Faculty at Ontario's 24 public colleges including Lambton College, begin voting on a contract offer Tuesday, November 14 after the Colleges Bargaining team asked the Ontario Labour Relations board to call for the vote.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union says the offer contains serious concessions that were not agreed to, and has encouraged members to vote against it.
Students across the province are voicing their displeasure with on the ongoing labour dispute, including in Sarnia where a rally was held outside Lambton College last Friday afternoon.
"The solution is to get back to the table and make a fair deal," says second year student Kendra Whitney. "If that means renegotiating or giving the faculty members a better offer, then that's the way this strike will end."
There is some good news for students, as Ontario Deputy Premier and Minister of Advanced Education Deb Matthews announced that colleges will be asked to establish a dedicated fund used to support students who have experienced financial hardships as a result of the strike.
Tuesday marks day 30 of the strike, officially making it Ontario's longest college faculty strike.
College faculty walked off the job on October 16 over wages, job security and input into academic decisions.