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Date pushed back to accommodate Feb. 10 vote on a concession-laced management offer that the union is encouraging all faculty members to reject.
Toronto (4 Feb. 2010) - The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) has pushed back a strike deadline for 10,000 college faculty members across Ontario to Feb. 17.
The change has been made to accommodate a Feb. 10 vote on a so-called "final offer" by management that the union is urging all faculty members to reject. The vote has been requested by management and will be supervised by the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB).
The original strike deadline set by OPSEU to reach an acceptable negotiated settlement was to have been Feb. 11.
OPSEU has also offered to send all outstanding issues in the dispute to binding arbitration to avoid any disruption of activities for the approximately 200,000 students in the province's network of 24 community colleges. So far, the colleges have refused to accept the offer.
Ted Montgomery, chair of the OPSEU bargaining team, says union negotiators are calling for a 'No' vote because the management offer contains damaging concessions and fails to address key faculty issues in the dispute.
“We are asking our members to send a strong message to the employer that this offer is not acceptable,” Montgomery says.
“Once rejected, we will invite the employer to return to the table and start seriously bargaining to get to a negotiated collective agreement. We want to not only meet the needs of our members but the needs of the students who depend on uninterrupted education. It is a high priority for us.”
OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is encouraging members to support the bargaining team and reject the employer offer.
“This is not a money issue,” he says. "It is about getting provisions in the contract that will improve the quality of education our members can deliver to Ontario students. These issues must be addressed now, and the way to do that is through meaningful collective bargaining. The Colleges must put their own self-interests aside and engage in real negotiations.”
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The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE