The union representing striking faculty at Ontario's 24 public colleges is looking to the provincial government to light a fire under the College Employer Council to get them back to the bargaining table.
At a downtown rally outside of Fanshawe College’s Centre for Digital and Performing Arts on Dundas St. in London on Tuesday, Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 110 President Darryl Bedford questioned why, when the union is willing to talk, have negotiations not resumed.
"How come they [the College Employer Council] haven't come to the table? How come they have removed some of their contact information off of their website? I mean, where are they? What does it say when one group wants to negotiate and discuss the issues and the other one doesn't? It makes it impossible to get a deal," said Bedford.
Roughly 12,000 college professors, instructors, counselors, and librarians are now into their ninth day of the strike. They walked off the job on October 16, after talks between the union and the council broke off. At this point, no new talks have been scheduled.
Bedford said, since it appears the council isn't interested in negotiating, it is time for government intervention.
"We don't understand why [London North Centre MPP] Deb Matthews, who is the minister responsible, can't pick up the phone and call the council and say 'you're our agency, you're named in the legislation as the party responsible. Why aren't you going back to the table?'"
In an effort to catch the deputy premier's eye, college faculty will be marching from London's Victoria Park to Matthews' constituency office on Piccadilly St. on Thursday. Matthews serves as the minister for advanced education and skills development.
Striking Fanshawe College faculty member Emma Wise speaks to a passerby at a rally in downtown London, October 23, 2017.
Late last week, student union leaders, including Morganna Sampson of Fanshawe College and Nick Goran of St. Clair College, issued a similar call to provincial politicians through an open letter. It was addressed to several MPPs and Premier Kathleen Wynne.
“We respect the collective bargaining process which is a process between the faculty union and the College Employer Council. We know that the only solution to this strike is at the bargaining table; however, the bargaining parties have not met for the past week. I urge both parties to return to the table and find a solution that allows students to return to the classroom where they belong," said Matthews in a written statement to Blackburn News London on Tuesday. "Students, domestic and international, are a top priority for our government, and we know they have real concerns about the impact a potential strike may have on their education. While the government has no direct involvement in the collective bargaining process, we are committed to doing everything we can to connect students to the resources they need to stay informed."
Matthews added that she is optimistic the two sides will return to the table to reach a "successful, negotiated settlement that is in the best interests of all parties."
Job security is a key bargaining issue for the union. It is asking for a 50/50 split of full time and contract positions and an increased role in academic decision-making. Currently, 68% of the faculty at Fanshawe are lower paid contract employees.
"Every day I get a little more angry that they won't even talk to us," said Fanshawe faculty member Emma Wise, who fears union members will be ordered back to work by the province without any contract changes. "I live in poverty to do this job because it is so important for me and for society and because I love it," said Wise. "I think that is what most of us feel like. It would be so sad to have this strike do nothing and have to go back with no changes whatsoever."
The College Employer Council has said it is waiting for the provincial mediator to call them back to the bargining table.