Yesterday, after two days of bargaining with a provincial mediator, the parties were not able to reach a new agreement. According to the College Compensation and Appointments Council (the Council), “the parties are too far apart.” The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) has rejected the Council’s final offer, so the Council has asked that a vote be taken by the membership (FT professors, counselors and librarians) on their offer. OPSEU has until noon today to announce whether or not they will call for a final offer vote.
If the vote happens and the academic staff accept the offer then bargaining will be complete and the threat of a province-wide strike will be over. If they don’t vote or reject the final offer then the union’s only move left is a work stoppage.
***No word from OPSEU yet***
Stay tuned for more updates today…
YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT TO KNOW HOW COME WE ARE ALL SPEAKING AND NO ONE IS DOING NOTHING OR LISTENING TO US ? CAUSE THEY DONT CARE ALL THEY WANT IS THERE MONEY AND IF YOU NOTICE THEY JUST WANT TO RETIRE WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO STANDARS AND A SRC STAND UP ! CRAZY! WE ALL HAVE STUDENT COUNCILS BUT I DONT THINK THEY ARE WORKING EITHER AND SPEAKING UP FOR US……………..
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As a mature student I feel like this is completely insane. This is my graduating year and with a exam tomorrow I find myself unable to concentrate, instead have to be left wondering and worried as to whether or not it stops here for now or continues. We don’t need this pressure or additional stress!
We’re the students, do right by us!!!!! We’ve paid our dues now deliver our Goods!!
Enough is Enough!
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all you teachers are greedy, you make close to a 100000 as it is already!! and your dealing with adults, not kids…how hard is your job…….just be thank ful you have a job , unlike 33% of the country today who have been laid off!! get your act together ..your a teacher cause you love educating? then suck it up and get out and educate people….stop whining! dont screw up people lives are who trying to work for something!! these kids you are screwing over are the ones that will be looking after you in the future!
GET BACK TO WORK!
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I find this whole strike thing absolutely ridiculous along with my fellow classmates, if there is going to be a strike then just come out with it and tell us students. We just want to focus on our studies but it’s hard when were all worried, about this non sense.
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This is ridiculous, tell us the students whats going on here. If it was not for us you teachers would not even have a job. Start caring more about students, then your paychecks.
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I support the teachers but not the union.
All my teachers are good people.
The council could force to take the vote to the teachers but they only get to do that once.
They haven’t forced it yet because they know their “final” offer is not their final offer.
It is all a bunch of gamesmanship.
I’m also a mature student and if there is a long strike, I may be forced to drop out.
It is a shame since I am close to graduating.
I suspect the teachers will say no if they actually get to vote whether to strike.
The union may force them to strike now that the teachers gave them power.
The whole method of “negotiating” with a union is broken.
It’s very antagonistic and creates animosity.
Plus it doesn’t reflect the world most people live in.
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Anne was right in saying the Union probably will not ask for a final vote from its membership in fear of losing the slim majority that were in favour of striking to begin with. The Union benefits the entire time their active in a possible strike situation and leads the membership on in letting them believe they will have the final say. I am very surprised College professors not to have known this and I am very disappointed that Unions continue to mislead their memberships. In this case, the Colleges came back with something anyway. What has the Union come back with? They will not even bring the new offer back to their membership whose lives it affects. It is always about politics – never about people.
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OPSEU, please take this to the members. This is their lives you are deciding on so the final decision must be left up to them. What are you worried about? I think it is high time the unions take a step back and figure out what they are really trying to do for the people. If they truly are in the business of looking after the best interests of their union members, then they should let their union members be the ones to make the final decision. Enough is enough…….get on with this and let’s keep the kids in school and stop messing around with their futures. Let them concentrate on their studies and not on this nonsense of “strike or no strike”. Now is the time for learning, not worrying. Take a vote and please ‘VOTE TO ACCEPT”. This is not the time to be striking. From all I can see, there is no public support for this. No one will be on the side of the strikers. Wouldn’t this be much more suited for a time when you can rally support for your cause, instead of pretty much making the public angry with you?
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At times with bad economy,people’s loss of jobs,homes, and increased bankruptcy I find the greed of these teachers as a bad example to all the young people trying to get their life in order. These students young and old are trying to make a step in the right direction to learn new opportunities,so they can raise their families and support them the best they can by inproving themselves. And what do they learn??? That you should be greedy and worry about yourself no one else.Is this what being a teacher is all about?? Maybe some teachers should listen and learn from the students.I am sure some student that are older like myself have lost jobs and income due to one thing or another in this terible economy and just want to make it better for the families we are trying to provide for. Yes we understand unions and right to strike BUT consider some of us and then think how much is enough? How many lifes will it effect for my own personal gain?? and most of all as teachers do you really care about your students and helping them achieve their goals and join the work force to make are country and economy stronger?? I THINK NOT
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I hope that there will be no strike. Only and only the students will suffer from this.
