FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 22, 2006
College talks break
down; union calls for binding arbitration
TORONTO – The union
representing 9,100 striking college faculty is calling on
management to agree to binding arbitration after contract
talks broke down today.
Three days of talks since the
strike began have produced no progress that would lead to a
settlement, the union says.
“It is now abundantly clear to
us that no negotiated settlement is possible with the current
management bargaining team in place,” said Ted Montgomery,
chair of the OPSEU bargaining team. “In the interests of
saving our students’ semester, we are calling on management to
agree to binding arbitration as outlined in the Colleges
Collective Bargaining Act.”
The sticking point in the talks
has been education quality – specifically the union’s
proposals for more faculty and more faculty time for students.
“We have been clear and concise
about what we need to have in order to improve education
quality, but management won’t address quality issues,”
Montgomery said. “For faculty, no settlement is possible that
does not address quality.”
Any further delays in settling
the strike will mean students seriously risk losing their
semester, Montgomery said.
“There is not the faintest hope
that the colleges’ ‘Semester Completion Strategies’ will
actually save the semester,” Montgomery said. “Without faculty
to deliver courses, assign tests, and evaluate students, any
credits students might receive would not be worth the paper
they are printed on.”
When asked about the
strategies, Rick Miner, president of Seneca College and chief
spokesperson for all 24 college presidents told the National
Post last week that “what we’re really trying to do here is
buy time.”
“The colleges have bought
enough time at our students’ expense,” said Montgomery. “Now
it’s time for a resolution, and it’s time to improve education
quality.”
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For more information:
David Cox (416) 788-9197
(cell) (416) 443-8888 ext. 8314 (office)
Randy Robinson (416) 788-9134 (cell); (416) 448-7441
(office)
