The strike by faculty at Ontario’s 22 community colleges is now in its fifth week, making it the longest such strike in the history of Ontario community colleges and frankly, it’s time for the profs to put down their picket signs and get back to work.
We’ve had representatives from both sides explain their positions over the last few weeks and, at first, there seemed to be some public support for the faculty concerns, but that support has been eroding rapidly over the last while.
The concerns about precarious employment and job security are common themes in contract disputes, but really, who among us has job security in this day and age?
More importantly, this strike has caused immense financial stress on thousands of college students, which is magnified by the concern about the effects that a compressed timetable would have on their grades and future employment possibilities.
Every day, I hear from more and more outraged parents and students who feel victimized.
Students enrol at a community college to be educated and receive hands-on experience in their chosen field, but instead, find themselves as collateral damage in a philosophical debate about how community colleges should be administered.
It’s not their fight, but they are the ones who will pay a huge price in this conflict and for that, both sides should be ashamed.
Bill Kelly is the host of Bill Kelly Show on AM 900 CHML and a commentator for Global News.