All Faculty Proposals Are On the Table: Bargaining Update

Bargaining Bulletin 7

Highlights:

• All Faculty proposals have now been tabled: monetary and non-monetary. You can review them here.
• Our next dates at the bargaining table are September 16-20 and 23-29.
• Join your colleagues across Ontario for a virtual Bargaining Town Hall on Thursday, September 12 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. Register for the Zoom link here!
• A high-participation, successful strike mandate in the weeks ahead will most likely be needed as a show of strength.

Please read the below bargaining bulletin carefully for important updates to relay to and discuss with your colleagues:

Bargaining Update: September 9-10

Your bargaining team met with the CEC and the Colleges over the course of our first two dates of the fall semester, September 9-10. Over the course of two (2) days, the CEC bargaining team provided responses and counterproposals related to the faculty proposals that they considered ‘non-monetary’ – which we finished presenting back in July. On the union’s part, we presented our monetary proposals.At this moment in time, all faculty proposals have been tabled and are available for you to review. Our next dates at the table are September 16-20 and 23-29.Frustratingly, the CEC is downplaying the utility of the Workload Task Force Report in negotiations – despite the report being mandated to inform this round of bargaining.  In addition, they floated an inflated estimate of what our non-monetary proposals would cost – without providing useful data to substantiate that claim.

What’s next?

With our next bargaining date scheduled for September 16, we expect the CEC and the Colleges to communicate, using the work email system, that Faculty proposals are unreasonable, unnecessary, and too costly. The reality is that our proposals are streamlined, grounded in members’ demands, supported by the Workload Task Force Report findings, and situated within the context of billions of dollars of surplus accumulated in the colleges system-wide and available for reinvestment.By tabling all faculty proposals in full, we have chosen the path of transparency, aiming to reduce the noise and confusion the CEC and Colleges may attempt to sow through their communications. These attempts at division are an attack on our collective power – and the employer is the only one that wins when workers are divided.The CEC and the Colleges are demonstrating through their responses at the table that the status quo is acceptable to them. After eleven (11) days at the bargaining table, they do not appear willing to seriously engage with the demands that you – faculty members – sent us to the table with.Our goal remains to negotiate an on-time, renewal agreement that meets members’ demands. It is increasingly apparent that a high-participation, successful strike mandate in the weeks ahead will most likely be needed as a show of strength. The coming weeks will be crucial in ensuring every member is engaged, informed, and ready to mobilize – we need to send a powerful message of unity to the CEC and Colleges, inciting the employer to meaningfully engage with our proposals.

Provincial Day of Action

On Monday, Faculty stood together across the province in a day of solidarity to celebrate our work of training Ontario’s future. This day of collective action demonstrates our strength lies in our unity: together, we are committed to ensuring the Collective Agreement is modernized to reflect our current working conditions.

College Faculty T-shirts

Building on the momentum of our Day of Action, several Locals have expressed interest in acquiring bargaining t-shirts. Your request has been heard: t-shirts will be available for order soon on the Shopseu online storefront. Please check back!

September 12^th: Bargaining Town Hall

             Join your colleagues across Ontario for a virtual Bargaining Town Hall on Thursday, September 12 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. The fall semester is upon us and bargaining is heating up, leaving us plenty to discuss – register for the Zoom link here!With the Workload Task Force report finally public, affirming our bargaining proposals and long-standing workload concerns, we’ll be focusing on how those findings support Faculty demands-proposals currently on the table.We ask that each of you promotes advance registration with members. Our first town hall included well over 1000 attendees – let’s keep growing! Members can also submit questions in advance for the town hall to [email protected].

Stay Informed, Stay Engaged, Get Involved

You can stay up to date with the team and development at the table in several ways:

• Members are encouraged to follow us on social media, where we are posting regular & timely updates:
  • Instagram: @CAATFaculty
  • X: @CAATFaculty
  • Facebook: @OntarioCollegeFaculty
  • Tiktok: @FacultyBargainingTeam
• You can also stay informed in the following ways:
  • College Faculty Website: collegefaculty.org
  • Get involved in organizing efforts (listening, communicating, building relationships with other workers in your Local.)
  • If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out directly: [email protected]

In solidarity,

Your CAAT-A Bargaining Team:

Ravi Ramkissoonsingh, L242, Chair (he/him) Michelle Arbour, L125, Vice-Chair (she/her) Chad Croteau, L110 (he/him) Bob Delaney, L237 (he/him) Martin Lee, L415 (he/him) Sean Lougheed, L657 (he/him) Rebecca Ward, L732 (she/her)