Unionized campus safety workers ratified their tentative settlement with the university administration March 30 after being on strike for three weeks.
The three-year contract includes a wage increase as well as improvements to job security for workers represented by OPSEU local 404.
Carleton safety workers, including special constables, dispatchers, campus safety officers, and student safety patrollers, returned to work April 1.
The workers voted 66 per cent in favour of the agreement, while a third voted against it.
These workers were using their vote to make a point, according to Smokey Thomas, OPSEU’s president.
Since the agreement doesn’t include an increase to staffing—one of the key issues identified by the union—he said many felt the agreement did not deal with all the issues on the negotiating table.
Thomas said the workers made their point and he hopes increased staffing will be addressed in the next collective agreement in 2017.
“For now I’m hoping that we can enter into some constructive relationship-building with the employer and the union local,” he said.
He said the Ministry of Labour has programs to do this, and said he hopes to “heal up the wounds, patch things up, and get off on a better foot.”
Thomas said he was happy the strike was effective, as OPSEU local 404 workers negotiated a salary bump, better job security, and a new grievance process in their first collective agreement.
Emily Visser, an OPSEU communications officer, echoed Thomas’ comments, saying the lack of adequate staffing was unfortunate.
“A good strong contract means improved safety for all Carleton students and part of that is having full time dedicated professional staff,” she said. “The security on campus was a prime concern in this negotiation.”
“It’s a win-win for everybody to have full-time staff rather than having constantly changing staff,” she said.
Visser said the agreement would not have been possible without the strike. It forced the administration into action, she said.
“There was an amazing outpouring of support from students, staff, and unions across Ottawa,” Visser said. “They couldn’t have gotten that strong collective agreement without all that community and campus support.”
Before the collective agreement comes into effect, the university must vote on it as well.
Steven Reid, Carleton’s media relations officer, said the university has no information to provide on when the tentative settlement will be voted on by the university.
