Striking Ontario college support staff reach tentative deal with employer: union

The strike at colleges across Ontario is over after the union representing full-time support staff and the schools reached a tentative deal.

Support staff at 24 Ontario colleges have reached a tentative agreement with their employer, ending a strike that extended nearly five weeks, the union representing employees says.

“After months of intensive negotiations with an incredibly difficult employer, the gains made in this agreement would not have been possible without members holding strong these last weeks,” Christine Kelsey, chair of the union’s bargaining team at OPSEU/SEFPO, said in a written statement on Wednesday morning.

Approximately 10,000 full-time support staff walked off the job on Sept. 11.

Striking employees, which are represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), work in disability services, financial aid offices, employment and IT services, food services, and are employed as co-op placement coordinators, library technologists, student success coordinators, among other positions.

“We had no choice but to fight back amidst a plan to privatize public education, as well as 10,000 job losses and over 650 program cuts across the system,” Kelsey added.

The union confirmed that picket lines will come down Wednesday and details of the tentative agreement will be provided to workers in the afternoon.

Support staff will return to work on Thursday, the union noted.

“Full-time college support staff took on a tremendous fight, and I’m incredibly proud of our members for getting us to this moment,” JP Hornick, president of OPSEU/SEFPO, said in a written statement.

“Now, we need to keep building on that momentum and show Ontario what is possible when working people stand together.”

In a statement, released Wednesday, the College Employer Council (CEC) said the two sides broke through a “bargaining impasse” following a weekend-long private mediation session.

“Support staff play an important role in our colleges, supporting operations and contributing to student success,” Graham Lloyd, CEO of CEC, said in a written statement. “We are grateful to have them back to work.”

He noted that that the five-week strike was “challenging for everyone involved.”

“We appreciate the persistence of the bargaining teams on both sides, and the guidance of Mediator Kaplan, to reach this agreement,” Lloyd said.