Ontario college faculty walk off the job
March 23, 2006
ST. CATHARINES, ON. (CUP)– Talks between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and the College Compensation and Appointments Council (CCAC) broke down late Monday night, prompting some 9,000 faculty and staff at Ontario’s colleges to walk off the job.
The employees at Ontario’s 24 colleges were negotiating a new collective agreement, but could not agree on details by the March 7 deadline. According to Niagara College President Dan Patterson, the OPSEU employees are asking for a 12.6 per cent pay raise over four years that will ensure that Ontario college teachers and staff remain the highest paid in Canada.
The deal also reportedly would include no increased workload.
Teachers are also seeking smaller class sizes and more time to spend one-on-one with students, among other things.
Administrators for the college side are upset at the CCAC’s inability to agree to a contract.
“Ontario college students are frustrated and furious this evening that their postsecondary education is being disrupted by a province-wide faculty strike,” said Matt Jackson, President of the College Student Alliance (CSA).
One hundred and fifty thousand students are affected by the strike which comes with just a month of school remaining.
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