Ontario college faculty vote 79 per cent in favour of strike action

Unionized faculty at Ontario’s 24 public colleges have voted 79 per cent in favour of strike action.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) says more than 76 per cent of the membership took part in the vote, calling it the largest College Faculty strike mandate vote in a generation.

A strike date has yet to be announced.

The union, which represents approximately 14,000 full-time and partial-load professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians, says the two sides remain apart on key issues including wages, workload, and job security.

It adds that while the conciliation process led to increased dialogue with the College Employer Council (CEC), significant concessions remain unresolved.

“With an accumulated surplus of $1 billion over the last year alone, the Colleges have the resources to fulfill the core mandate of the Colleges: training Ontario’s future workforce through teaching, learning, and student support. There’s enough money to prioritize quality education, while responsibly navigating any uncertainty.”

The CEC has proposed mediation-arbitration to resolve the remaining issues, which they say the union has rejected so far.

“The Colleges do not want students and employees to be negatively impacted because of the unwillingness of the CAAT-A bargaining team to settle negotiations at the table,” said Graham Lloyd, CEO of CEC in a statement.

“Mediation and interest arbitration give us the ability to continue working through areas of common ground and for a neutral third party to step to assist. The students and college system do not need a strike to address the Faculty Bargaining Team’s demands.”

The union’s contract expired on Oct. 1 and the parties have since held two days of conciliation talks.