THUNDER BAY - Faculty members at colleges across Ontario may be asked to vote on an offer that could end a strike at colleges across Ontario that has kept students out of the classroom for more than three weeks.
The latest offer from the College Employer Council was rejected by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union on Monday. More than 12,000 faculty members walked off the job on Oct. 16 at 24 colleges across Ontario, including 150 full-time professors at Confederation College.
According to Rebecca Ward, president of Local 732 of OPSEU, negotiations between the union and the CEC broke down again last week after both sides failed to reach an agreement on the issue of academic freedom.
“They walked away with only one item being left on the table, which was a no-cost item and that was academic freedom, which essentially, in simple terms, gives faculty members the academic say over the kind of content they use in the classrooms and the sorts of evaluation tools they use to assess student learning,” Ward said.
Ward said the offer from CEC only includes a letter of understanding in relation to academic freedom, and she said there have already been several letters of understanding and they cannot be grieved.
Confederation College president, Jim Madder, said the latest offer from CEC is solid and addresses all of the issues raised by the faculty.
“I think it’s quite a reasonable offer and I’m disappointed with where we are now,” he said. “I would love to see our students and faculty back here.”
The CEC wants to take the latest offer directly to the faculty for a vote, which would require a simple majority to be accepted. Madder said he trusts the faculty at Confederation College will make the right decision if given an opportunity to vote on the offer.
“I respect our faculty and their ability to make that choice and vote in a way that’s appropriate,” he said.
Before a vote can be brought directly to the faculty, it must be arranged by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, which can take between five and 14 days. Ward said the union suggested the offer be brought to the faculty for a vote since July before the strike, which was refused by the CEC.
“Now at week three, they move it forward,” she said. “It doesn’t seem honest, it doesn’t seem to be in the best interest of students, or faculty members.
“The strike is being unnecessarily prolonged,” Ward continued. “We do not believe this is in our student’s best interests at all. We do believe a deal could have been struck. We were very close. We are really disappointed that they walked away from the table and it is leaving us questioning significantly their integrity in this process.”
