Today, we sent a comprehensive proposal package with a pathway to settlement to the College Employer Council (CEC), alongside an invitation to return to the bargaining table immediately.
Please find enclosed an accompanying letter, intending transparency, which has also gone out to all 24 College Presidents providing this update.
Solidarity,
Your College Support Full-Time Bargaining Team:
Christine Kelsey, Chair – Local 416, Algonquin College
Shelley Gartshore, Vice-Chair – Local 124, Lambton College
Veronica Attard – Local 416, Algonquin College
Dan Brisson – Local 672, Collège Boréal
Bob Holder – Local 243, Niagara College
Dana Leaman – Local 241, Mohawk College
Xiaoyan Wang– Local 561, Seneca College
An Open Letter to the Presidents of Ontario’s 24 Colleges
Dear College Presidents,
For nearly a month, 10,000 full-time support staff have been out on strike. The impact on this semester is not something our college communities can afford any longer – the situation has reached a boiling point.
We are calling on you to fulfill your mandate to protect the student experience. Bring your bargaining agent, the College Employer Council (CEC), back to the table and exercise real leadership in helping end this strike.
Over the last weeks, your bargaining agent has elected to share misinformation about negotiations and prioritize media tours, rather than work towards a resolution.
We want to ensure you are aware of how your leadership is being characterized at the table. The CEC has repeatedly communicated across the table that College Presidents are united in believing this strike has no impact.
Students, understandably, have been outraged to learn this. Convocations are being cancelled, student access to critical services and supports is limited or unavailable, and the semester is slipping away.
When staff are unsupported – with fewer of us remaining after each round of cutbacks – students inevitably suffer. The mandate from our members has been clear and consistent: secure real job security provisions.
We remain more than willing to explore new pathways and language which addresses concerns by both parties – but that requires genuine dialogue. The CEC’s refusal to discuss language on top demands is not bargaining.
Earlier today, we sent a comprehensive proposal package with a pathway to settlement to the College Employer Council (CEC) alongside an invitation to return to the bargaining table immediately.
Our team is together in Toronto and ready to meet and negotiate a new collective agreement at any time.
Our ask to you is simple: direct your bargaining agent to reach a fair and timely resolution, fulfilling your obligation to the hundreds of thousands of students impacted on our campuses.
Sincerely,
The OPSEU/SEFPO College Support Full-Time Bargaining Team
Christine Kelsey, Chair – Algonquin College
Shelley Gartshore, Vice-Chair – Lambton College
Veronica Attard – Algonquin College
Dan Brisson – Collège Boréal
Bob Holder – Niagara College
Dana Leaman – Mohawk College
Xiaoyan Wang – Seneca College