More than 10,000 full-time support workers from Ontario’s 24 public colleges are going on strike starting Thursday in an effort to ensure job security, says the union.
The College Employer Council (CEC) “walked away from the [negotiation] table” after failing to respond since 4 p.m. Wednesday, said the support staff bargaining team from the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union (OPSEU).
“If they think they can neglect their responsibility to bargain, it’s time we remind them there is power in the union,” said the OPSEU in an emailed statement.
“This is not just a fight for a contract – it’s about the future of student support. We’re fighting because we know our students need us.”
The OPSEU, which represents librarians, bookstore and registrar employees, and the CEC have been negotiating contracts, which expired on Sept. 1, since June.
Citing mass layoffs, the OPSEU says job security and appropriate funding are major concerns for staff.
The union estimated that previous and upcoming system-wide cuts will result in 10,000 job losses, and over 650 programs have already been cancelled, it said to CBC Toronto in August.
Over 55 community groups have joined the Ontario Federation of Labour’s pledge to support striking workers, said the OPSEU.
Post-secondary classes from Sault Ste. Marie to Kitchener to Oshawa are in full-swing, but the strike will bring essential service at public colleges to a halt. Picket lines at those schools will be in affect at various times and locations, the union said.
More to come
