Labour and education in the news

Below are recent news stories on labour and education related issues. Click the headline to be taken to the article. Some may require a subscription. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for article text.

March 20, 2026

A failure to act
Winnipeg Free Press
With its soft lighting and cosy couches, the classroom hangout at the River East-Transcona School Division high school is supposed to be a safe space for students to decompress.

Violent threats against schools have 'become our reality,' Winnipeg police say
CBC
Winnipeg school officials and police are urging parents to talk to their kids about the consequences of making threats.

Laurentian’s listening process to tackle ‘lingering issues,’ Wells says
Sudbury Star
Laurentian University’s president has announced the launch of ‘a listening process’ in an effort to mend fences and plan for the school’s future.

Officials push back at non-confidence motion aimed at Laurentian president
CTV News
The administration at Laurentian University in Sudbury is responding after a member of its senate who also belongs to the faculty union introduced a non-confidence motion aimed at LU president Lynn Wells.

One of N.J.’s biggest universities just announced buyouts for professors and staff
NJ.com
One of New Jersey’s largest public universities is offering voluntary buyouts to professors and an unspecified number of employees, campus officials said this week.

University of Notre Dame to waive tuition for students with families who earn under $150,000 per year
CBS
The University of Notre Dame in Indiana has joined a growing list of colleges and universities expanding their financial aid programs.

NYU strike could start Monday as 900+ non-tenured faculty members seek new contract
CBS
New York University is up against the clock to reach a new contract with hundreds of non-tenured faculty members, who say they're prepared to go on strike without a new deal by Monday's deadline.

Penn State faculty organizers accuse university of 'anti-union' actions; university disagrees
WPSU
Penn State faculty organizers say the university is going against its pledge to hold a neutral position on unionizing, but the university counters that it's merely providing information and encouraging faculty to vote.

Marymound employees’ union to rally over lack of contract, working conditions
Winnipeg Free Press
The union that represents employees at Marymound is planning to rally near the youth social services facility Friday over the lack of a collective agreement and concerns with working conditions.

Business minister pledges to hold Palliser accountable for layoffs after province extended $15M loan guarantee
CBC
Manitoba's NDP government says it intends to hold Palliser Furniture accountable for laying off workers in Winnipeg after the province provided a $15-million loan guarantee to a Palliser-associated company.

Ontario to miss deadline to fund nurse practitioners, leaving some patients paying out of pocket
Globe and Mail
Ontario will not have a policy in place to publicly fund all medically necessary services from nurse practitioners by April 1, as ordered by the federal government, leaving some patients paying out of pocket for primary care.

Bill C-12 passed Senate, and migrant workers are left in the dust
Rabble
Bill C-12, an act that has been criticized by human rights groups for attacking migrants passed third reading in the Senate last week. This development was described as “devastating” by Amnesty International.

In an always-on culture, employees try ‘microshifting’ to reclaim personal lives
CTV News
Before the house is humming and her teenagers ask her to whip up breakfast or chauffeur them to school, Jen Meegan reads her company emails and revisits ideas she drafted the night before.

Gearing Up for May Day: Solidarity Schools Spread
Labor Notes
Last year a network of unions and community organizations organized the largest May Day actions in U.S. history: 1,200 actions in all 50 states. This year, the stakes are even higher, and the examples inspiring us are even bolder.

How a crucial 45-minute meeting between ministers took pay equity claims away from tens of thousands of women
RNZ
In the early afternoon of 19 March, 2025, a small group of the country's most powerful ministers joined an online meeting to discuss the future of 180,000 New Zealand workers.

30,000 bank workers in Romania to be left without sector-wide collective bargaining protections
UNI Global Union
European trade unions are rallying to urge three major multinational banks to return to sector-wide bargaining in Romania. In recent months, Raiffeisen Bank, Societe Generale (BRD) and ING have withdrawn from the Romanian Council of Bank Employers (CPBR), which means, come May, 60 per cent of banking workers – 30,000 people – will be without any kind of collective agreement to protect their rights and conditions.

March 19, 2026

Manitoba, Nova Scotia teens accused in plot to simultaneously attack two schools
Winnipeg Free Press
Police have arrested a boy from Manitoba and a girl from Nova Scotia who allegedly planned a co-ordinated attack at two schools in their respective provinces.

Monteris Medical wraps up US$28M in Series E funding round
Winnipeg Free Press
A medical device company with roots in Winnipeg has closed US$28 million in its latest funding round.

