Algonquin College warns community about possible strike by support staff on Thursday

By Ernest Ko and Janella Milord Ashford

Algonquin College president and CEO Claude Brulé on Wednesday warned the campus community about possible strike by full-time college support staff across Ontario, including Algonquin College, beginning Thursday.

“While we remain hopeful that a resolution will be reached, we must also be prepared for the possibility of a labour disruption,” an emailed message from Brulé said.

This disruption will most likely result in a strike, with picket lines happening at entrances for the Woodroffe, Perth and Pembroke campuses. However, the campuses will all remain open and operational, Brulé said.

While the college said it remained hopeful that an agreement can be reached before Thursday, precautions and communications were being made to “support our learners and ensure the continuity of college operations as much as possible,” Brulé said in the email.

Why is a strike happening?

In a message from OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union), president JP Hornick alleges that Ontario’s college system is in a “crisis” due to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his administration’s “accelerated agenda to gut public education and privatize post-secondary education for good.”

Hornick mentions 10,000 recent job cuts and 650 programs shuttered across Ontario. At Algonquin College, 37 programs and the Perth campus were set for suspension last February. Brulé cited provincial shortfalls as a main reason for the decision.

OPSEU, which represents full-time college support staff across Ontario, is currently negotiating a new collective agreement with the College Employer Council (CEC). The previous agreement expired on Aug. 31. The two parties have been negotiating since June.

Will this strike affect my classes?

No, according to the college. “At this time, all classes and related academic activities for the Fall 2025 term are scheduled to continue as planned,” the college said. Should there be any changes, students will be notified.

Faculty members at the college received an email on Tuesday from Hornick instructing them not to perform support staff work, in solidarity with the support staff union.

“Our support staff colleagues are fighting not only for a fair contract but also for a stronger, more sustainable college system — and we have an opportunity to stand with them,” the message from Hornick said.

What will be affected?

The Algonquin Students’ Association confirmed to the Algonquin Times that its operations and events will not be impacted.

While no comprehensive list of affected services is available, the college can expect disruptions in the following areas: tech support, food services, the registrar’s office, parking services, library assistance, printing services, the Centre for Accessible Learning, clerical duties, facilities and maintenance work and more.

Due to the strike protests, the college is recommending students and staff to dedicate “extra time when coming to campus, and to walk or drive carefully when approaching a picket line.”

“Consider using public transportation, carpooling, or arranging to be dropped off to help minimize delays,” the college suggested.

What is the union looking for?

According to a Sept. 6 media release by OPSEU, the union is looking to fight back against looming mergers, closures and the “systematic defund(ing)” of Ontario’s public colleges.” Job security remains a top concern for the union.

During negotiations, OPSEU made two demands: “A complete ban on college or campus mergers or closures during the life of the agreement,” and “a total prohibition on any staff reductions, regardless of circumstance.”

CEC, meanwhile, has labelled these demands as unacceptable “poison pills,” which are preventing a settlement from being made.

According to Veronica Attard, a full-time support staff at Algonquin College and a member of the OPSEU’s full-time support bargaining team, many of the union’s concerns are realized at Algonquin.

Layoffs and employee attrition have led to longer wait times for services, while recent closures and contracting out of food services have cost over 200 employees their jobs, Attard said.

Attard described all these changes as “a deterioration of services,” which she says will ultimately affect students’ education.

Have the CEC made any offers?

Yes. Their most recent proposal, dated Aug. 31, proposed annual monetary and benefit increases, enhanced severance, vacation carry-over rights, and increases to on-call premiums, among other incentives.

The CEC has also offered to “withdraw its proposals on split shifts, increases to on-call hours, and limits on bumping rights and grievances.”

However, Attard and other OPSEU bargaining agents have alleged that their CEC counterparts did not show up at the negotiation table in Toronto on Tuesday.

Can I cross the picket lines?

Tracey Henderson, an Algonquin College professor and president of OPSEU Local 415, which represents faculty members, encouraged students to join protestors at picket lines if the strike happens.

Members of the college community “can exercise their right to not cross the [picket] line,” Henderson said. “However, if you do need to cross the picket line, we ask that you do so respectfully.”

The college has also asked students and staff to “avoid confrontation (with protesters), remain calm and courteous, and be patient” if trying to cross the picket line.