After a lengthy wait, OPSEU's ballot box votes for certification for a 2017 campaign to organize part-time and sessional faculty are set to be opened.
The union that advocates for public sector employees across Ontario has been fighting to organize part-time and seasonal staff at the 24 colleges in the province for more than 15 years. Part-time faculty are contracted to teach six hours or less per week while sessional staff can teach 13 hours or more per week for a semester.
Full-time staff and partial load, faculty contracted to teach between seven and 12 hours per week, are members of OPSEU. At Humber they are members of Local 562.
The first vote took place in November 2008. Although the votes were cast, many factors including legal challenges and certification disputes caused a long nine-year delay.
The certification process was revisited in October 2017, and another vote was taken. Again, it faced the same challenges.
One of the biggest challenges in both 2008 and 2017 was the ruling of the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB).
The OLRB reviewed the legal arguments and determined whether the unionization process would proceed.
After an agreement to unionize the staff was reached, appeals from the College Employer Council further delayed the proceedings.
The OLRB decided in July 2024 to re-open the ballot boxes following employer objections and a request for a fairer process.
OPSEU has indicated the ballot count will be conducted soon, but an official day has not yet been announced.
The organization has also announced a town hall meeting to discuss the ongoing disputes on March 19 at 6:30 p.m.
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