History of Unionizing Part-Time and Sessional Faculty
For decades, College faculty were divided into two groups: those who were unionized and those who weren’t. Full-time and partial-load faculty have long been unionized and represented by OPSEU/SEFPO under the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act (CCBA) since 1971. However, part-time and sessional (PT/SL) faculty—whose presence in the sector has increased significantly over the last 50 years—were excluded until recently.
For years prior to the Supreme Court decision that recognized collective bargaining as a Charter right in 2007, excluded part-time college workers, alongside allies in the labour movement, had been mounting a powerful fight for the right to unionize. This success led to the Ontario government being forced to amend the CCBA in June 2008 (Bill 68, Colleges Collective Bargaining Amendment Act, 2008), which paved the legal pathway for part-time faculty to unionize.
Since, the excruciatingly long fight to win our union has been blocked at every turn by the College Employer Council (CEC) who have expended outstanding amounts of tax-payer dollars in legal fees to block successive unionization drives. The first attempt at a certification vote for part-time faculty was in 2009, which was ultimately unsuccessful due to years-long delays, intimidation and union-busting tactics.
The first major breakthrough came in 2012, when the college part-time support staff held a province-wide vote to join OPSEU/SEFPO. The College Employer Council (CEC) challenged that vote as well, and it took six long years of hearings and legal delays before the group was officially certified in 2018. This victory set an important precedent—it proved that part-time employees in Ontario’s colleges could successfully unionize, even in the face of strong opposition.
Ready to build on their success, part-time and sessional faculty continued organizing and filed for union certification again in 2017. A province-wide vote was held in October 2017, but the CEC immediately delayed the process with legal challenges. OPSEU/SEFPO’s staff and legal teams worked diligently over the following years to resolve these challenges and to push for the ballot boxes to be open. By 2024, more than 8,000 disputes over eligible membership had been settled.
On July 30, 2024, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) confirmed that OPSEU/SEFPO had reached the legal threshold of membership support required for certification. Finally, on April 11, 2025 — almost eight years since the initial vote and 17 years after the initial Supreme Court decision — the sealed ballot boxes were finally opened and counted at the OLRB. The result was overwhelming: 88 percent of PT/SL faculty exercised their rights and voted in favour of joining OPSEU/SEFPO. The union certified on April 16, 2025, making it official that approximately 13,000 part-time and sessional faculty at Ontario’s 24 public colleges would join their full-time faculty and support staff colleagues as part of OPSEU/SEFPO.
Our certification marks a historic milestone. In 2025, for the first time, every classification of academic employees in Ontario colleges—full-time, partial-load, part-time, and sessional—are unionized and can negotiate working conditions collectively. The road to this achievement was long and hard-fought, marked by years of legal delays and employer resistance. The outcome represents a major step toward fairness and equality for all college educators. And our vote now ensures that every faculty member has a collective voice in shaping the future of Ontario’s public college system.
Where do we fit in?
As of April 2025, all part-time and sessional faculty – around 12,000 members – across all 24 Ontario colleges are now unionized with OPSEU/SEFPO.
Together, we will bargain our own first collective agreement that will set out future working conditions for all part-time and sessional faculty going forward, and continue to build on this through successive rounds of bargaining.
We now join our full-time faculty colleagues as members of “CAAT-A”: The Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology – Academic” division within OPSEU/SEFPO, which encompasses professors, instructors, librarians, and counsellors, all of whom play vital roles in supporting students and advancing education in our public college system. Since our certification, CAAT-A is now composed of two bargaining units: the Part-time Academic Bargaining Unit and the Full-time Academic Bargaining Unit.
Our Part-time Academic Bargaining Unit includes:
- Part-time professors and instructors
- Sessional professors and instructors
- Part-time or sessional librarians and counsellors
We now join our Full-time Academic Bargaining Unit colleagues as part of the local college union structure. This means we are now part of composite union locals, which are identified by a 3-digit number that is specific to each of our colleges. Members from both Units may serve in local leadership capacities. Together, we continue to strengthen our collective voice and ensure fair representation for all faculty across Ontario’s colleges.
What It Means To Be Unionized
A union is a group of workers coming together to solve workplace problems, improve working conditions, and protect employee rights. Each employer (college) has their own union local (denoted by a 3-digit number), but we all collectively belong to the same Union: OPSEU/SEFPO.
Unionization aims to create fairness and strength through unity. It turns the power of one voice into the collective strength of many—ensuring that everyone stands on equal ground. Through unionization, individual concerns become collective rights, protecting fair pay, reasonable workloads, job security, and access to benefits. It replaces uncertainty with transparency, increases democracy in workplace decision making, and creates a structure to enforce management’s obligations to its workers.
