Ontario college support staff reject latest offer and hit picket lines

Support staff at Ontario’s publicly funded colleges are on strike, as they failed to reach a new contract agreement before the midnight deadline.

The 10,000 full-time college support staff, represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, are seeking better wages, benefits, and job security, and were in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m.

This includes staff at Conestoga College, which posted on social media, noting that it will remain open and classes will continue despite the job action.

Picket lines will be set up on Thursday at Conestoga campuses across Waterloo Region and surrounding areas.

This includes in Kitchener on Doon Valley Drive, in Cambridge on Reuter Drive, in Waterloo on University Avenue East, in Stratford on Erie Street, and in Guelph on Speedvale Avenue West.

Grand River Transit said its buses will not be crossing the picket line on those campuses

The union, which also represents faculty at Ontario colleges, states that nearly 10,000 college faculty and staff have either been laid off or are projected to lose their jobs amid hundreds of program cancellations and suspensions since last year.

Colleges in Ontario had been increasingly relying on tuition from international students for several years due to low levels of provincial government funding and a years-long tuition freeze, and have been struggling since the federal government enacted a cap on international students.

The College Employer Council has stated that the union’s demands would expose colleges to more than $900 million in additional costs, although the union disputes this figure.

The employer council says it has offered monetary and benefit increases, enhanced severance packages, better vacation carry-over rights and more.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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