Part-time support workers at the 24 colleges in Ontario are gearing up for a strike vote next week, potentially joining full-time workers who have been on strike for three weeks. Around 10,000 part-time employees, represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), have been working without a valid collective agreement for nearly two years.
The bargaining team informed the College Employer Council (CEC) on September 1 of their plan to seek a strike vote to pressurize the colleges to engage in fair negotiations. The vote for part-time support workers is scheduled between October 14 and 17.
Dave Strutton, a part-time steward at Conestoga College, highlighted the importance of demands such as sick days and standardized job descriptions for part-time staff. Without standardized job descriptions, managers could arbitrarily assign additional duties to workers, leading to longer work hours and potential breaches of part-time employment terms.
Strutton noted that some members have reported being asked by managers to cover tasks typically handled by full-time staff during the strike, along with attempted changes to working hours and shifts in violation of the collective agreement.
Simon Black, an associate professor of labor studies at Brock University, described the potential involvement of part-time support staff in the strike as a significant escalation in the labor dispute. This move not only intensifies the standoff between OPSEU, colleges, and the government but also increases pressure on the College Employer Council and the provincial government to address union demands.
Despite attempts to reach the College Employer Council for comment, responses were not received at the time of publication.