St. Clair College students face uncertainty as strike deadline looms

St. Clair College in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)

St. Clair College students began their winter semester Monday under a cloud of uncertainty, with the threat of a faculty strike just days away.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), representing 14,000 faculty, librarians, and counsellors at 24 colleges across Ontario, issued a five-day strike notice on Friday.

If no agreement is reached by Thursday, staff star job action, disrupting classes and leaving students in limbo.

For students like Lynn Thai, the timing couldn’t be worse.

“Our semester is just starting. It’s going to impact our learning environment, and especially my program, since we mostly learn stuff in class,” the third-year animation student said.

“It’s definitely frustrating.”

Many students on campus told CTV News they hadn’t heard anything about the strike — while those who had largely shared Thai’s frustration.

“Some people are like, ‘Yay, no school!’ But I’m ready. I need [to be here] now,” said first-year student Alainna Hayward.

Union vs. employer

At the heart of the standoff are wages, work conditions and job security.

OPSEU is pushing for what they say are necessary improvements, particularly as international student caps impact enrolment.

The College Employer Council (CEC), however, argues the union’s demands are too steep.

According to CEC CEO Graham Lloyd, faculty are seeking a 55 per cent increase in their next contract — something he claims would cost the system $1 billion.

“It’s okay for us to be apart on some of these complex issues, but there’s no reason to hold the students hostage,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd added that the council is prepared to take the matter to binding arbitration, a process used to settle disputes in 2021 and 2017.

“The union celebrated historic gains in the last round, coming out of the arbitration. So our position is, let’s use that process again and let’s protect the students,” Lloyd said.

Optimism amid the uncertainty

At St. Clair, OPSEU Local 138 represents 320 full-time and up to 215 part-time staff.

Mark Colangelo, president of the Local and a 20-year teaching veteran, acknowledged the challenges but said he’s optimistic a strike can be avoided.

“If both sides can think, not only about what’s best for them but best for the system as a whole, we can put those things first and foremost so that everyone can continue working and students can continue learning,” Colangelo said.

St. Clair prepares

As negotiations resumed Monday, St. Clair College launched an FAQ page to help students understand how a strike could affect their semester. Still, many are left with unanswered questions and growing concerns.

“We have questions for our teachers, but they pretty much know as much as we do right now,” said Nicole Sipocz-James, a first-year child and youth care student.

With the Thursday deadline fast approaching, students and staff alike are bracing for what could be a sharp disruption—or hoping for a last-minute resolution to keep the semester on track.