Two recent events in Eastern Canada suggest that University Employers are taking a cynical attitude towards collective bargaining.

At Carleton University, the faculty association negotiating team found out just a day ahead of their May 3 regular bargaining session that the Employer had unilaterally filed for conciliation, then advised faculty how mutually beneficial this would be. The Carleton faculty association is taking steps to prepare its members for a lock-out.

Lock-outs are uncommon enough that this might seem far-fetched. However, the University of Quebec at Three Rivers (UQTR) locked out its 445 professors effective May 2, unilaterally declaring a stalemate in bargaining. Faculty there have been without a contract since May 2017. Government has appointed a mediator.