Contributor
According to Jim Robeson, director of advocacy for the College Student Alliance (CAS), there are no new negotiation discussions scheduled between OPSEU and the colleges.
“There has been no talk aside from a news release that was distributed […] by OPSEU indicating that they were willing to come back to the table,” he says. “However, at this point in time I believe that until there is a new proposal put forward by the colleges or by OPSEU, neither one will come back to the table based on what’s being provided.”
Robeson says the strike could go on past the provincial elections until the end of October, when a newly-formed government could legislate support staff back to work.
“But in terms of a timeframe, at this point in time it could go on as long as there is no government,” he continues. “Even once a government is elected, it could still continue.”
Adrian Klymenko, technologist and Seneca@York picket captain, says it is important for people to understand the strikers at Seneca@York as well as at other Ontario colleges are “not just all workers and custodians out here.”
Financial aid, registration, IT services, and childcare programs at Seneca@York are some of the many areas support staff workers currently on strike have come from.
Robeson says aside from increased wait times—which are still under an hour—all critical services have continued to operate at the majority of the 24 college campuses across Ontario.
While they continue to occupy the picket lines in a fight for better wages and benefits, support staff say they do still have the students in mind.
“Of course we’re worried about what’s going on inside and that the students are suffering from the disruption of the services to them, but we’re also working out here for their benefit—for their jobs in the future,” says Karen Heino, scheduler and student advisor at Seneca@York.
“I think it’s important for students’ future jobs to have security so they’re not just doing contract, part-time kind of work with no benefits,” she continues. “What can the young people in college classes, in the economic situation today, look forward to if they get their education and they can’t expect more than contract work with no job security involved?”
Days are long and repetitive out on the picket lines, but many support staff workers are happy to support their cause.
“The weather’s been co-operating so at least that part of it is good,” says Heino. “It’s tough at first—all the walking and being on your feet—but we’re getting used to it and we’re standing for our cause.”
Klymenko says they haven’t had any confrontations with the public, students, or any other members of Seneca@York. Instead they have received a lot of support from Seneca@York faculty, students, and administrators who are starting to understand that they’re “valued employees and that the job [they] do is quite valued.”
Gilbert says they’ve even had one Seneca@York professor bring his class outside so students could talk to support staff about the strike and ask any questions they have.
For however long the strike goes on, support staff want to remind the public of an important reason why they’re doing this.
“It is for future generations as well, not just for us,” says Brenda Baker, scheduler at Seneca@York.
Robeson says while it is encouraging to hear the support staff have the students’ interests in mind, both parties do need to come back to the table to reach a negotiated settlement in the immediate future.
“I think that the strike is not just about the future of the support staff or the colleges, but it is about the future of college students across Ontario campuses,” he says. “Both parties do need to come to an agreement to ensure that the future of college students is not jeopardized.”
Correction: In our September 7 issue of Excalibur, we incorrectly listed food service workers as part of OPSEU.
