COLLEGE EMPLOYER COUNCIL
A strike cannot make unrealistic demands affordable

Bargaining between the College Employer Council (CEC) and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) CAAT-Full-Time Support Staff (FTSS) resumes on August 19, 2025. CEC will continue to recognize the important work that full-time support staff provide to colleges and students, while bearing in mind the financial reality of shrinking revenues and growing deficits that colleges are facing.

We are publishing this Update as members of the FTSS commence their strike vote. These negotiations will focus on the union's monetary demands, which collectively expose colleges to more than $900 million in additional costs and include six additional paid days off and 10 paid days off for family care.  The union has requested a strike vote while pushing for demands that will result in massive operating increases for colleges with fewer days of work.  All of this is happening in the context of the worst financial crises that colleges have faced in decades.

A strike is unnecessary and a strike cannot make unrealistic demands affordable for colleges.

Correcting Misleading and/or Incomplete Information

It is important to address some misleading and/or incomplete information that the OPSEU FTSS bargaining team recently published regarding its more than 45 demands. Some of those claims and clarifications are below.

The union says: Colleges want to "claw back unused vacation and prevent it from being rolled over."
In reality, colleges have stated they want to enforce the long-standing existing terms of the collective agreement. Colleges have not been diligent in applying the terms of the clause in the current collective agreement and they communicated to the union that, going forward, the union would not be able to rely on past practice.

Colleges will ensure that managers work to provide employees with their allotted vacation time and that not more than 15 days are carried over. In situations where excess vacation time has been accrued, colleges have proposed until July 2027 (2 more years) to give employees time to take carried over vacation that exceeds the allotment set out in the collective agreement.

The union says: Colleges want to "implement split shifts: allowing the employer to schedule you on and off in the same day."
Many college employees request split shifts for a variety of reasons, including personal reasons like attending a child's graduation or other special events. Colleges are also looking for more flexibility. Contrary to the union's assertion, the CEC's proposal calls for split shifts only if the college and the employee agree to it.  Under the CEC proposal, if an employee does not agree to a split shift, then the college is prohibited from scheduling that employee on a split shift.

The union says: The union is focusing on "increasing benefits, like drug coverage and dental care."
In reality, the union has demanded increased coverage for prescriptions (100% of prescription drugs without a limit) and dental (60% increase in coverage), and has demanded a great deal more, including:

• doubling hearing aid coverage; 
• doubling vision care coverage;
• 100% of unspecified costs associated with gender affirmation treatment and surgeries; and
• 100% of unspecified costs related to fertility services.

While colleges are canvassing the possibility of enhancing certain benefits, the enhancements have to take into account the economic situations that colleges currently face.

The union says: The union's demands focus on "catching wages up with inflation."
In reality, as well as demanding a 6% wage increase each year, the union is also demanding a 400% increase in the on-call premium; a 167% increase in evening shift premiums, and a 150% increase on overnight shift premiums, and the introduction of an additional premium for weekend shifts. These demands are unrealistic, especially with the current economic challenges facing colleges. Also consider that the recently arbitrated wage increases for full-time academic employees are 3%, 2.5% and 2% over the life of the current collective agreement.

The union called for a strike vote without hearing CEC's monetary proposals, and whether colleges were presenting reasonable increases like those being seen in other bargaining units in the college sector.

The union says: It demands that colleges will provide at least one year's notice prior to implementing technological changes that impact working conditions and will seek written agreement from the union prior to the implementation of any technological changes that may result in the elimination of bargaining unit positions.
We are Ontario's colleges of applied arts and technology. Technological innovation is central to the mandate of colleges. It is not realistic or reasonable to expect colleges to delay technological changes in teaching and operations. Colleges want to include employees in the technological innovations being introduced, with professional development and training.  It is unreasonable to propose that technological changes cannot be made without union consent. This is not a demand that colleges will ever entertain.

Next Steps

Colleges are firmly committed to supporting students with a world-class education through the 2025-26 academic year, and beyond. A strike will not benefit students or employees or the college system. We will return to the bargaining table with the intention of reaching a fair negotiated collective agreement. A strike vote and a strike will not make unreasonable demands affordable.

You can find a listing of the union's demands and college proposals at CAATFTSS2025Proposals | College Employer Council - CEC