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The union that represents thousands of support staff at Ontario’s colleges says the workers have voted to authorize a strike.
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The Ontario Public Service Employees Union says in a news release that members voted 77.3% to authorize a strike, if necessary, to “secure respect at the bargaining table” and secure a contract the workers deserve.
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It says the vote arms the bargaining team with a historic strike mandate as it heads back to the table on Wednesday for conciliation talks.
The College Employer Council, the bargaining agent for the province’s publicly funded colleges, did not immediately provide a response to the strike authorization vote when asked.
The union, which also represents faculty at Ontario colleges, said last month that close to 10,000 college faculty and staff have either been let go or are projected to lose their jobs amid hundreds of program cancellations and suspensions since last year.
An arbitrated faculty contract between the union and the employer council released last month says the federal government’s 2024 cap on international students led to a dramatic decline in enrolment and tuition revenue.
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