Ontario college faculty union holding strike vote Sept. 14

The union representing academic staff at Ontario’s public colleges says it will be holding a strike vote on Sept. 14.

JP Hornick, chair of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) bargaining team, told AM980 the 13,000 professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians the union represents have a different view of how Ontario’s 24 colleges should be run.

“The faculty’s position is that you can’t have a stable secure system in which 80 per cent of the teaching is done by precarious workers who have to reapply for their jobs every four months,” she said.

Hornick said the college management, on the other hand, believes the system is secure, stable, and that “nothing needs to be changed.”

OPSEU has been in negotiations with the College Employer Council, which represents management at the schools, since early July.

The union will head back to the bargaining table on Sept. 18, after classes begin.

“We’re not trying to disadvantage students,” said Hornick.

“We’re actually trying to ensure that the next 50 years of the college system — as they’re celebrating their 50th anniversary right now — retain that original vision of high quality, accessible education for everyone.”

The current collective agreement expires on Sept. 30.