Just  reminder that as new updates becoming available regarding the faculty bargaining negotiations please check out our www.collegestrike.ca for the most current information; if you have a media request please contact Tyler Charlebois.

Students Still Fear a Province-wide Academic Strike

Toronto, ON—Ontario’s college and college-university students are demanding that both bargaining teams of the college’s academic staff and management go back to the bargaining table following yesterday’s province-wide strike vote, says the College Student Alliance (CSA).

“Students are seriously worried that in the near future they will be pulled out of their learning environments and faced with the academic staff walking a picket line,” says Justin Fox, President of the College Student Alliance. “Both sides need to remember that college students as well as the taxpayers are footing the bill and as such a greater emphasis must be placed on reaching a negotiated settlement.”

Yesterday in a province-wide strike vote, 57.03 per cent of Ontario’s full-time academic staff voted in favour of giving their union, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), a strike mandate and the ability to pull them off the job if negotiations don’t progress in their favour. Compared to the last round of bargaining’s strike vote, which yielded a voter turnout of 65.5 per cent with 80.4 percent voting in favour of a strike.

“The goal now must be for both sides to go back to the bargaining table and stay there until a new collective agreement is reached without a work stoppage,” adds Fox.

In anticipation of the results, concerned students and parents took to www.collegestrike.ca to vent their concerns, frustrations and fears of a potential province-wide strike. Collegestrike.ca was designed to give students and all concerned up-to-date information, the straight facts and a place for them to express themselves.

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The College Student Alliance (CSA) is an advocacy and services organization, which has been proudly serving Ontario’s college and college-university students since 1975. The CSA currently represents 17 colleges and 25 student councils with over 125,000 full-time student members throughout the province.

Please note these are the unofficial results, and questions can be directed to Tyler Charlebois.

CSA Launches Strike Specific Website

With the possibility of a province-wide academic strike looming over our colleges, the CSA has launched a new site specific to the potential strike, www.collegestrike.ca.  This site features up-to-date information on bargaining, FAQs, a comparison of the offer vs proposal, contact information on key people as well as a twitter feed (@strikemylife) that allow students to tweet their feelings, frustrations, concerns and have them posted on the site.

 JANUARY 11TH-15TH — BE READY AND WILLING!!!

Here’s a chance for all CSA Member STUDENT Associations to engage with their STUDENT bodies; a chance to make individual STUDENTS aware of the variety of services provided by their SA, including the advocacy work done on their behalf to the government through their membership in CSA. Oh yeah, and in the process, offering one lucky STUDENT a chance to walk away with $200 cold hard cash!

 CSA touched me refers to the “dialogue” intended to happen between SA board members and STUDENTS on campus—essentially, the way SA representatives help STUDENTSunderstand that they are working diligently on their behalf to not only provide social and entertainment events but also in the more serious issues affecting postsecondary education—tuition, cost of education, funding, accessibility, quality and transferability. All or some of these issues will affect or touch STUDENTS in some manner during their college program(s), and CSA and its members will continue to work to make sure STUDENT’S rights are at the forefront of each of them!

Hey STUDENTS – It’s ALL about YOU!!

Students say NO to a strike

Toronto, ON—With the threat of yet another province-wide academic strike looming over Ontario’s college and college-university students, students are asking college presidents, full-time faculty, counselors, librarians and partial load teachers to take a step back and reflect on what another strike would mean for students, our colleges and the economy, says the College Student Alliance (CSA).

“Students do not support, nor are they in favour of, another academic strike,” says Justin Fox, President of the College Student Alliance.  “Students want both sides to get back to the table and reach a new collective agreement without a labour disruption that could cost Ontario college students’ their semester or graduation.”

With the full-time academic staff voting on whether or not to give the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) a strike mandate next Wednesday, January 13^th and no sign that both sides are closer to a collective agreement, students, their parents and families are growing concerned that things are headed for a strike.  An academic strike has only happened three times in the history of the college system; in 1984, 1989 and again in 2006.    

