Anxious Sault College students await vote result

Two very different outcomes appear to be at stake as academic staff at Ontario’s 24 public colleges vote today on a ”final” contract offer from management.

The result will be announced sometime tonight.

Acceptance of the proposal would immediately end the possibility of a province-wide faculty strike scheduled to start next week.

Rejection, says management, would lead directly to a work stoppage and picket lines.

Amanda Holmberg, a member of the Sault College Student Administrative Council executive, says she and her peers don’t want to lose class time to a strike.

“It’s obviously our best hope that students will be able to continue their year without interruption and that faculty understand that many of us are concerned about the quality of education we will receive if they don’t accept management’s final offer," she said today.

"We encourage everyone involved to check out collegestrike.ca for the most accurate and up-to-date information."

Caught up in an ever-escalating war of words, the union and management negotiators who can't reach agreement on a contract also differ on what will happen if teachers turn down the offer.

Jeff Arbus (shown), a long-time Sault College teacher and vice-chair of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union academic bargaining team, believes rank-and-file members will support opposition to the deal on the table.

“We expect a rejection of management’s offer across the province. We expect management to return to the bargaining table.”

He went on to say, “If bargaining fails to produce a settlement for any reason - including a refusal of the employer to bargain - then the union will repeat the call for final and binding arbitration."

But the College Compensation and Appointments Council - the bargaining agent for management - has posted the following on its website: “Contrary to what the union has been claiming, rejecting the offer will not result in further negotiations, arbitration or any modified position from the colleges. OPSEU knows this. We were clear when the final offer was presented that we were making these adjustments in a last effort to avoid a strike. It is why we have asked for a vote on the proposed collective agreement.”

Control issues around workload, academic freedom and quality are at the centre of the current impasse.