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The College Employer Council (CEC) and the OPSEU CAAT-A union bargaining team (representing full-time and partial-load professors, instructors, librarians, and counsellors) will negotiate a new collective agreement in 2024.

To review a glossary of terms, click here.

  • A strike may take different forms. In general, it is a refusal to work in the normal way that is designed to slow down, disrupt, or stop operations. A strike is organized by a Union as a form of protest typically in an attempt to force the employer to agree to their demands.
  • Unfortunately, in the Colleges, when a faculty member chooses to apply pressure by slowing down, disrupting or stopping work, these actions lead to varying degrees of negative impact on students.
  • Work-to-rule, partial walk-out, rotating strike, and full walk-out are all forms of strike.
  • In work-to-rule, employees perform only the duties that have been assigned, strictly adhering to policy and contract obligations.
  • In a partial walk-out, employees refuse to perform some of their assigned duties.  
  • In a rotating strike, employees walk out entirely for short periods of time at different institutions.
  • In a full walk-out strike, employees withdraw all their services and choose to walk the picket line.
  • Labour action does mean strike. Strike action can take various forms, which include: work-to-rule, partial walk-out, rotating strike, all the way up to a full walk-out.
  • Only the Union can determine what forms of strike action will occur and when.
  • In work-to-rule, employees perform only the duties that have been assigned, strictly adhering to policy and contract obligations.
  • In work-to-rule, teachers continue to teach their classes and perform duties as assigned.
  • No.
  • Introducing terms and conditions does not affect the ability of full-time and partial-load professors and instructors to teach. Nor will it affect the way in which classes are delivered.
  • Work-to-rule should not affect your classes.
  • Work-to-rule means employees continue to do their job performing duties they have been assigned such as teaching and grading.
  • The Colleges cannot force faculty to go on strike.
  • Only the Union team can determine what form of strike action it engages in (work-to-rule, partial walk-out, rotating strikes, walk-out).
  • They can last for a day or for an extended period of time.
  • In 2017, the Union engaged in a full walk-out strike that lasted for more than 5 weeks. Students were still able to complete their semester.
  • Yes, campuses will remain open subject to pandemic restrictions.
  • When picket lines occur, picketers cannot prevent access to those looking to enter campus.
  • In the event of a full walk-out which includes picket lines, information will be provided by your College on how to safely access campus.
  • Go to your College website for updates on the labour dispute.
  • If you plan to visit campus, leave extra time for travelling to the college as picket lines may be set up at campus entrances and limit traffic flow.
  • If there is a full walk-out strike and you take transit to campus, be aware that transit buses will drop students off outside of the campus to respect picket lines.
  • The CEC website contains information on the bargaining process and an ongoing archive of proposals from both parties.
  • Additionally, all news updates are published across CEC social media channels and the website.
  • Please visit CollegeEmployerCouncil.ca or follow the CEC on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or YouTube.
  • The Colleges will continue to operate until the Union escalates strike action or a new collective agreement is agreed upon.
  • Only the Union can determine how long faculty will engage in what they refer to as work-to-rule.
  • The Union has publicly stated that what they refer to as work-to-rule will not negatively affect students.
  • If your teacher has said they cannot help you, reach out to the department chair, associate dean, or dean and let them know.
  • The government does not get involved with College bargaining unless absolutely necessary.
  • In 2017, the government legislated faculty back to work after 5 weeks of engaging in a full walk-out. The Union is currently in the process of challenging this decision.
  • Colleges will inform students about the status of classes.
  • Check your College website for more information.
  • Colleges will inform students about the status of convocation.
  • Check your College website for more information.
  • On March 17, the CEC and OPSEU academic employee bargaining team agreed to enter into unconditional interest arbitration.
  • This means that there are no conditions attached to the interest arbitration such as the arbitrator only looking at recent proposals.
  • Specifically, except with respect to the new terms which were implemented on December 13, 2021, the CEC’s matters before the arbitrator are as they existed on September 15, 2021, including proposals M09, M10a, M10b, and M11
  • The Union’s matters before the arbitrator set out in its nonmonetary proposals as they existed on September 15, 2021, and its monetary proposals as they existed on October 19, 2021
  • The collective agreement will be decided by the arbitrator. 
  • There will be no strike and classes will run as per usual.