Kwantlen Student Association being investigated for potential misconduct
Daily Hive
An investigation has been launched to protect the students of a Metro Vancouver university, according to the B.C. Ministry of Finance.

Assaults, injuries and classroom evacuations: Alberta teachers detail violence in schools
CBC
Alberta teachers say they face increasingly dangerous conditions at school, with the most common threat coming from their own students.

Sask. Teachers’ Federation, school boards voice displeasure around $4.6B education budget
CTV News
Education advocates say investment into classrooms has fallen short in the province’s 2026-27 budget. The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) intends to raise the issue as bargaining negotiations quickly approach.

Alberta looking to hire more teachers with expedited post-secondary program
CTV News
As University of Alberta education students celebrate their graduation, school boards are preparing to hire new teachers.

Florida professors quietly defy restrictions on race and gender: ‘This is how authoritarianism works
The Guardian
Across Florida universities, some sociology professors are quietly choosing not to alter their courses in response to new state guidelines restricting how topics like race, gender and sexuality can be discussed. Rather than rewriting syllabi or removing foundational material, as the new demands would call for, they say they are continuing to teach their classes as designed. The professors view the preservation of their curricula not as an act of defiance, but as a professional responsibility to provide students with a full and rigorous education.

Court victory confirms universities owe millions in backpay to casual academics
NTEU
Thousands of casual academics are owed millions of dollars in backpay after a critical intervention from the National Tertiary Education Union led to a landmark court decision.

Departmental plans fuel concern over federal job, program cuts
CBC
Federal programs aimed at addressing climate change are facing significant cuts as the government shifts to artificial intelligence (AI) and slashes thousands of jobs, according to recently released departmental plans.

Immigration rules hamper health-care recruitment, nurse says after permanent residency application rejected
CBC
A nurse in Winnipeg says Canada's immigration system is undercutting efforts to address a shortage of health-care workers, after his application for permanent residency was rejected based on a technicality.

Yukon Employees' Union placed under administration by parent union
CBC
The Yukon Employees' Union (YEU) has been placed under administration by its parent union.

2,400 Kaiser mental health professionals strike in Northern California over AI concerns
AP
About 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental health professionals were striking Wednesday in Northern California over concerns that the health care giant is replacing therapists with artificial intelligence.

NFL seeks list of possible replacement refs if CBA not reached
ESPN
The NFL is laying groundwork for hiring replacement officials this season if the league is unable to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Referees Association, according to emails reviewed Wednesday by ESPN.

A “hard-won moment” as the government scraps copyright exception for AI training
The Society of Authors
The Society of Authors welcomes a “hard-won moment for authors and creators”, as the government confirmed it is moving away from a proposed copyright exception for AI training.

UK pay growth sinks to five-year low as younger workers hit by hiring slowdown
The Guardian
Wage growth slowed sharply in the three months to January, according to the latest snapshot of the jobs market from the Office for National Statistics.

KFC workers to receive almost $29 milllion in rest breaks case
Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees' Association
The SDA and other applicants in the KFC Rest Breaks Class Action have reached a binding agreement with KFC and a large number of KFC franchisee employers to settle the case for up to $28.8 million, subject to approval by the Federal Court of Australia.

March 18, 2026

Students give bill to reduce U of W board a failing grade
Winnipeg Free Press
The University of Winnipeg is gearing up for a governance shakeup that will shrink its board and ensure Indigenous voices are at the decision-making table.

Accessible, inclusive sports giving elementary-age phys-ed students a lesson in empathy
Winnipeg Free Press
Among his unusual instructions on a recent school day, phys-ed teacher Jordan Adam discouraged his students from cheering on their teammates.

Prof says U of W experience worse than cancer, sues university and faculty association
CTV News
A University of Winnipeg professor has filed a lawsuit against the university and its faculty union, alleging their actions left him without any forum to resolve workplace complaints. He’s now looking to get the court to assume jurisdiction to adjudicate the complaints.

School tax hikes adding up in Winnipeg
CTV News
Winnipeg homeowners may be giving school tax bills a failing grade, as all six major school divisions in the city have approved budgets for 2026–27 that include mill rate increases.

Manitoba finance minister touts education funding, won't acknowledge some divisions feel it's fallen short
CBC
Manitoba's finance minister says the NDP is funding education adequately, yet won't acknowledge some school divisions are raising taxes because they feel provincial funding hasn’t kept pace.

