Collective Agreement Expiry, Conciliation, and Strike Vote

The CEC and CAAT-A bargaining teams have completed 24 days of bargaining without a renewed collective agreement. More dates are scheduled in October.  Although the 2021-2024 collective agreement has expired, it continues to remain in effect.

CEC Proposals Highlights

Throughout bargaining, CEC’s proposals have been drafted to recognize the hard work of faculty, to ensure students continue to receive quality education, and to protect fiscal sustainability across the College sector. These proposals represent substantial progress since the last time the SWF was formally reviewed in 2011.

Some of the CEC’s tabled proposals are breakthrough.

• We’ve added modes of delivery and increases to prep and evaluation on the SWF, directly responding to what professors reported on the Flaherty Workload Taskforce survey.
• Overtime pay provisions have been proposed for counsellors and librarians.
• The definition of an academic year has been modernized without impacting faculty vacation provisions. This new definition accurately reflects the academic calendar, which ensures students can access a College education from September 1 to August 31.
• We have proposed wage and benefit increases and a 4-year agreement to ensure stability.

Impasse and Conciliation

For the past three months, the parties have been exchanging proposals and rationale. Many issues remain outstanding. Two conciliators have been appointed by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and will be meeting with the parties next week.

Strike Vote

CEC remains committed to reaching an agreement with the CAAT-A Bargaining team without the need for a strike. The CAAT- A Bargaining team has been planning for a strike since at least August. Any work interruption is harmful to our students and the College system. However, the outstanding demands of the CAAT-A team will cost the Colleges more than an additional $1 Billion per year and will not improve student success.

Next Steps

The parties continue bargaining on October 8 and enter conciliation on October 9.

The strike vote that the CAAT-A bargaining team has requested will take place virtually between October 15-17. Voting is confidential and 50% +1 of those who vote will determine the outcome. We encourage all full-time and partial-load professors, counsellors, and librarians to get informed and vote.

As we continue negotiations this month, a reminder that the Flaherty Workload Taskforce Report, all proposals, and all demands are published on the CEC website. Academic employees, management, students, and community members are encouraged to read both the CEC and CAAT-A proposals to stay informed.