Ontario colleges have asked a provincially appointed mediator to bring the colleges and OPSEU back to the bargainning table tomorrow (Thrs. Nov. 2).
“This strike has gone on for too long. We need to end the strike and get our students and faculty back in the classroom. We can reach a settlement quickly and have classes start again early next week,” said Sonia Del Missier, Chair, Colleges’ Bargaining Team. “We will focus our efforts at the table and work very hard to reach a deal that ends the strike.”
Meantime, several faculty members at St. Clair College Windsor have already planned to picket at a new location tomorrow. The local OPSEU members will be bussing up to Toronto for a huge rally at Queen's Park.
Speaking on AM800's The Lynn Martin Show earlier today, OPSEU Local 138 President Bernie Nawrocki says the key issue is fairness between part-time and full-time staff.
"Although part-time workers do a great job, we do want to see a number of full time members increased and that's what we are asking for."
Nawrocki says the College Employer Council is not addressing that key issue.
More than 12,000 college professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians went on strike Oct. 15, putting hundreds of thousands of students out of class.