uOttawa teaching professors vote 'overwhelmingly' for strike mandate

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal News uOttawa teaching professors vote 'overwhelmingly' for strike mandate The contract between uOttawa and the Association of Teaching Professors of the University of Ottawa expired Aug. 31, 2025. Author of the article: By Abyssinia Abebe Published Sep 11, 2026 Last updated 1 hour ago 2 minute read Join the conversation A 2024 file photo of signage on the uOttawa campus. PHOTO BY SPENCER COLBY /POSTMEDIA Article content More than 860 members of the University of Ottawa’s teaching professors’ association have cast ballots in favour of a strike. Article content After a five-day electronic voting period, the Association of Teaching Professors of the University of Ottawa (ATPUO) announced Friday that members had voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of job action, including a strike if necessary, across its three bargaining units. Article content Article content Article content The union said 88.2 per cent of members in the main unit, 73.1 per cent in the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) Unit and all members in the Toronto-Windsor Unit voted in favour of a strike mandate. Article content The Evening Citizen The Ottawa Citizen’s best journalism, delivered directly to your inbox by 7 p.m. on weekdays. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content In a media release, the union’s chief negotiator, Nelson Arturo Ovalle Diaz, said the results demonstrated an “unprecedented mobilization” among members. Article content “Our members are sending a clear message to the administration that they no longer accept the status quo and that current conditions have become intolerable,” Ovalle Diaz wrote. Article content The union stressed that a strike mandate did not mean classes at uOttawa would be immediately disrupted, but rather was a “strategic tool” intended to pressure university administration to return to the bargaining table to negotiate a new agreement. Article content ATPUO’s collective agreement with the university expired on Aug. 31, 2025, with the union saying negotiations had since focused on improving working conditions. Article content The union also raised concerns about a university proposal to create an unlimited number of intensive teaching positions and incorporate them into the…