With the fourth wave of the COVID-19 crisis upon us, many employers in Ontario have been developing workplace policies calling for mandatory vaccines and testing. The Ford government has also announced a vaccine passport will be brought in this month. Here are some of the most commonly-asked questions and answers about mandatory vaccinations:
When COVID-19 turned education on its ear, college faculty rushed to bring learning online. But quality education isn’t done in a pinch. It requires thoughtful and thorough preparation. College execs claim it’s a slam-dunk – and compound the problem by recklessly increasing class sizes while axing librarians and counsellors: measures that are unfair to students and faculty, and which undermine outcomes. Faculty are bargaining for better – much better.
This week, we met at the bargaining table for three days with the College Employer Council (CEC) bargaining team. The week prior, we had tabled extensive proposals in an attempt to incorporate into our collective agreement the demands presented by our members at local and final demand-setting meetings. Our proposals covered a broad range of issues including workload, staffing, co-ordinators, the treatment of contract faculty, academic quality, and employment and workplace equity.
Three-quarters of faculty teaching in our public colleges are precarious workers – disproportionately women and racialized workers. They lack job security and benefits. They earn less than full-time faculty for doing exactly the same work. Their class sizes are ballooning. This hurts them and it hurts students. We’re bargaining for better – for fairness for these faculty.
