Faculty Bargaining Update

• The union has issued a five-day notice of labour action, putting them in a legal position for labour action/strike beginning Thursday, January 9.
• We do not yet know what form of labour action the union may undertake. As a reminder, there are different forms of labour action/strike.
• Students will continue to receive updates via email.
• In the event of labour action/strike, updates will also be posted to Lambton College’s social media channels and myLambton.ca.

• Yes, classes are being scheduled as per usual.
• If the union chooses to work-to-rule starting on January 9, 2025, classes will continue to run as scheduled.

• A strike could interrupt the Winter Term, resulting in an extended semester or delayed exams. They can last for a day or for an extended period of time.
• Any impacts to the semester will be communicated to students directly.
• If the semester is impacted, Lambton College will do everything possible to ensure that every student has the opportunity to complete the semester.
• In 2017, the union engaged in a full walk-out strike that lasted for more than 5 weeks. Students were still able to complete their semester.

• At the colleges, strikes are peaceful forms of labour action.
• Picket lines are formed by striking employees and people could be delayed from entering the campus.
• A strike may take different forms. In general, it is an action designed to slow down, disrupt, or stop college operations.

• Yes, labour action does mean a strike. Strike action can take various forms, including work-to-rule, partial walk-out, rotating strike, all the way up to a full walk out.
• Only the union can determine what forms of strike action will occur and when.

• Mediation is a non-binding form of negotiation where a third-party neutral assists the parties in reaching a compromise. This is a voluntary action and neither party has to move from its position if they don’t want to.
• Binding arbitration is where an agreed upon neutral third-party arbitrator makes decisions if the parties can’t come up with a compromise.
• Binding arbitration has been used in the past two academic rounds of negotiations.

• The colleges cannot force faculty to go on strike.
• Only the union can determine what form of strike action it will engage in (work-to-rule, partial walk-out, rotating strikes, walk-out).

• Yes, the campus will remain open.
• When picket lines occur, picketers cannot prevent access to those looking to enter the campus. However, entry could be delayed for up to 10 minutes.
• In the event of a full walk-out, which includes picket lines, we will communicate with students on how to safely access the campus.

• Check your email and lambtoncollege.ca regularly for updates.
• If you plan to visit the campus, allow extra time for travelling to the College as picket lines may be set up at both entrances and traffic flow could be limited.
• If there is a full walk-out strike and you take transit to campus, be aware that transit buses will drop students off outside of the campus to respect picket lines.

• Requesting a No Board Report is a step in the negotiation process. A No Board Report recognizes that the parties are at an impasse and a conciliator could not help.
• 16 days after a No Board Report is issued, the previous collective agreement is no longer binding, which puts the faculty union in a position where they could give notice of labour action and engage in a strike.

There are five requirements that must be met in order for a strike to occur.

1. In order for the faculty union to strike, they require a strike mandate, which they received on October 18, 2024.
2. The parties need to enter/attend conciliation. Conciliation was entered on October 9, 2024 and completed November 5, 2024.
3. Conciliation must fail with either party requesting a no-board report. The union bargaining team requested a no-board report on December 12, 2024.
4. Once a no-board report is issued, 16 calendar days must pass. This deadline will occur on January 4, 2025.
5. The faculty union must provide the Colleges with 5 days notice. This has not happened yet.

Please be aware that there are different forms of labour action/strike. These include:

• Work to Rule: Bargaining union employees perform only the duties that have been assigned, adhering to policy and contract obligations.
• Partial Walk-Out Strike: Bargaining union employees do not perform some of their assigned duties.
• Rotating Strike: Bargaining union employees walk out for short periods of time at different institutions.
• Full Walk-Out Strike: Bargaining union employees withdraw all services from all colleges across the sector. This is the only form of strike that results in classes being entirely cancelled.

• If labour action or a strike were to disrupt the Winter Term, Lambton College will do everything possible to ensure that every student has the opportunity to complete their semester.
• Students will continue to receive important updates via email.
• Updates and additional information will continue to be posted to lambtoncollege.ca.

• In non-binding mediation, both parties will submit proposals to the agreed-upon neutral mediator.
• The mediator will work with the parties to find common ground and try to help them reach an agreement.
• If the parties cannot reach an agreement, the mediator cannot force either party to change their position.

• In a strike mandate vote, a union’s membership decides if they will give their bargaining team the authority to strike.
• A strike vote of College Employees is supervised by the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
• While a vote in favour of a strike mandate authorizes union leadership to give strike notice, it does not mean the union will automatically be going on strike.
• Though a vote in favour of a strike mandate does not necessarily guarantee that a full walk-out strike will take place, labour action such as strikes are a possibility during any labour negotiation.
• At Lambton College, our main concern is your education and student experience, and we are preparing for all possibilities.

Recently, members of the faculty union were given the opportunity to engage in a strike mandate vote, which took place virtually between October 15 - 18, 2024. This process resulted in a 76% voter turnout, and a 79% vote in favour of a strike mandate granting the union's bargaining team the authority to authorize a strike.

The bargaining teams have agreed to proceed to voluntary, non-binding mediation, which take place on December 6, 7, and 8, 2024. Based on legislative requirements, even if the parties remain at an impasse after mediation, there will be no strike or lockout in the Fall Term.

After attending voluntary, non-binding mediation on December 6, 7, and 8, the bargaining teams have agreed to further mediation dates scheduled for Monday, January 6 and Tuesday, January 7.

The Ontario college faculty union bargaining team has requested and received a No Board Report from the Ministry of Labour. This is notable because it is legal for strike/labour action to commence on the 17th day after the issuance of the No Board Report, putting the union in a legal strike position beginning January 4, 2025.

This is not a guarantee that any form of labour action will commence after the waiting period. A No Board Report is a normal part of many collective bargaining processes.