The union representing faculty and staff at Ontario's 24 public colleges could begin the new year on the picket line.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) announced late Wednesday afternoon that it had received a requested no-board report from the Ontario Ministry of Labour.
With a 16-day clock now counting down, OPSEU could engage in work action as soon as Saturday, January 4, 2025.
OPSEU said it was committed to continue bargaining to avoid disrupting the start of the winter 2025 semester.
"Faculty proposals center on the foundations of quality education, less precarity, better wages, enhanced job security, and an end to the unpaid labour that the workload task force identified the colleges currently receive, all while costing less than a quarter of what the province will spend on a new luxury spa in Toronto," read a statement posted on the OPSEU's website.
The College Employer Council represents the colleges, including St. Clair College, Fanshawe College, Georgian College, and Lambton College.
"We remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached with the bargaining team to provide stability for students, employees, and the greater College community," read a statement from the council.
The union is seeking a reduction in classroom teaching time and a maximum of 29 weeks of available teaching time in a year. Doctor Laurie Rancourt, the Chair of the CEC management bargaining team, said that would reduce class time by 25 per cent. OPSEU is also seeking a wage increase for members.
A report from the Workload Task Force in 2022 said workloads have increased, with partial-load faculty performing duties outside of their contracts and unpaid overtime for counsellors and librarians.
According to the council, the union's last settlement offer amounted to new annual costs and a sharp increase in the colleges' total academic costs.
The council says mediation sessions are scheduled to begin on Monday, January 6.
-with files from Adelle Loiselle