FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March
6, 2006
Education quality is central issue as
strike by college faculty looms
TORONTO –
Education quality is the central issue as a strike by 9,100
Ontario college faculty looms, the Ontario Public Service
Employees Union says.
“This round
of contract negotiations is about the quality of education
students receive in our community colleges,” said OPSEU
president Leah Casselman. “It is about having smaller class
sizes and more faculty so that each and every college student
gets more time, more attention, and more feedback from the
people who are helping them learn.”
The union
will be on strike as of 12:01 a.m. tonight if talks fail to
produce a settlement.
“The report
of the Rae Commission said our standard of living, and our
quality of life, depend on people having access to education
that is ‘on a par with the best in the world,’ ” Casselman
said. “Mr. McGuinty has made it clear repeatedly that he
thinks the same.”
When he announced more funding for
post-secondary education last May, McGuinty said improving
education quality in colleges and universities meant more
faculty and more faculty time for students.
“The union is bargaining to get
exactly what Mr. McGuinty wants for our students – higher
quality education,” said Casselman.
Ontario’s 24
community colleges are represented in bargaining by the
College Compensation and Appointments Council.
“It is
unfortunate but true that the employer’s model for the future
of college education in Ontario is the sardine can,” said
Casselman. “They want more and more students crammed into ever
larger classes, with less and less faculty time for individual
students.
“The sardine
can model turns our colleges into diploma factories, where the
quantity of graduates is more important than the quality of
their education,” she said. “The global economy doesn’t care
about the piece of paper. The global economy only cares how
well our students have mastered the skills they need. That is
why we are fighting for smaller class sizes. That is why we
are fighting for more faculty time and attention for each and
every student.”
– 30 –
For more
information :
|
City |
College |
OPSEU local |
Contact |
Phone number |
|
Barrie |
Georgian |
350 |
Regis Yaworski |
(705) 728-1968 x 1435 |
|
Belleville |
Loyalist |
420 |
Bernard Belanger |
(613) 391-9236 (cell) |
|
Brampton |
Sheridan |
244 |
Doug Law |
(647) 882-3440 (cell) |
|
Brockville |
St. Lawrence |
417 |
Graeme Aubert
Mary Ann White |
(613) 213-4576 (cell)
(613) 213-1181 (cell) |
|
Cornwall |
St. Lawrence |
417 |
Graeme Aubert
Mary Ann White |
(613) 213-4576 (cell)
(613) 213-1181 (cell) |
|
Hamilton |
Mohawk |
240 |
Roberta Burke
Fred Deys |
(905) 648-1661 (cell)
(905) 962-3733 (cell) |
|
Kingston |
St. Lawrence |
417 |
Graeme Aubert
Mary Ann White |
(613) 213-4576 (cell)
(613) 213-1181 (cell) |
|
Kitchener-Waterloo |
Conestoga |
237 |
Graham Ward |
(519) 503-1828 (cell) |
|
London |
Fanshawe |
110 |
Paddy Musson
Linda Skinkle |
(519) 495-5455 (cell)
(519) 868-2094 (cell) |
|
Niagara Region |
Niagara |
242 |
Bruce Harper |
(905) 401-2431 (cell) |
|
North Bay |
Canadore |
657 |
Peggy Morrison |
(705) 471-8047 (cell) |
|
Oakville |
Sheridan |
244 |
Doug Law |
(647) 882-3440 (cell) |
|
Oshawa: |
Durham |
354 |
Debbie Rautins |
(905) 410-1271 (cell) |
|
Ottawa |
Algonquin |
415 |
Doug Brandy
Jack Wilson |
(613) 863-9156 (cell)
(613) 228-3872 (HQ) (613) 228-0526 |
|
Ottawa |
La Cité |
470 |
Fernand Begin |
(613) 746-2011 (HQ)
(613) 742-2493 x 2047 |
|
Peterborough |
Sanford Fleming |
352 |
Gary Bonczak |
(705) 749-5520 x 212 |
|
Sarnia
|
Lambton |
125 |
Ray Wreford
|
(519) 464-3810 (cell); (519) 383-0061
(HQ) |
|
Sault Ste. Marie
|
Sault |
613 |
Jim Pardy
Richard Page |
(705) 971-4393 (cell)
(705) 949-5706 (HQ)
(705) 971-0686 (cell) |
|
Sudbury |
Cambrian |
655 |
David Starbuck |
(705) 561-9329 (cell) |
|
Sudbury |
Boréal |
673 |
Jean-Pierre Belanger |
(705) 698-9539 (cel.) |
|
Thunder Bay |
Confederation |
732 |
Kaia Beaudry |
(807) 626-6511 (cell) |
|
Timmins/Kirkland Lake and area
|
Northern |
653 |
Olayide Shaba |
(705) 568-7992 (cell) |
|
Toronto |
Centennial |
558 |
Eileen Burrows |
(416) 570-9377 (cell) |
|
Toronto |
George Brown |
556 |
Tom Tomassi
Ed Larocque |
(416) 575-1749 (cell)
(416) 452-3647 (cell) |
|
Toronto |
Humber |
562 |
Maureen Wall |
(416) 333-2217 (cell) |
|
Toronto/Richmond Hill/Aurora |
Seneca |
560 |
Larry Olivo
Patricia Clark |
(647) 828-5422 (cell) (416) 495-1599
(HQ) (416) 831-9063 (cell) |
|
Windsor |
St. Clair |
138 |
Barb Graham |
(519) 981-1100 (HQ) |
|
OPSEU Communications |
|
|
David Cox
|
(416) 443-8888 x 314
(416) 788-9197 (cell) |
|
OPSEU Communications |
|
|
Randy Robinson
|
(416) 448-7441
(416) 788-9134 (cell) |
