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NEWS RELEASE

SAULT COLLEGE STUDENT ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL

************************* Sault students concerned about looming strike vote

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON - This year, for the holidays, Sault College students will all be asking for the same thing; for their faculty to not strike in the New Year.

More specifically, they will be asking for a new collective agreement to be reached between the college’s faculty and management, making a January strike vote unnecessary.

“Students are hoping that both sides will be able to put their differences aside and reach a new collective agreement without the need of a labour stoppage,” says Bob Wheeler, president of the Sault College Student Administrative Council.

As it stands right now, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and the College Compensation and Appointments Council (the council) have just left the table again after trying to negotiate a collective agreement.

This is the second time that the bargaining broke down, the first time being in November.

If the two parties cannot reach a mutual agreement, the full-time faculty at Sault College and across the province will cast their ballots in a province-wide strike vote on January 13, 2010.

“I could only see one of two things happening in the event of a labour stoppage in the winter semester,” explains Wheeler. “In the first scenario, we students could expect to see our courses being condensed so that we may finish the semester on schedule. Essentially, we students will not be getting the credit hours that we have initially paid for.

"Also, due to missed classes being taught in less time, the quality of our education would undoubtedly suffer. In the second scenario, we could expect to have our classes extended through the summer. This means classes with no loss in quality at the expense of summer employment opportunities for returning students and potentially lost employment for college graduates.”

At the end of the day, the only thing that students want is to remain in the classroom, so that they may receive the quality education they are paying for.

In a recent campaign launched by the College Student Alliance (CSA), they are asking both parties to think strongly before using the welfare of Ontario’s college and college/university students as “bargaining chips.”

“I’m certain that everyone would agree that another province-wide strike would result in a ‘lose-lose’ situation,” adds Wheeler. “If both bargaining teams actually care about the students as much as they claim to, I challenge them to return to the table and remain until a new collective agreement is reached.”

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