Negotiations between college faculty and the College Employer Council (CEC) broke down today, according to reports from both the CEC and the union. In a statement posted on their website, the CEC says they have asked for a No Board report, which typically foreshadows a strike or lockout.

In a Twitter thread published on Thursday afternoon, the CAAT-A team said they are left with no other choice than to “organize in favour of the faculty offer”.

The news comes soon after both sides reported significant progress in negotiations. As recently as last week, both sides had issued positive statements about the state of negotiations. That optimism has since eroded.

“The parties appeared to move close to a deal before conciliation, but then discussions stalled,” said Laurie Rancourt, the chair of the CEC’s management bargaining team. “The CAAT-A team has maintained demands that [a mediator] said in his report were unreasonable and had no chance of leading to a negotiated agreement. We have, therefore, asked the Conciliator to issue a No Board Report. The CAAT-A team is clearly no longer interested in bargaining. We believe that we have no choice but to move the process forward.”

Fears of a strike or lockout loom large for George Brown students, many of whom are preparing to return to in-person classes this January. College faculty striked for five weeks back in 2017, impeding students’ academics.