There Could Be A Strike At The College This September

The bargaining team representing over 10,000 full-time college support workers at all 24 of Ontario’s public colleges, including St. Clair College, requested a “no board” repor Thursday putting workers in a legal strike position come the Fall 2025 semester.

The union representing college workers, OPSEU/SEFPO, cites the lack of progress on securing job security for workers during one of the largest layoffs in provincial history, with 10,000 jobs cut and over 650 programs suspended/cancelled under the Ford government’s tenure.

The “no board” report, once issued by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, begins a 16-day countdown before any form of labour action can commence with five (5) days notice by either party.

Union members voted 77.3% “YES” to authorize a strike, if necessary. No strike deadline is set at this time, but the union says that it urges the Colleges’ bargaining team to start negotiating with a real look towards improving the student experience.

The College Employer Council has proposed binding mediation/arbitration to OPSEU. They say that OPSEU’s demands collectively exceed $900 million for colleges. Just this week, OPSEU proposed language to prohibit full-time support staff layoffs and campus closures for the life of the collective agreement.