As of today, all CAAT-A Locals are beginning to prepare for a strike. This is happening because the College Employer Council has refused to negotiate or agree to binding interest arbitration, where an arbitrator would lead the way to a settlement. Both options have remained open to the CEC since November. The Colleges could end this dispute immediately. However, the CEC has refused to negotiate and behaved in an unprecedented manner, as has been shared by our Bargaining Team through many communications.
This is not where any of us had hoped to be at this stage. The CEC’s refusal to negotiate feels especially cruel considering the amount of work and effort that we have all put into student success during the pandemic. In short, Colleges have collected students’ fees, have made significant profit over the pandemic, but have refused to acknowledge, in any meaningful way, the extraordinary additional work faculty have provided. If we do nothing, there is a very real chance that we will be locked out over the summer by the Colleges. At this crucial time, our continued solidarity demonstrates that we stand together. This unity exemplifies to management that we strongly believe in the values put forth in bargaining.
In the event of a strike, we want to ensure all members performing strike duties are paid without delay on a weekly basis. Strike pay is provided to those participating in strike activities and is set at $250/week plus $55 for each dependent (from OPSEU centrally). In addition, our Local 415 strike fund will provide a $500/week top-up. Strike pay is not taxable.
Please ensure the Local has 1) your personal email address and 2) your phone number through this form. Also, please make sure you are registered on the OPSEU central portal: https://members.opseu.org/.
In closing, please watch your e-mail closely over the next few days to stay current and be aware of updates. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me or to any steward.
In solidarity,
Annette Bouzi
President, OPSEU Local 415
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