Questions raised over NDP education funding as education property taxes see steep increase
CityNews
Questions are being raised by multiple levels of government over the NDP’s education funding model and a steep rise in education property taxes.

MUN eyes cutting 5 of 8 contractual teaching positions in math department
CBC
As Memorial University is left grappling with its sinking finances, it's considering cutting five of its eight contractual teaching faculty members in the department of mathematics and statistics.

Ottawa to announce $550-million in funding for Canadian research projects
Globe and Mail
Ottawa committed to $552-million in science funding on Friday for equipment, tools and labs needed for academic research projects across the country.

L.A. teachers union widely expected to announce strike date at massive Wednesday rally
Los Angeles Times
With contract negotiations at a standstill, leaders of the Los Angeles teachers union are widely expected on Wednesday to announce the date of a strike that, if carried out, would interrupt the education of about 390,000 students.

Australia’s universities have found themselves in crisis. But it has been decades in the making
The Guardian
Universities are in crisis. Federal and state government inquiries point to serious problems with governance, financial transparency and managerial decision-making. The pressure on university leadership, particularly well-paid vice-chancellors, is mounting.

Former health-care aide fired for speaking out after unprofessionalism at private assisted living facility
CTV News
A former caregiver is speaking out after she said she was fired for reporting an incident where an elderly resident at an assisted-living facility in Manitoba was berated by the manager.

New survey finds nearly half of Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque
CTV News
Many Canadians are continuing to struggle to pay their bills each month, feeling the financial squeeze with housing costs, price of groceries, and now the rising gas prices due to the war in Iran.

Tentative agreement reached for PSAC members working at NAV CANADA
PSAC
Our PSAC-UCTE bargaining team is pleased to share some of the details of the tentative agreement reached with NAV CANADA. The agreement was possible because of the dedication and perseverance of our bargaining team and members across the country who joined the fight for a fair contract.

Workers demand $30 minimum wage as cost of living surges in NYC
The Chief
Labor leaders, elected officials and community advocates gathered on the steps of City Hall on March 10 to launch the “$30 for Our City” campaign, backing legislation that would gradually raise New York City’s minimum wage to $30 an hour.

Sharp rise in young Britons saying ill health is reason they are jobless, study finds
The Guardian
There has been a sharp rise in the number of jobless young people in the UK citing health problems as the reason they are not working, according to analysis.

Bin strike fine ‘pathetic attempt to intimidate workers’, Unite
Unite 
Unite, the UK’s leading union, has vowed that it will not allow Birmingham bin workers “to pay the price for the council’s failings” after the union was fined by the courts for picketing.

Samsung unions vote to strike in May over stalled wage talks
Korea JoongAng Daily
Unionized workers of Samsung Electronics will launch a general strike this May, the first in two years, an organized labor coalition announced on Wednesday.

March 17, 2026

Firefighter union joins Manitoba Federation of Labour
Winnipeg Free Press
The union that represents Winnipeg firefighters has voted to join the Manitoba Federation of Labour in hopes of reducing high call volumes and worker burnout.

Record number of graduating ICU-trained nurses destined for Winnipeg, Brandon hospitals
Winnipeg Free Press
A record 45 nurses will soon complete a training program and begin staffing existing intensive-care unit beds in four Manitoba hospitals, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced Monday.

Manitoba working to update security guard training curriculum, justice minister says
CBC
Manitoba's justice minister said the province is working to update the mandatory training curriculum for security guards after First Nations leaders raised concerns about an incident at a downtown Winnipeg dollar store where a security guard allegedly used brass knuckles on an alleged shoplifter on February 28.

He came to Canada with a dream. RCMP say he became a victim of labour trafficking
CBC
When he was 22 years old, he moved from Japan to Toronto to study English, but he says he wound up in rural Nova Scotia working excessive hours at a campground for a total of $300 for nearly a year’s work.

B.C. hires more than 400 U.S. health-care workers in 1-year recruitment blitz
CBC
Five months ago, Dr. Anne Herdman Royal began a new job in Canada. Driven out of the United States by a shifting political landscape and a mass shooting at the hospital where she worked in Tulsa, Okla., it had become a country she no longer wanted to call home.

Ottawa to allow rural employers to increase proportion of temporary foreign workers
CBC
Ottawa will allow rural employers to have a greater proportion of low-wage temporary foreign workers on their payroll on a time-limited basis, as part of new measures the federal government announced on Friday.

