Dear QUFA Members,

The Executive Committee met with the Chief Negotiator and Bargaining Team on August 4 to discuss the state of bargaining. Based on that discussion, the Committee voted unanimously to authorize taking a strike vote. Information relevant to the vote can be found below (scroll down for a strike vote FAQ, Job Action Alerts, and important links), and this web page will be updated throughout the week. The general bargaining page is here: https://qufa.ca/bargaining

VOTE DETAILS: The strike vote will run between 12PM August 11th and 12PM August 14th or for 72 hours. You can cast a ballot at any time in that window. The results will be announced after the vote closes, and a strike vote carries with a simple majority of those who vote.  All members of the QUFA Bargaining Unit are entitled to vote; you do not need to fill out a membership form. 

The vote is managed through Simply Voting and the ballots are secret. You will receive an e-ballot around 11:55 AM on Tuesday, August 11. Please check your inbox, junk email folder, or clutter box for an email from Queen’s University Faculty Association with the subject line “2026 QUFA Strike Vote.” If you do not see the e-ballot, please contact Elizabeth Polnicky at ep43@queensu.ca to have your e-ballot resent.

The Bargaining Team and Executive Committee are recommending that QUFA members demonstrate their commitment to a getting a good contract by voting yes in the strike vote. 

MORE INFORMATION: More information about the current status of bargaining has been shared via email and on the Bargaining page. Three virtual information sessions have also taken place and you can access recordings of two of the sessions below.

WHY NOW?: There have been close to 40 scheduled days of bargaining to date and more are planned for the coming week. QUFA and Queen’s agreed to enter conciliation in July in order to break some logjams but the first two days of conciliation yielded very little progress. There are two more days of conciliation booked for August 18 and 19, and the parties have committed to meeting into the evening if necessary. The chances for a decent settlement at that time will be vastly increased if the membership votes yes to authorize a potential strike. There are two great articles explaining how strike votes work in the Canadian university context here:

I HAVE A QUESTION: If you can’t find answers to your questions here, please send them in to qufa@queensu.ca. See an updated version of the Strike Vote FAQ below.

Strike Vote FAQ – Updated Aug. 10

strike-vote-faq-2Download

Job Action Alerts

Job Action Alert #1: August 6, 2026

Job Action Alert #2: August 7, 2026

Important Links

QUFA Bargaining Policies and Job Action Principles

QUFA Bargaining Page