The union representing Ontario's college faculty has prepared an offer in hopes of averting a strike.
The offer from the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) was presented Saturday afternoon to the College Employment Council. J.P. Hornick, chairperson of the union's bargaining team, calls the offer "fair and reasonable" and addresses concerns raised by college faculty, as well as the colleges' desire to keep costs under control.
"If the Council team cannot accept this final offer, it is because they are more interested in profits and power than the well-being of our students and the college system," says Hornick in a statement.
The main objective is to keep students in class and not disrupt a semester that is well in progress, Hornick says.
“Faculty want to be back in their classrooms on Monday, not on the picket line,” says Hornick. “We urge Council to see this offer for what it is - a fair path to a settlement that is acceptable to both sides.”
"This is a strong proposal that will improve education, which all members of the college community want," says OPSEU president Smokey Thomas. "It will also make the jobs of contract faculty members less precarious, which is something the province is trying to do for all workers. I encourage the colleges to close this deal now.”
The bullet points of the offer include a 50-50 ratio of full-time faculty to contract faculty, increased job security for part-time faculty who currently work on one-semester contracts, and empowerment for faculty to have more input in academic decision-making.
Faculty at Ontario's 24 public colleges, including St. Clair College, Fanshawe College, College Boreal, and Lambton College, will walk off the job at 12:01am Monday if there is no agreement in place.