ONTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES UNION OPSEU
Faculty issue five-day notice of labour action: bargaining update

Despite half a year of bargaining, college faculty are entering 2025 without a contract in hand. A new year should invite progress, but the employer's only offer on the table would leave us worse off than our now three-month expired agreement.

The CEC continues to table language that works against faculty interests at a time where colleges are threatening frontline workers with austerity and the majority of  courses being delivered by faculty who work on precarious contracts, with no job security and little to no benefits. 

Today (January 3), College Faculty are giving our five-day notice of beginning labour action. This opens the door to any form of strike action beginning January 9th, 2025.  

The parties will meet again in non-binding mediation on January 6-7, 2025. We remain committed to bargaining productively, as we have over the last six months, but we must also be pragmatic. If we cannot reach an agreement in mediation, it is unlikely that a deal that protects faculty futures can be reached without the urgency of labour action.

Members are encouraged to ensure they have completed their registration at the OPSEU/SEFPO portal and connect with their Locals using their non-college email addresses so that communication channels are open regarding the timing and type of labour action, along with specific instructions on how to proceed. Please continue to report to work unless otherwise instructed.

We love our work. We want to be in our classrooms, labs, libraries, and offices, supporting students. But our work can't come at the cost of floating the college system on our unpaid labour: about $24,500 per faculty member, annually. 

Any labour action will disrupt our lives - it's a sacrifice for a better future, not a holiday. This is not a decision we have made lightly. It is a necessity, forced by the failed stewardship of college executives, CEOs, and out-of-touch politicians eroding quality education and piloting the college system into the present crisis. 

Their agenda is a race to the bottom. Our agenda centers quality education and a system that doesn't run on exploiting workers and students. 

We are Ontario's college system. We train the future workers of this economy, and we live and serve in our local communities. We have a better plan - and we're ready to stand up for it.

Protecting post-secondary education is vital to the future of Ontario. If you care about the future of education and the province, we know you'll stand with us.

Solidarity,

Your CAAT-A Bargaining Team:

Ravi Ramkissoonsingh, L242, Chair (he/him)
Michelle Arbour, L125, Acting-Chair (she/her)
Chad Croteau, L110 (he/him)
Bob Delaney, L237 (he/him)
Martin Lee, L415 (he/him)
Sean Lougheed, L657 (he/him)
Rebecca Ward, L732 (she/her)