Ontario College full-time support staff start the countdown after high strike mandate vote

Ontario College full time support staff, 10,000 workers in twenty-four colleges, members of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) requested a ‘no board’ August 21 after stonewalling at the bargaining table by the College Employer Council (CEC).  ‘The future can’t wait’ is the slogan. The no board starts the clock on a sixteen day period before a labour action could occur. 

 

This is following a 77% vote by members to authorize a strike with an historic 80% turnout. The union has announced that 'Should a deal that prioritizes members' top-line priority of job security fail to be reached by 12:01 a.m. by September 11th, 10,000 full-time college support staff will walk the line for the future of student support.' 

 

Part-time support staff are also taking a strike mandate vote in September.

 

It is happening in the face of an estimated 10,000 layoffs in the college system, one of the largest layoffs in Ontario history, and the closing or suspending of 600 college programs affecting both workers and students just in the past year. 

 

The Ford government is blaming the cuts on the cap on international students but his government and previous governments have been underfunding the college system for decades. Currently, Ontario funds post-secondary education at the lowest level of any province in Canada.

 

“The hypocrisy of the Ford government is shameless – they claimed to be protecting Ontario jobs in the wake of the Trump tariffs while at the same time they are dismantling a public institution that Ontarians turn to in the face of economic instability,” said JP Hornick, President of OPSEU/SEFPO.

 

While College administrations are claiming poverty, OPSEU/SEFPO research shows that in 2023-2024 the colleges had a collective $2.7 billion surplus. 

 

At one college, Conestoga, cuts have been widespread among both support and academic staff. Vikki Poirier, president of OPSEU local 238 which represents support staff said, "We have approximately 190 affected,"

 

Poirier criticized misaligned financial priorities, including a pay bump for Conestoga's president, John Tibbits. His salary is now $636,000 a year. "President Tibbits makes more than the prime minister of Canada. And we would like to know what we get for that," Poirier said.

 

College full time support staff will be the first line of resistance to these draconian cuts. The CEC wants binding arbitration but the union wants a negotiated agreement and no forced offer. They are also demanding that no college or campus be closed down for the life of the collective agreement and that there be no support staff reductions for the life of the agreement.  

 

Union strength in the colleges has been growing in the past few years with part-time support staff and part-time/sessional faculty joining OPSEU. This means all faculty and staff are unionized in the same union fighting the same employer. OPSEU has launched a Save Our Colleges campaign to build momentum. The first day of action is September 4. 

 

It is clear from the Air Canada flight attendants strike that it is right to strike and that real gains can be made when workers stand up to employers.

Save Our Colleges Campaign: https://opseu.org/saveourcolleges

 

 

Betty Cree is the chair OPSEU Region 3 Retired Members Division and Pam Johnson is a former instructor at Georege Brown

photo - Opseu