“We are hoping that whatever the result of the strike vote, both sides will go back to the bargaining table and stay there until a new agreement is reached,” adds Fox.  “Too much is hanging in the balance for both sides not to continue to talk.” 

Given the current state of the economy, the growing need for higher education and training and all of the labour unrest of the last year the last thing students and Ontario needs is another strike.  The colleges and their staff should be focused on educating and training the over half a million full- and part-time students. 

“Both sides need to keep students uppermost in their negotiations going forward,” says Tyler Charlebois, Director of Advocacy.  “After all isn’t that why we are all here, for the students.”  

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Students Serving Students for Stronger Colleges

Toronto, ON –Are you ready and willing?  Starting Monday, January 11^th member campuses of the College Student Alliance (CSA) will be reaching out to their students in an effort to increase the awareness amongst students of the work being done on their behalf by their Student Association.  “CSA touched me…(and I liked it)” is the 2^nd Annual Student Association (SA) Awareness Week.

“SA Awareness was created to promote, educate and engage our students in the work that we do on their behalf on a daily,” says Justin Fox, President of the College Student Alliance.  “This type of campaign provides an excellent opportunity for us to get out and speak directly one-on-one with our students.  We can hear firsthand what is on their mind and what concerns them the most.”

Student Associations/Unions have been working for their students’ on-campus and off-campus, provincially and federally since the colleges first opened in the late 60’s.  Today’s ever-changing economy and demographic has created the need for SA’s to become more adaptable, flexible and highly inclusive.  SA’s now represent a very diverse student population.  The services and events offered by today’s SA’s are drastically different than those offered in the past.

 “We strongly believe that there are many students walking our halls that truly just don’t understand what we do for them,” adds Fox.  “So this is an excellent opening for them and us to learn and also give a student a chance to win $200 in cold hard cash.”

The “CSA touched me…(and I liked it)” campaign also provides the Student Associations/Unions with the opportunity to let their students know what they are doing on their behalf at the provincial and federal level through the CSA.  Let them know that their SA is apart of a bigger network of SA’s working to bring about positive change to better their education and experience.  Through the CSA, their voices are united with over 120,000 full-time college and college-university students to present a powerful voice to the provincial and federal government on issues ranging from tuition fees and OSAP to the accessibility, quality and transferability of their education.

To find out more about the College Student Alliance and SA Awareness Week by visiting, www.collegestudentalliance.ca.

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Still NO Collective Agreement

After two back-to-back days at the bargaining table, OPSEU and the Council were not able to reach a new collective agreement for Ontario’s full-time academic staff.  Due to the apparent lack of progressive, OPSEU has said they now have no other choice but to step up their plans for a strike vote on January 13th. 

No new dates have been set for bargaining.

College students are NOT bargaining chips

Toronto, ON—As talks between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and the College Compensation & Appointments Council (the Council) continue this week, Ontario’s college students are taking a stand, says the College Student Alliance (CSA). Students are telling both sides that, “Students are NOT bargaining chips!”

“Students are concerned with the fact that, yet again, there is a threat of a province-wide faculty strike looming over their education,” says Justin Fox, President of the College Student Alliance.  “Students do not want a repeat of the 21 day strike of 2006, which nearly cost many their semester and graduation.”

OPSEU and the Council began collectively bargaining back in early June of this year.  After some six and a half months, including an imposed month-long recess, both sides managed to not reach agreement on a new collective agreement.  Although on November 18^th the Council imposed a set of new terms and conditions, which were applied retroactively to September 1^st.    

“Given the current state of the economy and the demand for college and skilled trades training; it is our hope that both sides will find a way to reach a new collective agreement before the end of the year,” adds Fox.  “But with OPSEU’s strike vote scheduled for Wednesday, January 13^th, 2010 that looks unlikely.”

In an effort to speak directly to college presidents and members of the academic bargaining unit, the CSA and its member councils have distributed postcard letters expressing the concerns felt by students over the lack of a new collective agreement and the potential of another province-wide strike. 

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