, beginning August 20th, 2025. This lockout is the first ever by a Canadian U15 University. At 9:30am on August 20th, 2025, the DFA launched a defensive strike.
We, the PSAC Local 86001 Executive Board, stand unequivocally in solidarity with all Dalhousie Faculty Association members following the unprecedented decision taken by Dalhousie University to lockout its faculty, staff and librarians.
We are deeply troubled by this lockout, but unfortunately, after our own experiences of collective bargaining with Dalhousie University, we are not surprised. This lockout not only disrupts the vital work of faculty, librarians, and instructors, but also undermines the quality of education, research, and community life at Dalhousie University. The majority of PSAC Local 86001 members work with DFA members every day: we see the effort that they put into “inspiring minds”, and how critical they are to the entire Dalhousie community.
Members of the DFA have not chosen to stop work. They have been forced to.
A fair agreement for DFA members is essential to sustaining the academic excellence and research reputation on which Dalhousie University prides itself—and on which all of our work depends. PSAC Local 86001 urges the Board to return to good-faith bargaining and to present an agreement that:
This current work stoppage impacts both undergraduate and graduate students. It will impact the beginning of classes in the fall, which faculty would usually be preparing for now, and it will impact graduate students in completing their research, defending their theses, and being confirmed for graduation. It also impacts many of our members, who rely on input, support, and mentorship from their faculty supervisors. Lockouts damage morale, interrupt scholarship, and diminish the university’s standing in the eyes of students, partners, and the public.
We stand in solidarity with our colleagues in the DFA and call on the Board to work toward an immediate resolution that values their indispensable role at Dalhousie.
Respectfully,
PSAC Local 86001 Executive Board
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.