UNION

 

The 40 hour workweek, safety standards, weekends, overtime: all exist because people literally fought and even died for it. This picture shows the kind of conditions business owners chose because they were most profitable. In my opinion, only a stern bulwark of worker solidarity prevents us sliding back to those terrible days.


    "The only effective answer to organized greed is organized labor."  -Thomas Donahue

Update:

The CEC and Union have agreed to binding interest arbitration. This ends all work to rule and possible strike actions. I am beyond elated we'll be able to return to normal immediately.

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Previous post from the 2022 contract talks:

Here we go again.

    In the strike of 2017, while walking the picket line at Fanshawe college. I and several of my fellow teachers were very narrowly missed by a raging motorist that decided to deliberately drive through the picket line. The car was stopped by security and the matter was referred to the police. It could easily have gone a very different way.

    I take this stuff very seriously

    I am unabashedly a very pro-union person. I have seen that everyone benefits from a better quality of life when there is a strong, broadly supported labour movement. Even business owners benefit from a heathy and sustainable workforce, though many don't seem to realize it. 

    I also see the best working environment for my students will be created by unionization within the film, games and vfx industries. I've worked in several companies over my career, both union and non-union. I can unequivocally say that union shops were always more stable with healthier, sustainable conditions, and happier staff. The company was a direct beneficiary of that. 

I want that for all my students.

    I will update this page as I know more. 

    Here's the current labour situation


https://www.opseu110.ca/work-to-rule/

 The teachers and the College Employer Council are unable to come to an agreement so we're working without a contract. The Colleges can impose whatever working conditions they like at this point. They have started to do so.

In response, the teachers have implemented a 'work-to-rule' labour action. 

    This means:

  • I won't be answering emails, messages etc. outside of normal working hours. (M-F 9-5) 
  • I won't be able to spend more time giving feedback than I have allocated by my contract.
My hope is this will have a minimal impact on student experience. Unless the standoff is resolved it's possible that more escalating work action may occur.

If you're wondering who the CEC is, this explains: What is the CEC?

    If you would like to help resolve this

Email the College Employer Council  and ask them to resume bargaining.

Email President Peter Devlin and ask him to direct the CEC to resume bargaining.

Please be respectful but never doubt that student complaints are the most powerful driving force in the colleges. Your voice carries a lot of weight.


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