Bargaining Bulletin 21
On January 7th, we signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the College Employer Council (CEC), securing agreed-to items and committing the parties to resolve all outstanding items in mediation-arbitration.The parties have now booked dates – June 14-16, 2025 – for mediation-arbitration with Arbitrator William Kaplan. This process will determine the terms and conditions of our new collective agreement, including wages.The current MOA in place is not a new collective agreement – until mediation-arbitration concludes, the terms and conditions of our previous agreement remain in place, with the exception of improvements to benefits for full-time members and breakthrough benefit gains for partial-load members (as outlined in the MOA.)Why mediation-arbitration?
The process of mediation-arbitration facilitates further dialogue between parties; should the parties fail to reach agreement on particular items, the process can evolve into binding-interest arbitration where outstanding items are ruled on by an Arbitrator.After careful consideration of all factors – including indicators confidential to the mediation process and the political climate – we are confident that this decision will result in the best possible deal for faculty this round, and a timely settlement.Laying the foundation for the fight
Through our collective muscle, we were able to push some key concessions off the table – including extensions to the academic year, two-tiering workload language for non-post-secondary programs and new hires, and increases to the maximum course assignment.We weren’t able to move every concession off the table – in particular, changes which add a probationary period and affect access to the registry for partial-load members; adding “accreditation” and “credential” language to employment security provisions, increasing employment instability; and the removal of teaching contact hours (TCHs) for asynchronous courses. This does not mean that these concessions will remain. We have counter proposals to many outstanding concessions, and our work at the table is not complete. Over the coming months, the bargaining team – with the support of OPSEU/SEFPO staff and legal counsel – will prepare submissions for mediation-arbitration, expressly aimed at fighting back remaining concessions and improving our wages and working conditions. Our organizing work also continues: we cannot relent in our fight for a better college system and the provincial core funding needed to stabilize the system, decades past due. That fight is won in the workplace through a unified and engaged membership and sector, not just the bargaining table.Premier Ford can gloat that “Ontario is not for sale” all he wants – in reality, he’s been ready to sell off Ontario’s public assets, including our colleges, to private interests for years.Our colleges have been guided away from their core mandate as public, community institutions tasked with training Ontario’s future labour force. Together we can – and will – bring them back.Solidarity,Your CAAT-A Bargaining Team:Ravi Ramkissoonsingh, L242, Chair (he/him) Michelle Arbour, L125, Acting-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)