‘AI brain fry’ or ‘under-challenged’ workers? New reports weigh AI at work
Global News
New reports are raising questions about how the rapid growth of artificial intelligence tools in workplaces is weighing on employees.

This Dockworker Uses AI to Hold Bosses Accountable
The Tyee
Nearly every week for more than eight years, longshoreman Veetesh Rup has looked over the mess of dates and rates that make up each pay stub.

B.C. sheds 20,200 jobs in February, with young workers bearing the brunt
Capital News
B.C. shed 20,200 jobs last month, according to the latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada.

Canada’s Richest 1% Nearly As Wealthy As Poorest 80%
The Maple
Canada has become outrageously unequal, and three recent reports provide the gory details.

Thousands of Colorado Meatpacking Workers Are on Strike
Jacobin
When Deborah Rodarte arrives for her shift at the Swift Beef Co. plant outside Greeley, Colorado, owned by JBS USA, the first thing she does is gear up. Donning a hard hat and protective equipment, including a layer of metal mesh meant to keep knives from cutting through to the skin, she heads to the line and waits for the cattle to start coming down the chain.

Starbucks shareholders push to oust board members over stalled union talks
The Guardian
Starbucks shareholders are pushing to remove two board members at the company who they argue have contributed to stalling the coffee chain’s long-fought-over union drive.

Parental mistrust, hostile interactions a growing concern for Alberta teachers
CBC
In one small town in Alberta, the assistant principal says teachers almost never meet alone with parents anymore.

Trampling student movements: a growing trend at Canadian universities
Briarpatch
It was nearing midnight on May 9, 2024, when around 50 police officers in protective armour, helmets, and round shields advanced on what remained of the pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Calgary.

Why universities still struggle to make degrees accessible for disabled students
The Conversation
The higher education sector is more aware of disability than it was a few years ago. Universities are more willing to provide support, and attitudes have improved. What students describe day to day, however, tells a different story.

A writing professor’s new task in the age of AI: Teaching students when to struggle
The Conversation
I was early to the generative AI wave in higher education: I was among the first professors who teach writing to publish in an academic journal about generative AI and critical thinking, and I am now part of an interdisciplinary team at Babson College thinking about how AI is impacting education, industry and society. 

March 16, 2026

RRC Polytech and MITT Transition Update
RRC Polytech
RRC Polytech and Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) continue to work collaboratively to coordinate the transition of select programs and operations, with a student-centred focus to ensure current students can successfully complete their programs.

Providence forced into cuts in wake of enrolment drop
Winnipeg Free Press
Providence University College and Theological Seminary is laying off 10 per cent of its workforce and downsizing its academic programming.

University of Manitoba Security Services Monthly Report January 2026
University of Manitoba

University of Manitoba Security Services Monthly Report February 2026
University of Manitoba

Faculty association warns Sask Poly layoffs threaten programs and stability
SaskToday.ca
The president of the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association was at the Legislature this week to raise concerns about layoffs at the post-secondary institutions.

Some Nova Scotia university students to strike this week
The Chronicle Herald
Some students at four Nova Scotia universities are staging a one-week strike starting Sunday to protest rising tuition and demand universities divest from investment in firms or funds connected to unpalatable sectors.

Alberta teachers lose injunction bid challenging government back-to-work bill
CBC
An Edmonton judge has ruled against a bid for an injunction seeking to pause provincial legislation that forced thousands of striking Alberta school teachers back to work last year.

Facing $8.4M decline in international revenue, North Island College cuts staff, reviews programs
CBC
North Island College (NIC) says it's reviewing programs and cutting teaching and administrative positions as it stares down the barrel of an approximately $8.4-million decline in international revenue by 2027 — about 13 per cent of its overall budget.

Some employees laid off at Acadia University as school grapples with fiscal challenges
CBC
Some employees at Acadia University were laid off on Wednesday as the Wolfville, N.S., school grapples with financial challenges.

Post-secondary students feeling affordability pinch as more turn to campus pantry
CTV News
Affordability issues aren’t just affecting families and homeowners. Post-secondary students are feeling the squeeze too and turning to the campus pantry for support.

Queen’s spent highest share of salary budget on administrators out of all U6 schools in 2023
Queen's Journal
A consultant report shows Queen’s devoted 54 per cent of its salary spending to administrators in 2023, the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA) revealed.

MUNFA Claims Changes to Mathematics Department Will Have Negative Impact on Students; University Disagrees
VOCM
Memorial University is contradicting remarks made by the Faculty Association regarding class size and the number of contractual faculty positions in the Department of Mathematics.

