College strike narrowly avoided in Windsor and London: OPSEU

St. Clair College seen in Windsor, Ont. (Source: St. Clair College)

The college faculty strike has been just barely avoided after six months of negotiations.

A Memorandum of Agreement was signed on Tuesday, which OPSEU/SEFPO said has significant benefit gains. Any outstanding items are to be sent to meditation-arbitration.

“Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions, and with a historic strike mandate and province-wide organizing, faculty sent the clear message that we’re ready to stand up to protect both,” said Ravi Ramkissoonsingh, chair of the faculty bargaining team.

A new contract for staff will be settled later.

"We are pleased to have averted an unnecessary strike at Ontario's 24 public colleges," said Graham Lloyd, CEO of College Employer Council (CEC).

"Our goal throughout negotiations has been to recognize the hard work of academic employees and to keep students in class. To this end, CEC offered several breakthrough proposals, such as enhanced benefits for all academic employees and improved access to benefits for partial-loaded employees. Throughout this bargaining process, CEC has put students first. The threat against their learning has been averted."

Classes will run as scheduled this week.

Although a strike was avoided, OPSEU/SEFPO said the fight isn’t over due to announced cuts to programming and staff.

“College students are reduced to walking dollar signs for the same reason that 75 per cent of faculty are precarious, working contract-to-contract,” said JP Hornick, president of OPSEU/SEFPO.

“It’s a corporate model of education that funnels student tuition away from their education and towards the ballooning salaries of ever-multiplying college administrators that will never step foot in the classroom, or vanity projects to attract investors.”