COLLEGE EMPLOYER COUNCIL
College Employer Council urges OPSEU to resolve negotiation stalemate through mediation

On May 6, the College Employer Council (CEC), representing Ontario's 24 publicly funded colleges, calls on the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) to engage in non-binding mediation to break a months-long impasse in negotiations with the part-time college support staff.

Since negotiations began in January 2024, the CEC has proposed significant wage increases and groundbreaking provisions on important issues such as sick days, pay for cancelled shifts for regularly scheduled part-time employees, and enhanced protections around sexual harassment and job insecurity. These proposals aim to benefit the approximately 15,000 part-time support staff, including student employees, represented by OPSEU's CAAT-PTSS bargaining team.

"Colleges recognize the important role part-time support staff play in our institutions, and we are committed to ensuring they receive fair compensation, including wage and vacation pay increases across the board," said Graham Lloyd, CEO of the CEC. "Mediation is a common and effective option in negotiations for resolving complex issues. It is our sincere hope that working with a third-party mediator will lead to a renewal agreement that is fair for regular employees, student employees and the colleges."

Following 16 months of respectful but unsuccessful negotiations, the parties made little headway in a one-day conciliation session on May 1, 2025. The CEC requested the appointment of an Ontario Ministry of Labour conciliation officer earlier this year after OPSEU declined multiple mediation requests. The CEC is again urging OPSEU to participate in mediation to prevent further escalation of tensions in the bargaining process.

The union bargaining team has maintained several demands that Ontario colleges cannot accept, including:

• compensation and wage increases ranging from 10 to 16 per cent per year;
• unlimited paid time off for religious, cultural and other reasons, without flexibility for colleges to accommodate by rescheduling shifts; and
• a short-term contract that would require both parties to begin bargaining again in less than six months from now.

College part-time support staff members regularly work 24 hours per week or less in roles such as office, clerical, technical, health care, maintenance, building service, shipping, transportation, cafeteria, and nursery staff.

"We are asking OPSEU to reconsider its current demands and negotiation approach and return to the bargaining table with a mediator," said Lloyd. "We remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached with the CAAT-PTSS bargaining team to ensure stability for students, employees, and the broader Ontario college community."