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September Newsletter

September 07, 2021
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September 2021

Welcome

It's the start of the Fall semester and change is in the air. The Ministry of Colleges and Universities has released a framework for Fall 2021. It includes amendments to remove physical distancing and capacity limit requirements for indoor instructional spaces.  Additionally, The Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health has mandated that all post-secondary institutions are required to implement a Covid-19 vaccination policy for any individuals on campus no later than September 7, 2021. Each College is continuing to work with local public health units to ensure safety for everyone on campus. To review vaccine policies, visit your College's website.

This month, the CEC is working with the Colleges to implement the new Part-Time Support Staff collective agreement. Additionally, we are continuing to bargain with the CAAT-A faculty, librarians, and counsellors whose current agreement expires on September 30, 2021. Learn more below.

What's going on?

Case Study - Benefit Fraud Part-Time Support Staff Collective Agreement Implementation
The College Employer Council (CEC) is the policyholder for the CAAT Group Insurance benefits plan for the 24 Ontario Colleges. One of CEC’s roles is to keep the group insurance plans sustainable and prudently funded. The threat to the plan's sustainability posed by benefit fraud continues to be a concern. Learn more about what is benefits fraud and the consequences in our newest case study. The new Part-Time Support Staff collective agreement has been ratified and is ready to be implemented across the province. CEC conducted two seminars for College HR members on what changes need to be implemented and by what dates. A memo was created outlining all the information and uploaded to the Board Effect portal. If you have any questions on how to address the changes please reach out to the CEC.

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Bargaining Update

College Employer Council and OPSEU College Part-Time Support Staff Ratify New Collective Agreement

TORONTO, ON, CANADA, August 18, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- We are pleased to announce that College Part-Time Support Staff employees have voted in favour of ratifying a new collective agreement. Voting was conducted virtually this round and 89.4 per cent voted in favour of ratifying the new terms.

This three-year agreement was achieved through bargaining over the course of just two days at the virtual table. Both sides engaged in open, honest, and respective dialogue to improve this relatively new collective agreement.

“The Colleges are dedicated to maintaining a positive working relationship with its part-time support staff, many of which are students,” said Management bargaining Chair Pascal Bessette, Vice-President Human Resources and Organizational Culture at La Cite College. “We would like to thank the OPSEU bargaining team for their hard work and everyone who voted for ratifying the terms of this agreement. We look forward to continuing to work together in strengthening the College sector”

Changes to the agreement include an increased recall period, decreased probationary time, and a one per cent raise in total compensation.

“We are very pleased with the results of the ratification vote and the work we accomplished with the OPSEU Part-Time Support bargaining team. Currently the College Employer Council (CEC) is back at the virtual bargaining table with OPSEU CAAT-A College faculty whose collective agreement will expire on September 30, 2021” said Graham Lloyd, CEO of CEC. “We are continuing to bargain under the theme of ‘A Future Together’ as employers commit to working with employees to ensure students and their education remain our top priority”.

To stay up to date on how CAAT-A bargaining is unfolding, visit the CEC website for management team updates and tabled proposals from both OPSEU and CEC.

Note that management team bargaining updates focus solely on current negotiations and are for College-wide distribution. The CEC News and Updates newsletter provides general information for its subscribers. Both forms of updates are available on the CEC News and Updates section of the website.