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 23, 2026

Manitoba Government Celebrates International Day of the Francophonie and Announces Next Steps Toward a Truly Bilingual Province
Province of Manitoba
The Manitoba government is marking International Day of La Francophonie with a series of events, including the official launch of the consultation report on Manitoba: A Truly Bilingual Province, Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard, minister responsible for francophone affairs, announced today.

MUN graduate students are at risk of losing health insurance because of the union's $2M debt
CBC
Thousands of graduate students are at risk of losing their access to health and dental insurance because the union that represents them has incurred almost $2 million in debt.

NSCAD strike ends, workers back on the job Monday
CBC
Some workers at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design will return to their jobs on Monday after a strike that lasted over two weeks.

Mixed response to N.W.T's proposed labour board and changes to union certification process
CBC
The Northern Territories Federation of Labour is concerned about some proposed changes to the N.W.T.’s Public Service Act involving union representation for government workers and the creation of a territorial labour board, but also sees some potential benefits.

Layoffs hit University of the Fraser Valley amid $20 million deficit
The Chilliwack Progress
Universities across B.C. have been feeling the squeeze following the federal government’s cap on international students, with layoffs hitting dozens of these institutions, including the University of the Fraser Valley.

Lethbridge Polytechnic workers to vote on 12% raise
Alberta Worker
Earlier this month, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees published an update regarding contract negotiations for workers employed by Lethbridge Polytechnic.

55,000 Quebec college, university students on week-long strike against austerity in education
CityNews
More than 55,000 college and university students across the province are on a week-long strike protesting austerity measures in education.

Trump administration accuses Harvard of failing to protect Jewish students in latest lawsuit
The Hill
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against Harvard University on Friday for failing to protect Jewish students since the Israel-Gaza War broke out more than two years ago.

Manitoba government putting $14M toward corrections as union raises overcrowding, understaffing concerns
CBC
Manitoba's justice minister says the government's upcoming budget will include an additional $14 million spent on corrections, as the union representing provincial corrections officers raised concerns about overcrowding and understaffing in facilities across Manitoba.

Next Manitoba budget will boost child-care worker wages, number of spaces
CBC
The Manitoba budget, set to be delivered Tuesday, will include more money for child care and a smaller deficit, Finance Minister Adrien Sala said Friday.

Canada's border agency under fire for treatment of sexual harassment cases
CBC
The House of Commons public safety committee is planning an inquiry this spring to examine "systemic discrimination and organizational culture" within Canada's border agency.

Public servant ‘scared’ to take government’s retirement offer due to issues with Phoenix pay system
Globe and Mail
A federal public servant says she’s “scared” to take up the government’s early retirement offer after being told that she owes the government about $10,500 because of a mistake in her pay file.

Supreme Court hears arguments against Quebec's Bill 21 secularism law
CBC
Today kicks off four days of hearings at the Supreme Court of Canada for the legality of Bill 21, Quebec's religious symbols ban for public sector employees in positions of authority.

Coke Canada Bottling terminates worker injured on the job, says keeping him would be too hard on the company
CBC
Shawne Hopkins never saw it coming.

Federal departments, agencies to shed 12,000 full-time equivalent positions
CTV News
Federal departments and agencies are looking to cut more than 12,000 full-time equivalent jobs over the next three years as part of the Carney government’s spending review.

Amazon workers win million dollars in back wages (audio)
Rabble - Radio Labour
Workers at the Amazon warehouse in Delta B.C. have won a million dollar back pay settlement after the provincial Labour Board ruled against the company. The LabourStart report about union events. And singing: The Workers Song Community Project | The Longest Johns.

ICE agents deployed to some U.S. airports as TSA lines stretch for hours
CBS
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began deploying to some U.S. airports on Monday as a partial government shutdown caused shortages of Transportation Security Administration officers who have resigned or called out of work.

Japan's Labor Union Wins Wage Hike Topping 5% for Third Year
Financial Post
Japan’s largest labor union group said its workers secured an average pay increase above 5% for a third straight year, an outcome that is likely to keep the central bank on track for another interest rate hike in coming months.

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.