Picketing and Strike Information

Starting September 11 at 12:01 AM all CAAT-S FT workers are now on strike, a deal not having been reached at the bargaining table. Do not report for your usual shift at the college, and if you are able to picket please come to the nearest line. This page contains information intended to answer questions about picketing, strike pay and being on strike in general. If you haven’t yet signed up for important updates from the local’s mailing list you can do so here.

You may picket at one campus of your choice – you can help the picket captains at each location by signing up for a shift using the scheduling system (see many more details related to picketing below). Actual picket shift tracking is conducted by the picket captains at each location – you should present yourself to a captain as you arrive and when you leave.

Most questions are answered in the FAQ below (registering with OPSEU, pay, information on dependents, etc.). Please read ahead and if the answer you need isn’t there, contact one of the captains for your location, who should be able to answer your question.

This information is subject to change as the situation evolves.

Contacts

Local 245 LEC Contacts (Local Website)

Picket Captains: Trafalgar

Picket Captains: HMC 

Picket Captains: Davis

Picketing

Picket Shift Scheduling

  • Website: https://strkr.opseu245.ca 
  • Use the email that you have used to subscribe to the local’s mailing list as a first try. If you receive an ‘unauthorized email’ message, either approach your picket captain in person or via email with the non-employer email address that you would like to use for your login. They can add you to the system.
  • Note that this system is only in place for scheduling. Actual shifts and hours worked are tracked on site by the picket captain. You should present yourself to the picket captain for your campus when arriving and leaving.

Strike Duty Equipment (what to bring)

  • Various items will be provided during your shifts, such as a high visibility safety vest – and returned when you leave
  • Check the forecast and dress for the weather! It can be colder out in the open near the road, so make sure to have a jacket, warmer clothes, or clothes suitable for wet weather.
  • There is very little shade in the roadways so consider sunscreen and/or a good hat to protect your skin.
  • May be on your feet for extended periods so wear appropriate, comfortable (athletic) footwear.
  • Bring your own: refillable water bottle (water usually available on site), snacks
  • Not required to bring, but might be helpful to you: USB battery bank / cable (your phone)

Strike Pay Amount:

  • Week 1 through 3: $450 per week
  • Week 4 & onward: $550 per week
  • Each Dependent: $125 per week

Strike Pay Eligibility:

  • Members who perform 4 or more hours of strike duty per day and a total of 20 hours per week are eligible for strike pay.

Strike Pay for “Dependents” Criteria:

  • A non-income-earning spouse (excluding a spouse on strike)
  • 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 disabled family member
  • An elderly family member who normally receives financial support from the striking member. If both spouses are on strike, both may claim the dependents.

Strike Pay: How do I register? (update address, dependent(s), direct deposit information)

  • Click here to view the OPSEU guide
  • OPSEU Member Portal
  • Tip: Use a computer (not mobile or tablet) for the best degree of ease and compatibility
  • Tip: When registering your user account, and it asks for “Union #” — that is asking for your individual member number (not “245”). If you don’t know this number, contact Sonali
  • Tip: When filling this in, you’ll need a screenshot, scan, or PDF of your void cheque. Many mobile banking apps have the ability to generate this information if you don’t have physical cheques. Please have this ready before you start!
  • Tip: When finishing the direct deposit configuration online, it will offer an option to email a confirmation of your entry. Please do this and (as always) use your personal email address.
  • Tip: The processing of any new direct deposit configuration takes time, as it is verified by OPSEU staff.

Strike Pay Top-up?

  • Local 245 does not have any top up ability as this would require a separate union dues commitment
  • If this is something you would like, please bring it up at our next GMM, so that we can discuss and hold a vote to decide

Additional Financial Arrangements

  • Letters have been sent from the OPSEU’s 1st VP & Treasurer Laurie Nancekivell to the heads of the major financial institutions. Copies are available below in PDF format. You can often present these to a bank manager if you are attempting to apply for relief from debt repayments, mortgages etc. There is a separate letter for each institution:

    BMO / CIBC / RBC / Scotiabank / TD Bank

Parking

  • More information will be provided here once arrangements are confirmed. Existing parking passes will be honoured and can be used. HMC Staff should still park at the Cineplex, alternately park in City of Mississauga lots. (to be confirmed)
  • Consider finding a parking spot close to the picket location/road, rather than your usual spot.

Posting

Great! Make sure to tag @opseu245 on Instagram – please be safe and get the permission of anyone pictured before posting publicly.

General Questions

If you scheduled a vacation (already approved), but the union strikes during that time:

  • Not paid by the employer 
  • Goes back in your bank of days

Due to a medical limitation, I wouldn’t be able to participate in regular picket duty for extended periods.

  • Visible on-location support is critical to a successful strike, but duties will vary greatly, and there are always opportunities to rest. For instance, we may very well have a need for folks to help create signs, place calls to workers from the HQ on the picket line (to ask them to show up), etc
  • Contact a picket captain to discuss.

I live close to another college. Can I picket there?

I work with external vendors such consultants, suppliers and contractors. Should we notify them about the potential strike? 

  • Unless your manager tells you to, you are not required to do so.
  • The employer has indicated (to the local) that they may identify certain worker email addresses and configure them to have auto-responders / auto-forwarding as needed.

Are we allowed to use Outlook or Teams during the strike? 

  • They may or may not discontinue your access. That said, striking means a complete work stoppage. It’s about showing how much the employer needs you – by depriving them of you and your contributions. (See next)

Are there any consequences if someone crosses the picket line (physically or virtually)?

  • Yes. Striking is meant to impact the business operation by removing the valuable efforts that we bring to it. As such, any work duty performed during that time will only serve to weaken that very impact. The weaker the impact, the less power we have, and this can result in a prolonged strike duration with minimized gains.
  • OPSEU and the local will be tracking workers who are compensated during the strike. 
  • Workers will remember those who choose to work against the collective effort. Strikes are a short term pain for long term gains, and our local is one where many people wind up working together all the way to retirement. 
  • A strike is a collective sacrifice by all of the workers in a sector – when you cross a picket line you betray the sacrifice that your fellow workers have made. Our ability to act collectively is never more important than when we are on strike, together.
  • Remember, we are a union. That means we stick together to fight for our collective agreement. After all, it’s that collective agreement language that has maintained so much stability and security for workers for so many years.

I have a teaching contract alongside my full-time support staff role, what should I do?

  • If you intend to deliver on that contract: please contact a picket captain at your campus to make arrangements for picket line crossing
  • If you wish to break that contract: please be sure to contact your Associate Dean ASAP
  • Please do help out with the picket line, regardless of your choice

I am working FT, but in a temporary assignment. Do I picket or continue to work?

  • Appendix D = CAATS FT = Striking
  • PNRK = CAATS PT = Continue to work

What should I do for my email auto-responder?

  • “I am currently part of an organized labour action (as part of OPSEU 245) and will not have access to my work email or work phone. I will reply when we return to work.”

Acronyms

  • LEC = Local Executive Committee
  • CAATS-FT = Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology Support Staff Full-Time
  • CAATS-PT = Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology Support Staff Part-Time

OPSEU = Ontario Public Service Employees Union