The University of Ottawa (U of O) reached a tentative agreement with its part-time professors on Oct. 13, according to a university press release.
The U of O and the Association of Part-Time Professors of the University of Ottawa (APTPUO) reached the agreement just hours before faculty would have walked off the job.
The agreement comes after 14 months of contract negotiations, according to Shawn Philip Hunsdale, director of communications at the APTPUO.
“Ninety-two per cent of professors voted in favour of the strike mandate,” said Hunsdale. He added that a strike would have had a significant impact on students as part-time professors teach more than half of the undergraduate classes at U of O.
According to the Ottawa Citizen, the union was seeking pay increases and job security for the part-time professors. This included a three per cent increase in pay, plus a three per cent catch-up, a four per cent increase in vacation pay, an “experience bonus” of two per cent each year for up to 10 years after the first two years worked, and a severance bonus after working 15 years, according to the article.
The union also sought equal benefits for full-time employees and a more transparent hiring process. According to the union, these pay increases would put its members on par with other universities, including Carleton University and Queen’s University, said the Citizen.
The details of the tentative agreement will not be made public until approved by both the U of O’s Board of Governors and APTPUO members, according to the release.
“Part-time professors play an important role in our academic programs. I am pleased to see that we’ve been able to conclude a fair and reasonable agreement. I would like to thank members of both bargaining committees for their efforts,” said Jacques Frémont, president and vice-chancellor of the U of O, in the press release.
Meanwhile, Ontario college faculty, represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), have been on strike since Oct. 16, after 68 per cent of members voted in favour of the strike mandate, according to a previous article in the Charlatan.
The OPSEU is asking for an equal ratio of part-time to full-time contract faculty, job security for partial-load faculty, and protections for academic freedom.
Premier Kathleen Wynne announced on Oct. 30, that the government will not be ruling out back-to-work legislation.
The college faculty strike has affected more than 500,000 students, according to the CBC.
“I can see what the teachers stand for, and I do agree that teachers should be given contracts that ensure job security,” Thea Wilkes said, a nursing student at Georgian College in Barrie, Ont. “But in terms of the effects for all of the students involved, especially for how long it’s been going on for, I don’t think it’s fair.”
“They’re lessening the amount of clinical hours that we will need to pass, which I think is dangerous in terms of becoming nurses,” Wilkes said. “We need more clinical time to learn our skills.”
Shannon Beitle with OPSEU said that the union has been invited back to the bargaining table on Nov. 2. She said while the proposals have not been revealed to the union, they should be presented during the meeting.
Photo by Aaron Hemens
