December 3, 2008 

OPSEU asks Labour Board to order union vote for part-time and sessional faculty

Application for part-time college support staff expected in 2009

Part-time and sessional faculty at Ontario community colleges could be voting to unionize in January 2009 if the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) says yes to a new application by OPSEU.

Yesterday, OPSEU went to the OLRB with thousands of signed union cards to make its first application to represent college workers since the McGuinty government changed the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act on Oct. 8. That legislation spelled out the rules for unions to use when applying to represent part-time and sessional college workers.

Under CCBA rules, college workers are divided into four separate bargaining units: full-time and partial-load faculty; full-time support staff; part-time and sessional faculty; and part-time support staff.

OPSEU already represents both full-time bargaining units. To represent either part-time unit, the union must show that it has the support (through signed union cards) of 35 per cent of the group in question on the date the application is made. If it does, the OLRB orders a vote. If the majority vote yes, the union becomes their legal bargaining agent.

OPSEU now has the required support to trigger a vote among part-time and sessional college faculty, the union told the OLRB yesterday. The colleges have until Dec. 11 to provide the Board with an accurate list of all part-time and sessional faculty who were working yesterday.

“Based on the clear support for OPSEU of part-time and sessional college faculty, we fully expect the OLRB to order a vote,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas.

Meanwhile, card-signing is continuing in the colleges. The union expects to apply to represent part-time college support staff in 2009.

For full information about the OPSEU drive to win union rights for part-timers and sessionals at Ontario’s community colleges, visit www.collegeworkers.org or call 1-866-811-7274.

The Part-Time Times is authorized for distribution by Roger Couvrette, president of the Organization of Part-Time and Sessional Employees of the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (OPSECAAT), and Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.