This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
'This vote is not an endorsement of the imposed terms and conditions or the employer’s last offer. Fear of a strike, according to most reports, was a key factor.'
Toronto (25 Feb. 2010) - Verification of mail-in ballots has confirmed that faculty members at Ontario's 24 community colleges have narrowly accepted the employer’s contract offer.
As a result, the offer becomes a new collective agreement for the next three years for approximately 10,000 faculty members across the province.
Ted Montgomery, chair of the bargaining team for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE), says fear was the major motivator behind the vote.
“We did not want a labour disruption and had a plan to avoid one but the employer took the stance with our members that it was either accept the offer or be forced out on strike,” Montgomery said.
“This vote is not an endorsement of the imposed terms and conditions or the employer’s last offer. Fear of a strike, according to most reports, was a key factor.”
Montgomery expressed disappointment that key recommendations by a workload task force will not be addressed. “Issues around workload, among others, will only become more contentious as problems worsen,” he forecast.
OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says the entire voting process was mishandled by the colleges from the beginning.
“There was no advance poll, causing the high number of mail-in ballots,” Thomas said. “Many voted after already knowing the original results and some members never received ballots at all. This is in addition to the employer’s tactic of hiring nearly 800 partial-load faculty after the January strike vote. We have filed formal complaints.”
Montgomery says unresolved bargaining issues will remain a priority for faculty members. “Our task now is to work to resolve the problems in the system that the colleges failed to address this time,” he said.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE