April 14 2025

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) congratulates OPSEU/SEFPO on successfully unionizing more than 16,000 precarious faculty members at Ontario public colleges. This win comes after one of the largest organizing fights in the country’s history, and offers renewed hope for real improvements to working conditions in post-secondary education.

“This is historic – after today, our college system becomes wall-to-wall union,” said JP Hornick, President of OPSEU/SEFPO. “We’ve fought tooth and nail to get here. There was a time when part-time college workers were one of the very few classifications legally excluded from unionizing in Canada.”

The vote count showed an overwhelming majority of workers against a two-tier employment system and in favour of unionizing alongside their 45,000 colleagues already part of the union. OPSEU/SEFPO fought for nearly two decades to break down long-standing barriers and stop the over-reliance on the precarious work model that has become the norm at our post-secondary colleges and universities.

“This is a proud moment not just for these workers, but also for students, and for strong post-secondary education in Ontario,” said Bert Blundon, President of NUPGE. “On behalf of 425,000 NUPGE members across the country, I congratulate the public college union members and their leaders, who never gave up the fight. Their solidarity, organizing skill, and commitment to public post-secondary education is an example for us all.”

Blundon also said that these workers have shown the way in the fight ahead for robust public services we all rely on, including accessible post-secondary education. “Investments in public colleges and universities benefit students, workers, and our future workforce. OPSEU/SEFPO is helping send a clear message that we care about fairness and equity, we care about workers, students and our communities, and we are united in the fight for strong public services in Canada.”