The bargaining team and union have provided answers to some very common questions about the mandate vote and bargaining process at this important stage, which you can read on the OPSEU website. It’s reproduced in its entirety here as well.
When is the strike mandate vote and how do I vote?
The Strike Mandate vote will be conducted starting August 13th at 12 p.m. through August 15th at 3 p.m. All voting will be by secret ballot and take place online or by phone. The Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) will send your unique voter information to your college email address (or personal email address if that is information on file).
What happens if I don’t get an email?
Check your spam folder if you don’t see it and contact the OLRB Help Desk if you do not receive your voting credentials.
OLRB Help Desk
416-326-7432 (English)
416-326-0313 (French)
Help Desk Hours:
- August 13 – 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- August 14 – 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- August 15 – 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m
Who is eligible to vote?
All College support employees working in Full Time (including those on approved leaves of absence, including Long Term Disability and parental leaves), Appendix D, Appendix K (I/O) and Appendix G (Summer Students) can vote on August 13-15, 2025.
If you are on recall and have an active grievance on file, you are eligible to vote. Please reach out to the OLRB Help Desk to provide a personal email.
If you believe you should be entitled to vote and do not receive an email, please reach out to the OLRB Help Desk for voting credentials.
Why vote “yes”?
Your bargaining team is calling for a strike mandate after multiple bargaining sessions, where our employer continues to level concessions that would strip unused vacation, increase on-call hours and make it easier for them to lay us off.
Together, we are fighting to protect our jobs, vacation and demand respect for our work. A high-participation strike mandate vote is a demonstration of our collective power. We have more power at the table when the employer knows that they aren’t just negotiating with a bargaining team, but that the entire membership is behind their team.
Together, we can vote “yes” and show them that the entire division is ready to take collective action to achieve a stronger contract. Remember: we get the collective agreement we are willing to fight for.
How much is strike pay and how does it work?
If we decide to engage in strike action, the employer will cease paying workers who are engaging in the strike action. OPSEU’s strike pay is $450/week for first 3 weeks then $550/week in the 4th week and beyond (dependents paid at $125/week each).
This is administered via Direct Deposit, which is why it’s important to update your information on the OPSEU members portal.
Who counts as a dependent for strike pay?
A dependent family member is defined as:
- A child under 18 (or under 26 if attending school full time) or a dependent child as defined by the collective agreement or benefit plan
- A non-income earning spouse (excluding a spouse on strike)
- A disabled family member; or
- A elderly family member who normally receives financial support from a striking member,
- If both spouses are on strike, both may claim the dependents.
What is conciliation?
Conciliation occurs when one or both bargaining parties believe that a third party can move negotiations forward. There is a scheduled meeting with an appointed Conciliation Officer, which was appointed by the Ministry of Labour on August 20th, 2025.
Your bargaining team will be back at the negotiations table on August 19th, 2025.
What is a conciliation (“no board”) report, and what happens after it’s issued?
The Conciliation Officer reports the outcome of the conciliation meeting to the Minister of Labour. If the parties still cannot reach an agreement, the Minister of Labour will issue a written report – known as a “no board report” – to OPSEU/SEFPO and the CEC bargaining agencies stating that the differences have not been settled despite efforts of the conciliator.
On the 17th day after the report of the conciliation officer (“no-board” report), and provided we’ve given 5 days notice to the employer, we are in a legal strike position. This also means that the employer could potentially lock us out or implement employer-imposed terms and conditions of employment – both of which are legally possible on the 17th day following the conciliation (“no board”) report.
The two sides can keep trying to reach a deal before or after a conciliation (“no board”) report has been issued by the Minister of Labour. There is also an additional option of one or both parties requesting support of a mediator, another process to try and achieve a settlement.
What does the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act say about the conciliation (“no board”) report?
Ontario’s Colleges Collective Bargaining Act states that the existing terms and conditions of collective agreements remain the same until the Ministry of Labour issues a conciliation ( “no board”) report.
After the conciliation (“no board”) report is issued, the terms and conditions of a collective agreement are frozen for a 16-day period. Bargaining may continue during that time. On the 17th day following the conciliation (“no board”) report, any or all of the following could legally occur:
- we can call for strike action (with 5 days notice to the employer) provided we taken a strike vote and more than 50% vote in favour of strike action (Note: strike action can range from work-to-rule up to a full withdrawal of labour);
- we can continue to bargain with the employer;
- the employer could lock out its employees;
- the employer could make unilateral changes to the collective agreement.
In addition, 15 days before the expiry of the collective agreement, the employer has the option of requesting a final offer – or “forced” offer – vote. A “forced” offer vote is when the employer stops bargaining with your elected bargaining team, and instead calls for a secret ballot vote of the general membership on their latest offer. At this point, the membership can decide to accept, or reject their offer, however a deal not brought forward by your own bargaining team is never a good deal. We do not have to accept a deal that is not good enough!
What is a lock out and what happens?
A lock out is when the employer decides to prevent employees from returning to work as usual. If this situation arises, college support staff will be on picketlines until both parties agree to resume bargaining.
How long does it take for a Conciliator to send a conciliation (“no board”) report to the Minister of Labour?
It varies, but typically it takes a week.
What can the employer do by requesting the conciliation (“no board”) report?
On the 17th day after the conciliation (“no board”) report has been issued, the CEC can either lock support staff out or impose terms and conditions. Under the CCBA, both parties are required to provide five (5) days notice before commencing a labour action (including a lockout or strike.)
What are these “imposed terms and conditions” you are referring to?
“Imposed terms and conditions” are a nuclear option available to the CEC. On the 17th day after the conciliation (“no board”) report has been issued, the CEC can unilaterally change support staff’s pay, benefits, or any other working conditions. The terms could be absolutely anything.
If we have a strike mandate, do we have to strike on the 17th day after the Minister of Labour issues a conciliation (“no board”) report?
No, we do not have to – with a strike mandate in hand, we can call for a strike action at any time following the 17th day after a conciliation (“no board”) report is issued. A strike gives us our most powerful leverage to achieve member demands and improve our collective working conditions, but we would not make that choice lightly.
The decision to give the Bargaining Team a strike mandate comes from the membership. This is your contract, and you get to decide whether what’s being offered is good enough. A strong strike mandate vote – with the highest participation possible – gives your bargaining team the leverage they need at the table by showing the employer that our members are prepared to use our strongest leverage if necessary – withdrawing your labour.
Under the CCBA, both parties are required to provide five (5) days notice before commencing a labour action (including a lockout or strike.)
Once the conciliation (“no board”) report has been issued, can we continue to bargain?
There is nothing that prevents either party from continuing to bargain, however this will depend on the parties willingness to return to the negotiations table based on whether they feel progress could be made towards a settlement.
