Faculty at Ontario’s public colleges have voted to strike if necessary, as talks continue between the faculty union and the College Employer Council.

Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) says 68% of all faculty at colleges throughout the province voted in favour of a strike mandate on Thursday, with collective bargaining scheduled to resume next week.

A strike has the potential to impact students at all 24 colleges in Ontario, including St. Clair College, Lambton College and Fanshawe College.

A strike or lockout deadline has not been set at this time.

Key issues in during talks, which began ten weeks ago, include the role of faculty in academic decision-making and fair treatment for contract faculty.

“Eighty-one percent of college teaching is done by contract faculty, all of whom have no job security and are paid significantly less than the negotiated rates for full-time permanent faculty,” OPSEU says in a statement. “With the introduction of Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, ‘equal pay for equal work’ has become a top issue not only for college faculty, but for college administration as well.”

The collective agreement for 12,000 professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians expires on September 30.