COLLEGE EMPLOYER COUNCIL
Statement on the certification of Ontario college part-time academic union

The Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) has unofficially confirmed the establishment of a union for part-time and sessional professors, instructors, counsellors and librarians at all 24 Ontario public colleges, to be represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union/Syndicat des employés de la fonction publique de l'Ontario (OPSEU/SEFPO). Official approval is expected in the coming days.

"We respect the important contributions of part-time academic staff to the education and training of the 500,000 students at Ontario colleges and polytechnics and we acknowledge their right to unionize," said Graham Lloyd, CEO of the College Employer Council. "We look forward to meeting with representatives of the new union bargaining unit to negotiate a fair and reasonable first collective agreement in the coming months, one that will benefit students, the colleges and the communities they serve."

ORLB confirmed that more than 50 per cent of participating members voted in favour of joining OPSEU/SEFPO, with approximately 3,600 votes cast. There are approximately 12,750 employees in this group. The initial mandate vote took place in October 2017 and went through a number of stages of scrutiny before the OLRB determined the votes could be officially tallied.

Once the certification is officially confirmed, CEC expects to receive notice to begin bargaining and is committed to following due process and to respecting the rights of employees. Further updates will be provided once dates for that process have been established.