CREDIT: JEN DOEDE
Faculty from across all 24 colleges in the province are currently on strike. The picket lines (which began on Oct. 16) around Fanshawe College entrances are still in full swing.

The hallways at Fanshawe College were almost vacant on the morning of Oct. 16, as a result of the Ontario Public Service Employee Union (OPSEU) faculty strike.

Rather than teaching students in their classrooms, Fanshawe faculty members created picket lines around the College. The strike is a result of the OPSEU and College Employer Council’s (Council) inability to negotiate an agreement that both groups are content with.

On Sept. 14, 68 per cent of faculty members from across all 24 Colleges in Ontario voted in favour of a strike mandate. Michele Beaudoin, the vice-president of student services, explained that as a result of the strike, 21,000 full-time and 22,000 part-time students are unable to attend classes, while 847 faculty members are out on strike.

From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during weekdays, faculty will have picket lines in place at all entrances to the College. Individuals arriving by vehicle should approach the roadway entrances to the College cautiously and wait until a pathway is cleared to proceed. Faculty members will also be handing out papers to individuals crossing the picket line. These papers contain an abbreviated version of the OPSEU’s plan for the future of the Ontario College System.

“I think overall [the first day] went well. We communicated our message and people went about their day,” Darryl Bedford, president of Local 110 and member of the OPSEU bargaining team said.

Morganna Sampson, president of the Fanshawe Student Union (FSU), explained that students are concerned with the quality of their education during the strike mandate and whether or not they will get their money back for missed class time. Students are also concerned that they could potentially lose a semester. Additionally, some co-op students who were in Italy had to return to Fanshawe as a result of the strike. “To all students at Fanshawe, I encourage you to speak up with your concerns and come to the FSU office if you need anything. It’s a difficult time for students and we are here for you,” Sampson said.

According to an Oct. 14 OPSEU news release, in an attempt to avert the strike, their organization put forth an offer to the Council last weekend. The offer had three main components. The first component required that a 50:50 ratio between full-time and contract faculty positions be established. The second was increased job security for partial load faculty, which included advanced notice of their teaching assignments for the academic year and having their contracts signed three weeks in advance. Lastly, the OPSEU proposed that faculty receive a stronger voice in academic decision making. The Council rejected this offer.

“We made that significant move so that we could kickstart negotiations, but the Council didn’t budge,” Bedford said. “I think the union did everything a good negotiating team should do in order to reach a deal. We put forward only the priorities and put it in a framework where we could have discussion about the document and I’m proud of what we did in order to avert a strike. Unfortunately, the conversation that we would have wanted to have happened after that didn’t happen.”

According to a Council news release on Oct. 15, the Council explained that the changes proposed by the OPSEU would cost over $250 million annually. In addition, the news release stated that the changes would jeopardize the quality of college programs and remove thousands of contract faculty positions.

“This strike is completely unnecessary and unfair to hundreds of thousands of students. We should have had a deal based on our final offer. It is comparable to, or better than, recent public‐sector settlements with teachers, college support staff, hospital professionals and Ontario public servants – most of which were negotiated by [the] OPSEU,” Sonia Del Missier, Chair of the Council’s bargaining team, said in the news release.

A petition title #Wepaytolearn, which demands college students receive a refund for each day of classes missed, has reached over 60,000 signatures. The petition states that fulltime students should be reimbursed $30 and part-time students $20 for each day the strike takes place. The petition is to be delivered to multiple organizations and individuals including the Council, OPSEU, London North Centre MPP and minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development Deb Matthews, Missier and Scarbough-Guildwood MPP Mitzie Hunter. 

“We still remain ready and willing to return to the table at any time. Currently no further negotiation dates are booked,” Bedford said.

Fanshawe students with questions regarding the strike can phone 519-452-4277, email strikehotline@fanshawec.ca or visit www.fanshawec.ca/strikehotline.