Marilou Martin, president of the support staff union at George Brown College, addresses workers at a union BBQ at St. James campus in the summer. Photo courtesy OPSEU.
Over 220,000 students won’t have to worry about chaos in Ontario colleges or face crossing noisy picket lines when school starts in September.
The union representing 8,000 support staff have reached a tentative agreement with Ontario’s 24 colleges. The agreement comes one day before the College Employer Council could have initiated a forced ratification vote. The current contract for the support staff expires on Aug. 31.
According to Marilou Martin, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) local 557 at George Brown College, the tentative agreement is a four-year deal with wage increases of one per cent in the first year and second years with 0.5 per cent hikes in the third and fourth years. There will also be one per cent lump-sum payments in the third and fourth year of the contract.
Florry Foster, chair of the bargaining team for college support staff workers said that the lump-sum payments are pensionable earnings meaning they will count towards workers’ pensions.
Martin said one bereavement day for staff was also added, but there were no major changes to the collective agreement.
“The students know who we are. We’re not just janitors and tradesmen, we’re skilled technologists in a variety of roles that support their education,” said Foster, who has worked as a chemical engineer technologist at St. Clair College for 15 years. “We’re really looking forward to ratifying this deal and continuing to provide support for the students.”
Foster says that the OPSEU bargaining team will be touring the 24 colleges in the province and recommending the agreement to their members.
While Martin is still waiting to receive the agreement in writing she says she will be also recommending the deal to George Brown staff based on what she’s heard.
“You have to look at the big picture, nobody’s going to go on strike at this time. If you vote it down, you are looking at a strike,” said Martin. “In reality, are you going to get anything for striking at this time? Absolutely not, it wouldn’t be worth it.”
In 2011, support staff were on strike for 18 days which saw students facing long lines trying to use understaffed services.
According to a joint press release from OPSEU and the College Employers Council, the full details of the tentative agreement won’t be released until the workers ratify the agreement. The ratification vote could happen as early as mid-September.
“We are very pleased to have reached this agreement well ahead of the contract expiry of August 31,” said Gerry Barker, Chair of the Colleges’ Bargaining Team in the press release. “Reaching the agreement now provides certainty for our support staff, for our colleges and most importantly for the hundreds of thousands of students looking forward to starting their studies this September.”
In the initial round of bargaining OPSEU made 25 specific proposals to changes to the collective agreement on issues such as benefits, health & safety, job postings & security, leaves, wages and working conditions.
The College Employer Council had sought to enhance operational flexibility and productivity, as well as implement green initiatives.
“It’s good news for the students because they have one less set of negotiations to worry about—the faculty is still out there,” said Martin.
College faculty, who are also represented by OPSEU, are still in bargaining and have set a strike vote for Sept. 25.
