CEC October 2023 Bargaining Bulletin
A bi-annual update on the status of bargaining and implementation of Collective Agreements across the bargaining units.
Part-Time Support Staff
Who are they: Employees who regularly work 24 hours per week or less in positions or classifications such as office, clerical, technical, health care, maintenance, building service, shipping, transportation, cafeteria, and nursery staff.
Status: The current collective agreement expires on January 31, 2024. It has been signed and is available for review on the CEC and OPSEU websites.
Update:
Bill 124
A meeting is in the process of being scheduled with the part-time support staff bargaining team to discuss wage increases as per the Bill 124 LOU in the collective agreement.
Bargaining
The part-time support staff collective agreement expires on January 31, 2024. Bargaining for the next Collective Agreement is expected to begin November 2023.
The CEC will begin consulting with management at the 24 Ontario public Colleges this fall to prepare for negotiations.
Full-Time Support Staff
Who are they: Examples of members in this group include technicians and technologists, clerks, assistants, analysts, tutors, and facilities operators who work regularly more than 24 hours per week.
Status: The current collective agreement expires on August 31, 2025. The Collective agreement is finalized and will be published on the CEC website shortly.
Update:
Bill 124
The parties met on Friday, August 25, to successfully negotiate a mutually agreed upon remedy based on the current status of Bill 124. Full-time support staff will receive an additional 6.5% increase on top of the 3% increase they received under Bill 124, now totaling 9.5% overall throughout the course of the collective agreement.
The wage increases were mutually agreed upon as follows:
- September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2023 – 3% percent;
- September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024 – 3% percent; and
- September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2025 – 3.5% percent.
Bargaining unit employees will receive retroactive payments in the coming pay periods.
Additionally, the extended health plan paramedical coverage coinsurance was increased from 85% to 90%, up to a combined maximum of $4,750 per person in a Calendar Year for all eligible expenses. This increase will be implemented on January 1, 2024.
Benefits
College Full-time Support Staff previously negotiated enhancements for each of the 3 years of the collective agreement. We are pleased to announce the following benefit enhancements to the Support Staff benefit plan:
Effective September 1, 2023
• The combined paramedical annual maximum will increase from $3,000 to $4,750.
• Services of family and marriage therapists will be added to the list of eligible paramedical providers.
Effective January 1, 2024
• The paramedical services reimbursement level will increase from 85% to 90%.
Effective September 1, 2024
• The annual maximum for Medical Cannabis will increase from $4,000 to $5,000 per individual.
Part-Time Academic Certification
Who are they: Part-time academics work 6 or fewer teaching contact hours a week or are hired on a sessional basis.
Status: Currently not unionized
Update:
The part-time academic Union certification is still ongoing.
Since 2017, OPSEU and the CEC have been working together to review lists and determine the final employee lists.
The length of time for this process is determined by the accuracy of lists and the party’s ability to come to an agreement. Since the application for certification, OPSEU has raised more than 8,500 objections to the list of employees at the colleges.
Each objection requires the parties to review related contracts, pay records, and course outlines.
Both parties are currently working with the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) to resolve the remaining objections. A hearing in March 2024 is set to finalize any outstanding issues.
Only if OPSEU is able to demonstrate 35% support and all other issues on the vote itself are resolved, will the ballots be counted, and Union certification can be determined.
Full-Time Academic
Who are they: Full-time and partial-load instructors, professors, librarians, and counsellors.
Status: The current collective agreement expires on September 30, 2024. It was finalized on September 11, 2023, and copies will become available on the CEC website in French and English shortly.
Update:
Bill 124
In light of the November 2022 Bill 124 ruling by the Ontario Superior Court, the parties agreed to meet with mediator Gedalof on Monday, August 14, 2023. They met for more than 13 hours to negotiate a remedy.
As a result, full-time and partial-load academic employees will receive an additional 6.5% increase on top of the 3% increase they received under Bill 124, totaling 9.5% overall throughout the course of the collective agreement.
The wage increases were mutually agreed upon as follows:
- October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022 – 3% percent;
- October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023 – 3% percent; and
- October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024 – 3.5% percent.
Bargaining unit employees will receive the retroactive payments in the coming pay periods.
Additionally, the extended health plan paramedical coverage was increased to $4,750 annually to be implemented on October 1, 2023.
