After conciliation with Laurentian University failed in December, the union representing faculty members says it will be in a legal strike position next week, with a strike deadline set for Jan. 19.
Laurentian University Faculty Union (LUFA) president Fabrice Colin said that at the request of the union, a no-board report was issued by a conciliation officer on Dec. 29, beginning a countdown to a strike.
While a strike can legally take place 17 days after a no-board report is issued, Colin said LUFA and Laurentian will take part in mediation this month with arbitrator William Kaplan, with the last dates just before the strike deadline.
The union has a 98-per-cent strike mandate after a vote was held Nov. 15 to 17.
With LUFA’s current collective agreement having expired June 30, 2025, the two sides only started bargaining in earnest Nov. 17.
This is the first set of bargaining since 2021, when a contract was signed under what the union described as “duress,” during Laurentian’s time under creditor protection.
The faculty union says a major issue is members’ desire to establish a pension plan out of Laurentian’s hands.
But with stipulations in an insolvency-era loan agreement preventing this from happening, LUFA filed a Charter challenge against the province of Ontario in November.
Colin said there’s a chance of a deal “if there's an agreement” between Laurentian’s board and the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security “to lift all the restrictions” regarding the pension plan in the loan agreement.
LUFA has launched a letter-writing campaign on its website to encourage the lifting of these restrictions.
He said he hopes this step is taken, “because it’s not making any sense. It’s no longer justified, and these measures now operate as a structural constraint.”
A strike is a “definite possibility at this stage” if the priorities of LUFA members are not negotiated at the bargaining table, said Colin.
The last labour dispute involving the faculty union was in 2017, lasting in that case for nine days.
Asked what he has to say to students who might be impacted, Colin said striking is “not a decision that is made lightly. Faculty members do care a lot about their students, their programs. It’s not fun being on strike, especially in January. So that's the last resort.”
Sudbury.com reached out to Laurentian University, asking for an interview on the subject with president Lynn Wells, but our request was not granted.
However, communications forwarded a memo from Wells’ office regarding bargaining with LUFA that was sent to the university community Jan. 7. The same memo was also posted to a section of Laurentian’s website dedicated to the negotiations.
The memo states that a no-board report, “a government document that declares a bargaining impasse and ends the mandatory period of conciliation,” was issued at the end of December.
“It allows for a 17-day countdown to a legal strike or lockout date,” said the statement from Laurentian.
“This is a common step in the negotiation process, aimed at providing the bargaining team with greater leverage in negotiations.”
The memo said that even when a no-board report is filed, it is common for the parties to continue to negotiate up until any strike deadline, and the filing of a no-board report does not mean that a strike or labour disruption will take place.
“If an agreement is not reached by that time, LUFA has informed the university that its members will withhold their services and begin a strike on Jan. 19, 2026,” the memo said.
“We will communicate broadly with the university community ahead of any potential strike or labour disruption.
“The university remains dedicated to negotiating in good faith to find an agreement that is fair to LUFA members while protecting the long-term financial sustainability of the university. We will continue to provide updates as negotiations progress.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.