Ontario’s 24 colleges, including Fleming and Loyalist, and their full-time support staff have reached a tentative agreement, ending a five-week strike that had disrupted operations across the province.
The College Employer Council, representing Ontario colleges, and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents about 10,000 striking employees, reached the deal following a weekend of mediated talks with Mediator William Kaplan.
“Support staff play an important role in our colleges, supporting operations and contributing to student success,” said CEC CEO Graham Lloyd. “We are grateful to have them back to work.”
Lloyd added that the past five weeks “have been challenging for everyone involved,” and thanked both bargaining teams and Kaplan for helping to reach a settlement.
Under the agreement with OPSEU, all picketing will end immediately, with employees returning to work Thursday. The tentative deal remains subject to a ratification vote by union members before November 4th.
