Fanshawe classes start September 4... hopefully
The contract between the faculty of Ontario's colleges and the province is drawing to a close. August 31 is the expiration date of the current contract signed in 2010 between the province and the union team representing 24 colleges.
Talks have been ongoing between the faculty bargaining team and the provincial team since early June. Both teams began the process by committing to finding a suitable contract by the time the current contract expires. The faculty union here at Fanshawe is OPSEU 110. Although they don't have a member on the bargaining team, all of the colleges had the opportunity to provide input on the list of bargaining items. On the OPSEU 110 website (opseu110.ca), there are documents outlining the items. They range from changes to promote equality between staff to giving teachers more freedom in choosing their curriculum.
The question on everyone's mind, however, is could these negotiations could lead to a strike? Last September, the support staff was on strike for the beginning of first semester, causing long wait times for student services. A faculty strike would be a greater inconvenience as students would be unable to attend class through the duration of the strike. A less likely scenario is that the staff could be locked out, but for that to happen the province would have to decide that they weren't able to negotiate a contract that both parties could agree on. No votes have been called yet, however the union can initiate a strike vote at any time to gauge the union members' priorities. Even if a strike vote is called, and passes, this does not immediately lead to a strike. A strike vote that passes puts the union at an advantage in the bargaining room since they can threaten to walk with member's support.
The two sides have only discussed the elements of the contract changes which will not have financial costs. Some of the proposed changes target the structure of the current contract while not having an effect on salaries, hours or hiring. Those elements that do require additional funds will be discussed in the weeks to come and are generally the major point of contention. The union will try to get as much for their members as possible while the province will try to talk them down by using the elementary school teachers' recent wage freeze as a barometer for how to proceed.
Over the next few weeks we'll be keeping you up to date with developments in the contract negotiations as they occur. The outcome has serious effects on our community both for the faculty and the students and we'll be interviewing members of the local OPSEU office and contract lawyers to interpret the events as they unfold.
Talks have been ongoing between the faculty bargaining team and the provincial team since early June. Both teams began the process by committing to finding a suitable contract by the time the current contract expires. The faculty union here at Fanshawe is OPSEU 110. Although they don't have a member on the bargaining team, all of the colleges had the opportunity to provide input on the list of bargaining items. On the OPSEU 110 website (opseu110.ca), there are documents outlining the items. They range from changes to promote equality between staff to giving teachers more freedom in choosing their curriculum.
The question on everyone's mind, however, is could these negotiations could lead to a strike? Last September, the support staff was on strike for the beginning of first semester, causing long wait times for student services. A faculty strike would be a greater inconvenience as students would be unable to attend class through the duration of the strike. A less likely scenario is that the staff could be locked out, but for that to happen the province would have to decide that they weren't able to negotiate a contract that both parties could agree on. No votes have been called yet, however the union can initiate a strike vote at any time to gauge the union members' priorities. Even if a strike vote is called, and passes, this does not immediately lead to a strike. A strike vote that passes puts the union at an advantage in the bargaining room since they can threaten to walk with member's support.
The two sides have only discussed the elements of the contract changes which will not have financial costs. Some of the proposed changes target the structure of the current contract while not having an effect on salaries, hours or hiring. Those elements that do require additional funds will be discussed in the weeks to come and are generally the major point of contention. The union will try to get as much for their members as possible while the province will try to talk them down by using the elementary school teachers' recent wage freeze as a barometer for how to proceed.
Over the next few weeks we'll be keeping you up to date with developments in the contract negotiations as they occur. The outcome has serious effects on our community both for the faculty and the students and we'll be interviewing members of the local OPSEU office and contract lawyers to interpret the events as they unfold.