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I am pissed off at both sides.
They are acting like children.
If this is how “bargaining” works then it needs an overhaul.
It’s all games..
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/01/28/ontario-colleges-offer.html
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It’s quite unlikely that the Union will take the offer to the membership. They risk losing the votes of those who supported the “Yes” side because they bought into the ‘we only need a yes vote as a bargaining chip. I’ve seen this before it the manufacturing sector, honest surprise when they end up on the picket line. They feel they were promised that a yes wouldn’t mean a strike.
Idiots
I hate to say it, but I think we’re likely headed for a strike. I can’t decide if I’d rather have it now and get it over with or get some of my term tests (not midterms, classes that have 2 term tests and then an exam) out of the way.
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If the deadline was at noon, its now 6pm, whats going on?
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Aggghhhhhhh!!! This sucks!
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The Council, under the new Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, can take their offer to a vote. Why they don’t do so — if they think their offer is so great — escapes me. Of course, the Council can only hold ONE vote, so this is likely why they want OPSEU to do the vote for them now. The Council wants to save their only kick at the can until later.
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so according to the globe and mail there is a strike can anyone confirm?
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No, there is NO strike.
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so is there any word about whether or not they will be asking faculty to vote due to the fact that they were suppose to make their decision by noon today? According to an unreliable source, the deadline has been moved to saturday. Is this true?
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This is completely ridiculous.
What exactly have these people been doing, because in my eyes and I’m sure a lot of other students, that it does not look like very much.
Just tell us already.
I am tired of being held in the dark about this.
I want some answers, and I think as student we have the right to know the truth.
We will be the ones who are inconvenienced, why as students do we not have a say.
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This is just absolutely ridiculous. The two sides had lots of time to try and strike a deal that would be agreed on by both sides and the result that we as college students are about to be forced to accept is a possible strike. I seriously hope Premier McGuinty does something about this quickly.
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>The noon deadline was imposed by the Council.
That explains why there is no answer.
The union HATES the colleges imposing terms on them.
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If they had until noon, why have they not said anything yet?
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Who imposed the noon deadline?
I assume it isn’t an OPSEU deadline?
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The noon deadline was imposed by the Council.
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So what is exactly happening? what is the percentage of it going to a strike really heading? and what should us students do about it? cause this issue is driving alot of people up the wall in some places especially at Sheridan college!
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This is friggin ridiculous, why should we as students be punished for something that has nothings to do with us. What these people make is not our problem, we have been sitting on the side lines waiting to hear if there is going to be a stupid strike because the faculty isn’t happy. As I was passing a group of faculty member I hear the following statement ” It’s not about the students, give me a f**king break, it’s about the pay check.” I am very strongly upset with this statement because really we are all paying to be in out instution of education. Last year i a lecture I was told by a faculty member ” I am here because you pay me to be here” what happened then?
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So…any news?
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Is there some sort of law placed in order preventing a strike lasting over three weeks? Or is that just the maximum time that the previous strikes have lasted.
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No, there isn’t a law preventing a strike to last longer than three weeks. But you can count on the government keeping an eye on the length of a work stoppage and whether or not the is in jeopardy of being lost.
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So if I understand correctly if they do not vote on the final propsal that means an automatic strike with 5 days notice given to the colleges?
If thats the case they have 49 minutes to make the choice…… doesnt look soo good right now.
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>OPSEU has until noon today to announce whether or not they will call for a final offer vote.
What happens if they don’t let the membership vote?
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If OPSEU doesn’t let the academic staff to vote on management’s “final” offer then their only next step would be to strike.
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when will the strike happen if they reject the final vote
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OPSEU would still have to give five (5) days notice to the colleges before actually walking off the job. They haven’t given notice as of yet.
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Boooourns
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I think we should remain optimistic. They were asking for a 2.5% salary increase per year over 3 years, and are being offered 2% increase each year for 3 years.
I think this is pretty reasonable and I hope that OPSEU members will do what’s best for everyone who would be affected by a strike.
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STRIKE, STRIKE, STRIKE!
PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE
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The only comment I have isn’t appropriate to be published.
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Can’t believe they would be that stupid considering the economy and job losses in the last year!!!
If indeed they strike the government needs to step in and do something, this should be considered an essential service and not permitted to strike. Too many lives will be turned upside down, not only the students but also the families of teachers NOT wanting to strike.
Wake up, unions don’t care they get paid no matter what happends as does the college presidents making six figure salaries.
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I wouldn’t be so sure, Humpty. Anything can change in the long run and it may end up not happening at all.
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They really should have included a rep from the CSA in these negociations… It seems as though they don’t really care what happens to us… we have as big of a stake in this then they do!
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I guess its a strike for sure
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