Canada’s university partnership with India shows its soft-power potential
Globe and Mail
Canada’s agreement to pursue a new talent and research strategy in India represents a shift in Ottawa’s approach to international education as the country looks to build partnerships that could extend its influence in other parts of the world.

When universities punish faculty speech, everyone loses
The Hill
Higher education is facing an epidemic of faculty censorship.

Trump Threatened Harvard’s and Columbia’s Funding. A Year Later, Only Harvard Is Still Fighting.
The Eye
Columbia was the first victim of the Trump administration’s wrath. Harvard was not far behind.

Manitoba looks to strengthen whistleblower protections
Winnipeg Free Press
Employers who’ve been accused of taking action against a whistleblower would be forced to prove their innocence, under proposed legislation introduced by the Manitoba government.

Hotline calls lead to city workers’ firings, suspensions for stealing time
Winnipeg Free Press
Two city employees were terminated and four more were suspended last year following investigations into “time theft.”

Federal union to hold townhall meetings to discuss job cuts, return to office mandate
CTV News
Canada’s largest public section union will hold virtual townhall meetings with its members next week to discuss layoffs in the federal public service and the return to office mandate.

March 13, 2026

Louis Riel educational assistants fed up with stalled contract talks
Winnipeg Free Press
Fuelled by frustration and hot cocoa, more than 250 school support staff set up a picket line in the snow on Thursday to protest their stagnant wages.

Banning AI not the answer
Brandon Sun
Like many professors or teachers, I find myself confronting the role of artificial intelligence in the classroom. But I am not alone. Students are also concerned. They are worried about being accused of using artificial intelligence. Professors seem just as worried that the students are doing it.

MUN Faculty Association raises concerns about potential cuts to classes, faculty jobs
NTV
Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association (MUNFA) is raising concerns about faculty cuts impacting first-year courses. The University, which has seen a series of deep multi-year funding cuts, has recently revealed major projected changes that will see a number of contractual teaching staff lose their jobs.

Ottawa to announce $550M in funding for Canadian research projects
Winnipeg Free Press
Ottawa is expected to announce $552 million in funding for academic research projects this morning.

House passes outcome-based higher ed funding bill alongside $10.9 billion education budget
Alabama Daily News
Along with the Education Trust Fund budget, the Alabama House on Thursday passed a bill to establish a framework for outcome-based higher education funding.

Siloam Mission cancels public event with CEO amid workplace turbulence
Winnipeg Free Press
Siloam Mission, which has been mired in workplace strife since its new CEO took over last month, has postponed a public event Saturday in which it was to release its annual report and take questions from the community.

NDP bills would limit mandatory OT for Manitoba nurses, allow nurse-to-patient ratios
CBC
The head of Manitoba's nurses union is praising a pair of bills the NDP says will end or limit mandatory overtime for nurses and establish nurse-to-patient ratios in high-priority areas.

Manitoba paramedic fined $25,000 for refusing call that came in near the end of his shift
CTV News
A Manitoba paramedic has been disciplined by his industry’s regulatory body after he admitted to refusing a call for distress from a patient because it came in near the end of his shift.

Canada's economy lost 84,000 jobs in February, unemployment rate ticked up to 6.7%
CBC
Canada's economy lost 84,000 jobs in February, while the unemployment rate edged up to 6.7 per cent, Statistics Canada said on Friday.

Ontario to introduce bill exempting Premier, cabinet from FOI requests
Globe and Mail
The Ontario government says it will introduce legislation that would exempt the Premier, cabinet ministers and their offices from having to respond to freedom of information requests, allowing them to keep documents and e-mails about their decision-making secret.

As AI threatens to eliminate jobs, unions are drawing a line
Globe and Mail
Major unions are trying to codify language around artificial intelligence and layoffs into collective agreements, a push that is facing resistance from employers, who see the technology as integral to transforming their work forces.

'Not just a cut, it's a decimation': Union leaders slam government cuts
Ottawa Citizen
As details of the full scope of the government’s cuts to the federal public service trickle out, unions are warning about the potential impact to important services.

Job cuts at Ottawa hospital show deepening crisis of underfunding across Ontario
Rabble
Health workers are sounding the alarm of healthcare jobs being lost in Ottawa and across Ontario due to provincial underfunding. On Monday, members of the union representing 850 staff at Bruyere Health in Ottawa, held a press conference to push back against the planned cuts of more than 50 jobs.