After nearly five weeks on the picket lines, full time support staff at Ontario’s community colleges have a tentative agreement in place.
The deal covers more than 10,000 workers represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union across all 24 Ontario colleges.
Support staff including disability services, library technologists, student success coordinators, co-op placement coordinators, and more walked off the job September 11th, seeking better wages, benefits, and job security.
“After months of intensive negotiations with an incredibly difficult employer, the gains made in this agreement would not have been possible without members holding strong these last weeks,” said Christine Kelsey, chair of the union’s bargaining team in a news release. “We had no choice but to fight back amidst a plan to privatize public education, as well as 10,000 job losses and over 650 program cuts across the system.”
Details of the tentative agreement have not been released.
Union officials say picket lines will come down today, and the details of the tentative settlement will be presented to members this afternoon. Support staff are scheduled to return to work Thursday, October 16.