The Lecturers’ Union of Memorial University of Newfoundland (LUMUN) announced Sunday, March 3, that union members voted in favour of a strike.

This does not mean there will be a strike, but it is another step in the collective bargaining process and is necessary before a strike can occur.  

Reaching a mutually beneficial agreement with LUMUN is Memorial’s top priority in collective bargaining. The university continues to engage in discussions towards achieving a favourable resolution. Most recently, Memorial and LUMUN met on March 1 and will continue to meet this week. 

At the same time, planning is well underway to support students if LUMUN chooses to go on strike.  

Approximately 13 per cent of courses at the St. John’s and Grenfell campuses are taught by LUMUN members. These courses, both online and in person, would be paused for the duration of the job action. In general, all courses taught by non-LUMUN members will go ahead. This includes all courses at the Marine Institute as their instructors are represented by a different union. A course identification tool will be available online to help students identify which courses will go ahead and which will pause in the event of a strike. 

Student residences and food services will remain in operation and all non-LUMUN employees will report to work as per their current arrangements. LUMUN members who hold multiple roles at Memorial, such as graduate students or employees, will continue their non-LUMUN responsibilities.  

As more information becomes available for students, employees and visitors, it will be posted online at Memorial’s Labour Relations website. Significant updates will also be shared with students via their @mun.ca email addresses and with employees via Newsline.