St. Clair College faculty could be on strike as of Jan. 9 to back contract demands

St. Clair College in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Melanie Borrelli/CTV News Windsor)

OPSEU has issued its mandatory five-day notice of job action the day before mediation resumes.

The Ontario Public Sector Employees Union represents 14,000 college faulty, librarians and counsellors at 24 colleges in the province.

Local 138 represents 320 full-time members and around 195 to 215 part-time members at St. Clair College.

The two sides are scheduled to resume non-binding mediation Monday and Tuesday with the College Employer Council.

“We remain committed to bargaining productively, as we have over the last six months, but we must also be pragmatic,” an OPSEU news release reads. “If we cannot reach an agreement in mediation, it is unlikely that a deal that protects faculty futures can be reached without the urgency of labour action.”

College classes will resume Monday as scheduled.

“We urge OPSEU to enter mediation this week with more realistic demands so that we can get a deal and avoid an unnecessary strike,” CEC CEO Graham Lloyd wrote in a statement.

~ With files from AM800 News.