The Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) is raising concerns regarding the financial struggles faced by its members, emphasizing the need for fair cost-of-living adjustments and essential support. DFA president Dave Westwood underscored the challenges faculty members are encountering in a press release issued on Monday.
These comments come on the heels of a significant development at Dalhousie University, which recently initiated a lockout of faculty members in response to an overwhelming rejection of a contract offer from the university's board of governors. This action affected approximately 1,000 professors, librarians, and other teaching staff, occurring just weeks before the impending fall semester.
According to Dalhousie's 2024-25 financial report, faculty salaries have faced a staggering decline, trailing 9 percent behind inflation and resulting in compensation that is below the U15 average—a collective group of prestigious Canadian universities. Specifically, the DFA highlighted that assistant professors earn about $7,000 less than the national median, leading many to seek additional employment or contemplate leaving the university altogether.
Westwood expressed that the situation calls for renewed provincial investment in post-secondary education, indicating that the current financial landscape is untenable for faculty members. The emphasis on financial support underscores broader issues related to faculty retention and the overall quality of education at the institution.
In a notable vote, DFA members overwhelmingly opposed the university's offer, registering an 83 percent rejection. This significant dissent from faculty underscores the discord between the university administration and its teaching staff. Academic professionals feel increasingly marginalized, particularly in the face of rising living costs and stagnant salaries.
According to a report from Statistics Canada posted in November 2024, the median pay for full-time teaching staff within U15 universities was $151,700, reflecting a 3.9 percent increase from the prior academic year. This data emphasizes the growing disparity between faculty salaries at Dalhousie and those at peer institutions, particularly for associate professors, who reportedly earn only 89.3% of the median salary for their U15 counterparts.
The issues raised by the DFA reflect a critical moment in the landscape of higher education in Canada, where faculty members are increasingly vocal about their financial challenges. As the lockout continues, questions arise about the future of academic staffing and the university's commitment to supporting its faculty members in an era of rising costs.
