Negotiations continue as Ontario college work stoppage nears

NOTE: Strike averted as Ontario college faculty union, employers enter binding arbitration

Even though it's their first week back at school after the holiday break, college students in Ontario might not be able to attend class soon, as their professors and instructors inch closer to a work stoppage.

Last week, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) issued a five-day strike notice to the College Employer Council (CEC).

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According to the CEC - which represents the 24 public colleges in the province - 450,000 students would be impacted by a strike.

OPSEU represents roughly 15,000 full-time and part-time professors and instructors at the colleges. One of the issues being discussed is seeking more permanent work for those working part time.

According to Christina Decarie, the president of OPSEU Local 417 representing St. Lawrence College, the number of part-time professors has increased significantly in the past two decades.

"When I started at the college 21 years ago, about 25 per cent of the professors were contract professors. And now, 21 years later, about 75 per cent of the professors are contract professors," Decarie tells CTV News Ottawa.

Decarie says the union's ultimate goal is to make the learning environment better for the students.

"Students are walking into classrooms, being taught by people who have other responsibilities, who cannot give all of their time and their attention to the college because they have other jobs," she says. "My working conditions are their learning conditions."

St. Lawrence College has roughly 10,000 students enrolled at their campuses in Kingston, Cornwall and Brockville.

OPSEU and the CEC spent Monday at the bargaining table and continued Tuesday. Workers have been without a collective bargaining agreement since September.

It isn't clear what a work stoppage would look like if the two sides can't reach an agreement.

Krupa Trivedi is an international student from India attending St. Lawrence College. She's concerned that if her semester is postponed for an extended period of time, she'll run into complications with her visa.

"I'm in my last semester and I'm graduating in April 2025, so I'm a little concerned about it because I feel if there's actually going to be a strike, it will affect the studies and everything.

"As an international student, it's already a lot of stuff going on. And, having a strike at the college and not being able to study would be too much."

First year student Thomas Bowman feels strange talking about possibly having more time off school, considering they just returned to class after the holiday break.

He says his professors at St. Lawrence College have been preparing students, just in case there is a work stoppage.

"Our professors have been talking about it a little bit, and just talking about making sure we're aware of everything. And then we will, like, obviously getting e-mails to know what's going on."