The polls are open for you to vote in the strike mandate vote.
Together, we can vote “YES” and send our bargaining team back to the negotiations table with the power of the 10,000 college support workers behind us.
You will have received the CEC communication yesterday. They are employing classic bargaining tactics: inflating the cost of our proposals, trying to sow division between the membership and your bargaining team, and making it seem like our team is being unreasonable for challenging their concessions.
What are they really saying?
They are not denying their concessions which would:
- Remove protections around job security including:
- Reduce bumping rights
- Weaken the justification they have to provide to execute layoffs
- Limit grievance rights around job classification.
- Eliminate carry-over vacation over 15 days, despite the fact that vacation schedules are controlled by the colleges.
- Double mandatory On Call from 128 hours/month to 256 hours/month (this works out to about 6 months of the year)
- Introduce split-shifts, which could be used to pressure employees into accepting less paid time, and means they can avoid paying you overtime.
They are using numbers with no context, trying to convince you that what we are asking for is unreasonable, relying on fear and misinformation.
- They point out that the union’s proposals would be a “400% increase in on-call premium” while carefully omitting that the current rate is one dollar an hour, and the union is proposing $5/hour.
- They are costing the union’s proposals as if every single member will utilize the maximum amount of each benefit and leave
- Ie. as if all 10,000 members would take domestic violence leave.
They want to make it seem like we’re refusing to bargain with them:
- In reality, the union put forward all of our proposals on Day 1, and we have been ready to make the most of our time at the negotiations table.
- And yet, more than halfway into our scheduled bargaining process, the CEC has yet to share any of their monetary proposals with us.
- Furthermore, they have so far refused the union’s non-monetary proposals that would change processes and policies to make our workplace better.
Do not be fooled by what the employers’ proposals would actually do.
Their proposals would make it easier to lay us off, make it easier for them to make us work more, while paying us less, and make it easier to replace support staff without providing reasoning.
Instead of working with us to demand the funding that is needed to address the crisis in the colleges, they instead want to double down on the devastating paths of layoffs we’ve seen already, which have resulted in hundreds of program closures.
We will not accept this. Your bargaining team has asked for a strike mandate vote because the employer isn’t respecting us – or you.
Together, let’s vote “YES” and stand up for ourselves, our jobs, our workplaces, and each other.
In solidarity,
Your College Support Full-Time Bargaining Team:
Christine Kelsey, Local 416 (Chair)
Shelley Gartshore, Local 124 (Vice-Chair)
Veronica Attard, Local 416
Dan Brisson, Local 672
Bob Holder, Local 243
Dana Leaman, Local 241
Xiaoyan Wang, Local 561
Here is how to vote:
1. You should have receive your unique voting credentials this morning from the Labour Board. This could go to your work email address, or if in some cases, to your personal email address. Don’t forget to check your spam folder!
2. Cast your ballot between Wednesday, August 13th at 12pm through Friday, August 15th at 3pm. This is a secret ballot vote that is cast online – no one (including the employer) will know how you voted.
- If you have issues voting, you can contact the OPSEU/SEFPO Strike Vote Help Line: 1-833-266-2804
If you do not receive voting credentials, you must contact the Ontario Labour Relations Board (ORLB) Help Desk.
OLRB Help Desk:
- 416-326-7432 (English)
- 416-326-0313 (French)
Help Desk Hours:
- August 13 – 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- August 14 – 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- August 15 – 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m
Please note: if you are a member on parental leave, short-term disability, or on the recall list with an active grievance you are eligible to vote. You must contact the OLRB Help Desk to get your credentials if you don’t receive an email.