Faculty at Ontario's public colleges have given their five-day notice of the beginning of labour action, opening the door to any form of strike beginning Thursday, Jan. 9, their union announced Friday afternoon.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), representing full-time and partial-load professors, instructors and librarians, and the College Employer Council (CEC), the bargaining agent for Ontario's 24 public colleges, will still meet for non-binding mediation Jan. 6 and 7.
“Despite half a year of bargaining, college faculty are entering 2025 without a contract in hand. The CEC has had every opportunity to meet us in the middle,” Michelle Arbour, acting chair of the faculty bargaining team, said in a statement issued through OPSEU’s communications department.
“Their only offer on the table would leave us worse off than our expired agreement,” Arbour added. “Months (of) bargaining have been marked by an unwillingness to bargain on the CEC's part.”
According to the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, the bargaining team or employer must give five days' notice of any labour action commencing, such as a strike or lockout.
OPSEU is in a legal strike position as of Saturday, Jan. 4.
OPSEU says that across Georgian College's Barrie, Orillia and Owen Sound campuses, about 700 college faculty members would be affected. Half of those members are "precarious," partial-load faculty working contract to contract, according to the union.
OPSEU and the CEC don’t appear to be close to a new deal, despite the mediation dates.
“CEC is hopeful that OPSEU will rethink their unreasonable and unsustainable demands in upcoming mediation,” Graham Lloyd, chief executive officer of the CEC, said in a statement Friday afternoon. “OPSEU’s more than 200 demands would increase costs to Ontario Colleges by 55 per cent, or almost $1 billion annually.
“These demands ignore the stark financial reality faced by Ontario colleges, who are projected to lose $1.7 billion due to a combination of declining enrolment, government policy changes and higher costs," Lloyd added.
Lloyd said OPSEU is looking for a 10 per cent increase in wages in addition to a reduction in classroom teaching time by 25 per cent, to less than an average of nine hours per week.
“In addition, they are demanding five weeks (of) ‘self-directed time’ in addition to their already nine weeks’ vacation,” Lloyd said. “They want to have significant reductions in teaching and classroom time, which represents 55 per cent increases to college costs."
Throughout the bargaining process, Lloyd said CEC’s goal has remained the same.
"We want to keep our students learning and faculty in the classroom,” he said. “That is why we proposed binding arbitration and continue to urge OPSEU to agree. We do not know why they would prefer to disrupt student learning if mediation does not progress.
“While CEC has made every effort to address OPSEU’s concerns and recognize the hard work of faculty through our proposals, we cannot accept demands that would jeopardize our students, faculty and the future of the sector,” Lloyd added. “The CEC remains committed to a solution without interrupting student learning. We urge OPSEU to reconsider their approach in favour of an outcome that is fair and sustainable for everyone.”
OPSEU said it’s fighting for an agenda that centres on quality education.
“College executives cannot continue to float the college system on a majority precarious workforce and approximately $24,500 of unpaid labour contributed by each faculty member annually,” Arbour said. “Half our members work contract to contract, with little to no benefits and no job security – and many of them are working outside their contracts.”
OPSEU said the workload formula has not been updated since 1984, and that faculty have a maximum of only five minutes and 24 seconds per student, per week for evaluation.
“The employer is trying to narrowly redefine education as solely time in front of the classroom,” Arbour said. “Teachers, parents and students everywhere know that education is about so much more. The range of supports needed by students today are increasingly complex. We're fighting for more time on out-of-classroom support, prep and grading.”
OPSEU said that for six months it has requested a breakdown of the CEC's ‘$1-billion’ cost projection.
“Show us the math,” Arbour said. “At the end of the day, we’re in the classrooms and we know what students need. If the so-called ‘stewards’ of the college system did, we’d be looking at very different headlines on Ontario’s colleges.”
OPSEU and the CEC had mediation Dec. 6 and 8, but the talks were unsuccessful. At the end of the three days, both agreed to extend mediation and meet again Jan. 6 and 7.
— With files by The Canadian Press
