Bargaining Update - Ontario colleges stand firm in face of unreasonable demands and strike vote

Last week, the College Employer Council (CEC) and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) CAAT-Full-Time Support Staff completed four more days of bargaining toward a renewal collective agreement.

The parties engaged in dialogue in an effort to reach an agreement that benefits college employees and respects the serious financial challenges currently facing Ontario colleges. CEC offered to withdraw a number of its proposals if the union agreed to remove some of its related demands. At this time, those offers have not been accepted. Rather than resolving a number of outstanding proposals after 10 days of bargaining, the union added more to its initial list of 45 demands.

The next round of bargaining in August will focus on the union’s monetary demands, which collectively exceed $900 million for colleges and include six additional paid days off and 10 paid days for family care. In the current financial environment, no employer could agree to these demands.

While pushing for demands that would lead to massive increases to operating costs for colleges with fewer days of work, the union has requested a strike vote. A strike is unnecessary, and a strike cannot make unrealistic demands affordable. 

Colleges are firmly committed to supporting students with a world-class education through the 2025-26 academic year, and beyond. A strike will not benefit students or employees or the college system.

In its most recent public statements, the union misrepresents management proposals about unused vacation time and does not recognize that other management proposals have been clarified and conditionally removed. Negotiation is not a one-way process. Bargaining is intended to be a dialogue between parties aimed at reaching common ground. In contrast, the union called for a strike vote after less than four hours of in-person discussion at the table before even responding to college proposals.

As bargaining proceeds, CEC will continue to recognize the important work that full-time support staff provide to colleges and students, while bearing in mind the financial reality of shrinking revenues and growing deficits that colleges are facing.

The current collective agreement with Ontario colleges’ full-time support staff expires on August 31, 2025.

Learn more about the negotiations: College Employer Council