Hundreds of workers on strike, along with their supporters, gathered outside Mohawk College in Hamilton and various other provincial colleges on Thursday morning to exert pressure on their employers following the breakdown of talks on Monday.
At Mohawk’s Fennell Avenue W. campus, employees from Niagara College, Sheridan College, and Conestoga College in southwestern Ontario joined forces with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 241. They marched and held signs advocating for job security.
Susan Lau, the president of Local 241, expressed gratitude for the enthusiastic support received during the rally, noting positive morale among the workers. She highlighted the encouragement from other unions, members of the public, and college students who visited the picket line.
The strike involves approximately 10,000 full-time college support staff from Ontario’s 24 public colleges, which began on September 11. The main focus of the contract dispute, according to Lau, is safeguarding jobs. She emphasized the resonance of the union’s fight for job security, citing significant job losses in colleges over the past year.
Christine Kelsey, the College Support Full-time Bargaining Team chair and a union local president, stressed the importance of protecting support staff positions from being contracted out or managed by non-bargaining unit personnel. She highlighted the critical role of support staff in colleges, stating that full-time positions contribute to better outcomes for students.
Following three days of mediation starting on Friday, OPSEU and the College Employer Council (CEC) issued statements accusing each other of hindering progress toward a deal. The CEC contended that OPSEU’s demands on prohibiting contracting out services without permission were unfeasible, warning that such restrictions would disrupt college operations.
Kelsey rejected the CEC’s arguments and urged them to return to negotiations to develop language that preserves jobs. The coordinated picketing aimed to compel college presidents to address these concerns, with Kelsey emphasizing the union’s commitment to saving jobs.
The strike led Mohawk College to suspend on-campus classes and activities on Thursday for safety reasons, moving most classes online. Lau highlighted the successful impact of the action, acknowledging the challenges faced by students due to strike disruptions while emphasizing the importance of college education for families like hers.
Lau and Kelsey underscored the urgency of their fight to save jobs, referencing the recent closures of Georgian College’s Orillia and Muskoka campuses as indicative of ongoing struggles in the college sector. They emphasized the readiness of workers to negotiate and solicited public support, emphasizing the vital role of colleges in communities and the significance of support staff.