Algonquin College students express relief as full-time support staff strike ends

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), representing the province’s full-time college support workers, reached a tentative three-year agreement with the province on Oct. 15, ending the five-week-long strike.

The details were presented to union members that afternoon, with picket lines closing across the province’s 24 colleges. The 10,000 striking employees have since returned to work.

Students at the college expressed relief after learning the news.

Alek Desjardins and Ethan Cleveland, both in the bachelor of event, sport and entertainment management program, drive to school every day. They said they’re happy it’s over and they no longer have to “struggle entering the parking lot.”

“Coming in at 8 a.m. was the worst, because everyone had class and nobody could get onto campus. So it’s nice to know we can now, and I don’t have to leave earlier,” Desjardins said.

“I understood the cause, but saying you’re helping students and then making them late for class, I felt their actions were going against their motives,” he said.

Fortunately, traffic was the worst of their troubles during the strike. Cleveland said he was not affected by the suspended operations due to the job action, but his patience was tested.

“I was supportive at the beginning,” Cleveland said. “But making it hard to get to school, for me, it was getting old.”

Grace Ellis, another Algonquin College student, had a different tone. She said she’s “happy” the staff found an agreement.

“The teacher’s aides need to be paid a good wage and have the right benefits. They’re the foundation of what we do and why we’re here, so it’s definitely fair for them to get what they deserve,” she said.

The deal was negotiated after weeks of bargaining, eventually with the help of mediator William Kaplan.

In a statement released by OPSEU, the union declared it had successfully negotiated wage and benefit increases, “enhanced job protections against technological changes,” and other significant gains.

Christine Kelsey, chair of OPSEU’s bargaining team, considered the agreement a success.

“We’ve won more than a contract,” she said. “The public now understands that our college system is being deliberately defunded as part of the collateral of (Premier Doug) Ford’s devastating privatization agenda.”

The tentative agreement will require ratification from union members before Nov. 4.

In a message to students, Algonquin College senior vice president academic Julie Beauchamp thanked everyone for their “patience and understanding over the past few weeks, and for the care and respect you’ve shown to one another and our community.”

“As we transition back to regular operations, some areas may take a bit of time to return to full capacity,” Beauchamp said. “We appreciate your continued understanding and encourage you to monitor your email for updates.”

This agreement may not completely mark the end of college strikes this year, however. Part-time college support staff recently held their own strike vote.

Should 50 per cent of members vote for a strike mandate, the part-time workers’ “bargaining team can call for a strike” if negotiations with the province remain unsuccessful. The union says it’s unsure when that point may be.