Dozens of CUPE members have walked off the job at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) after negotiations fell through.

In a post on social media, the union shows academic workers picketing outside the school early Wednesday afternoon.

CUPE Local 3912 and the school reached an impasse in February after the two sides failed to reach their first collective agreement.

The union says 113 academic workers are asking for a “fair and equitable” hiring procedure and “meaningful job security protections,” which are basic and necessary for a first contract.

According to CUPE, instructors do not have any guarantee of employment beyond a single semester.

“People are moving to Halifax from elsewhere in the country to work at NSCAD, only to find out they’re guaranteed work for just three months once they arrive,” says Lachlan Sheldrick, Unit Vice-President of CUPE 3912’s NSCAD component.

“That’s hard on our members and it’s not a reasonable expectation from the employer. As a newly organized group, we’re trying to establish clear, fair hiring rules that provide stability and recognize experience.”