We are all members of OPSEU/SEFPO—the Ontario Public Service Employees Union/Syndicat des employés de la fonction publique de l’Ontario—which represents more than 200,000 members across three main sectors: the Broader Public Service (BPS), the Ontario Public Service (OPS) and the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT).
You ARE the union
Our Union’s broad organizational structure includes various departments, committees, and caucuses. OPSEU/SEFPO regional and central offices are staffed by skilled professionals, including bilingual staff in all departments, who provide expertise in areas such as collective bargaining, contract enforcement, legal services, campaigns and communications, and health and safety, all of whom work together to advance and protect the interests of members. All of these resources are available to you and your local leadership, ensuring that every local has the tools, knowledge, and resources needed to represent and advocate effectively on behalf of all faculty.
But more importantly, our Union is powered and led by members in elected positions, working together to effect change. The elected leadership at OPSEU/SEFPO are all members too, just like you. Similarly, your local leadership is made up of faculty like yourself. Without you, there is no union.
Why Membership Matters
As a part-time or sessional faculty member, you are automatically a member of OPSEU/SEFPO in the Part-Time Faculty Division. Our first collective agreement will dictate the terms and conditions of your employment, which will be negotiated by your elected Bargaining Team with the CEC – the College Employer Council – which represents all 24 Colleges as Employers in bargaining. With each round of negotiations, the Bargaining Team will work to strengthen and improve the provisions of our collective agreement to ensure fair, equitable, and sustainable working conditions for all members.
By statute, everyone covered by a collective agreement contributes union dues, which are set democratically by members of OPSEU/SEFPO. Currently, union dues are 1.375% of gross pay and are tax deductible. As we are just starting to negotiate our first collective agreement, part-time and sessional faculty will not have to contribute any union dues until the first collective agreement is finalized. Union dues provide essential funding that supports a wide range of union services, including education, advocacy, and professional development for members. A portion of union dues paid are returned to member Locals as rebates to assist with operational costs. All dues will be automatically deducted from your pay, ensuring that both your local and OPSEU/SEFPO continue to have the resources needed to represent and support you effectively.
Even though you are not yet contributing any union dues, you are still unionized and can reach out to your local for support regarding employment related issues. You also have all the rights and benefits of a union member with OPSEU/SEFPO. Even so, you are not a member of your Local until you have signed a membership form.
Becoming a signed member gives you a real voice: you gain the ability to participate in all union business, to elect or stand for election in local and provincial positions and as delegates to conferences, and to access OPSEU/SEFPO’s hardship and strike funds. Even if you previously signed a membership form as a partial-load faculty member, you need to complete a new membership form as a part-time or sessional member (although your Union ID will remain the same). These employee groups belong to separate divisions, and each requires its own membership registration.
Together, We Are Stronger
Unionization is more than a legal status—it’s a shared commitment to fairness, respect, and solidarity. The future of Ontario’s colleges is stronger when all faculty are united in purpose and action. As members of OPSEU/SEFPO, you are now part of a powerful movement built on collaboration, courage, and care for one another. Together, we will continue shaping the future of Ontarians.
Your Voice Matters: Bargaining Survey has been Extended
As we begin to negotiate our first collective agreement, your voice and participation matters.
Already, a number of you have replied to the Bargaining Demand Set Survey. However, in order to maximize participation, we have decided to extend the survey. This means that anyone (especially those who are new to being PT/SL) who hasn’t completed it yet can still have their say. Please let your colleagues know they still have time!
If you have not completed the survey yet, please fill it out using the link matching your preferred language below:
- English – https://form.typeform.com/to/lV0iXl9r
- Français – https://form.typeform.com/to/zsVNBYPv
Once the Bargaining Survey closes, the results will serve as the basis for our Final Demand Set Meeting, where registered part-time and sessional members* will discuss and vote on our top priorities for our first round of bargaining. To participate in the final Demand Set Meeting, you must be a signed member. Membership is free and easy: Become a signed member today!
*Anyone contracted as PT/SL within the last 12 months qualifies.
As part of the ongoing bargaining process for our diverse membership, the Bargaining Team is committed to ensuring meaningful representation from all equity-deserving groups. To support this goal, we are establishing a Bargaining Advisory Committee (BAC) to strengthen equity, inclusion, and diversity within the bargaining process. Members of the BAC will offer confidential feedback and insight to the Bargaining Team to help ensure that the priorities and perspectives of all PT/SL faculty are reflected at the bargaining table. Training and orientation will be provided to all BAC members. A general call for applications to join the BAC will be issued in early 2026 — please stay tuned for more information on how to get involved.
Introducing Your Bargaining Team
From June 19th to 20th of 2025, part-time and sessional delegates from across the province attended the Pre-Bargaining Conference, where your bargaining team was elected.