‘Nobody wants to be on strike.’ Support workers launch picket lines in labour dispute
By Gavin Oregan, William Barritt, Mila Leclair, Delaney Smith, Robyn Lanktree and Vasileios Tselios
Picket lines went up outside Algonquin College’s Woodroffe campus on Thursday as support staff walked off the job, marking the first day of strike action in a dispute over wages, workload and job security.
The strike shut down several services across the college. Buildings remained opened and the college said classes were to continue.
John Hanson, a former president in the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), said full-time support staff work in “everything that goes on in the college, anything except for the actual teaching of the students.”
College staff took to the picket lines on Woodroffe Avenue, walking back and forth with signs that read “Save our colleges” and “College cuts hurt communities.”
Staff said the strike has been difficult to discuss with students, many of whom are worried about how classes and services will be affected.
“We didn’t want to talk about it, because you’re scared to scare the students,” said Stella Ludlow, an organizer at the picket line. “Because you’re already uncertain, it’s a lot of new stuff.”
Ludlow has worked with OPSEU since 2012 and has never seen people work so well together while on strike.
As for students, the strike leaves an uncertain thought about what is to come.
“As far as I’m aware, it’s about wages,” said Devon Payette, who is in his first year of the client relations program. “I don’t feel any type of way about it because it’s something that needs to happen for things to change.”
According to Hanson, staff rather not be on the picket lines.
“Nobody wants to be on strike. They want to be doing their job. These people love what they do, I know that,” Hanson said.
The goal between the labour union and full-time college support staff across Ontario remains to arrive at a deal as soon as possible.
OPSEU, which represents the workers, says rising costs and increased demands on staff have made a fair contract essential.
In a message to the Algonquin College community on Thursday, president and CEO Claude Brulé said: “We deeply value the contributions of our support staff and respect their right to participate in this legal process. Our priority is to continue supporting our students and employees while maintaining a respectful, safe, and inclusive campus environment.”
