Hitting the picket line

Elaine Kerr doesn’t want to be walking a picket line, less than a week before school is set to begin.

But she feels she has no choice.

An employment advisor at Confederation College’s Job Connect department, Kerr joined thousands of other Ontario Public Sector Employees Union workers across the province that on Thursday walked off the job, fighting for better wages, the retention of benefits and job security.

Kerr, who watched a couple of students attempt to drive through the legal picket blocking the eastern entrance to the Thunder Bay campus, said she’s hopeful a deal can be reached soon, but more than ready to stick things out for the long haul.
 
“We’re looking for good jobs for this community. When you look at the region … there’s only a few of them, but these are good jobs and we want to keep them so that people can stay in those regions and stay in Thunder Bay and take over when some of us are ready to leave,” Kerr said. “It’s important, it’s really, really important.”

Kerr said her main concern is a provincial plan to downsize full-time contingents, instead turning many support and administrative staff positions into part-time, and even seasonal, jobs.

About 230 Confederation College staff members at nine regional campuses are affected by the present labour action. Among those on strike are workers from the admissions and records departments, facilities employees and cleaning staff and food services personnel.

“What they’re trying to do is eventually erode the full-time positions so that they’ll all become part-time. And they want the ability to move part-time jobs around to certain times of the year when they need them in and out, almost like a throwaway job.”

College president Jim Madder said he’s also disappointed last-ditch negotiations with the province didn’t pan out, but promised to do everything in his power to ensure students don’t suffer.

Madder said with a few minor exceptions, the incoming class of students shouldn’t notice much out of the ordinary.

The cafeteria is still running, the library is open and OSAP applications will continue to be filled out in a timely fashion.

But not everything will get done, he admitted.

“We’ll have to wait until people get back,” Madder said. “We’re going to work as hard as we can to get everyone in and registered and in class on time and get all their financial aid and everything set up for them.

“It will take longer, certainly, because we don’t have the resources we usually have.”

Judi Maundrell, vice-president academic and student services at the college, said almost all programs will go ahead as scheduled, with minor changes in things like lab locations.

“There will be one change in programming, and that is with the continuing education general interest courses. Those courses, which would normally start next week, will be on a one-week delay,” Maundrell said. “We’ll keep people posted about start dates. As to the rest of our programming, we expect all of our students to arrive in class. We’re ready to start the academic year and we’re excited to welcome all of our new students here.”

Madder also asked students and staff, who will face delays entering the college grounds, to show patience and respect to those walking the picket line.

“Just take your time. It will take time. The people are out on a legal strike, and we absolutely support that right that they do that. Just take 20 minutes extra in the morning before you come into classes.”

Student Union of Confederation College Inc. president Naomi Abotossaway also pleaded for patience, but while students will be affected to a certain degree, it shouldn’t affect their ability to learn.

“Pretty well all the departments where staff is out on the picket line have been filled and people are there to answer questions for the students. So I don’t believe it’s going to have a great impact on the students, it’s just going to be a little slower.”

Abotossaway added she hasn’t had any calls of concerns from either new or returning students in regard to the strike.

Some services, including the fitness centre, daycare and room rentals to the public, have been put on hold and are to be re-examined as the strike goes on.