PETERBOROUGH – The
Ontario Public Service
Employees Union is
praising management at
Fleming College for
taking a “professional
approach” to a
large-scale union
organizing drive taking
place on the college
campus.
“Unlike
at some colleges,
Fleming has taken a very
professional approach to
our campaign to organize
part-time and sessional
employees,” said Betty
Cree, president of OPSEU
Local 351 at the
college. “Fleming has
not tried to interfere
with the organizing
drive or throw obstacles
in our way, and we
appreciate that a lot.”
Cree
said the college’s
attitude to the
organizing drive is
typical of its approach
to labour relations
generally.
“Fleming
is an employer that
tries to be a good
employer,” she said.
“Management here does
consult with the union
and does listen to our
concerns. We are having
some debates over budget
cuts right now, but I
believe our employer
cares about treating
people fairly.”
The
OPSEU organizing drive
aims to win union rights
for over 12,500
part-time and sessional
workers at 24 Ontario
community colleges.
While wages and working
conditions for full-time
unionized employees are
the same across the
province, those of
non-union part-timers
vary widely from college
to college. Fleming may
be the best employer of
these workers, said
Cree.
“At
Fleming, both faculty
and support staff have
clearly defined pay
scales,” she said.
“Also, regular part-time
support staff get paid
for statutory holidays
and are eligible to take
paid sick days. If the
college closes for some
reason, like bad
weather, part-time
support staff who are
scheduled to work still
get paid,” she said.
“That’s not the case at
some other colleges.”
OPSEU’s
organizing drive has
“brought out the bully”
in some college
managers, says Roger
Couvrette, president of
the provincial
organization of
part-timers and
sessionals and a driving
force behind the union’s
campaign.
“Some
colleges are actively
trying to prevent
part-timers and
sessionals from finding
out about the union’s
campaign,” said
Couvrette, who will
visit Peterborough today
to talk to workers.
“It’s reached the point
where colleges are
taking down posters –
even paid advertising –
and telling people what
they can and cannot talk
about when they’re
sitting in a campus
cafeteria.
“I’m
glad to see that none of
that nonsense is
happening at Fleming.”
