Ontario colleges seek arbitration to avoid union strike

TORONTO, Aug. 21, 2025 /CNW/ - The College Employer Council (CEC) today proposed binding mediation/arbitration to the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) after OPSEU requested a "No Board Report" from the Ministry of Labour regarding full-time support staff at Ontario's 24 public colleges. OPSEU's request sets a legal strike date as early as September 11, 2025. 

"A strike jeopardizes student learning and is unnecessary at this time when colleges face their biggest financial crisis in decades," said Graham Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of the CEC. "Arbitration avoids disruption to students and staff, and will help address any demand that either party feels is unworkable."

"There are no adversaries here," Lloyd continued. "We have always worked together to provide staff with fair terms of employment, and to make Ontario's colleges among the best institutions in the world."

OPSEU's demands collectively exceed $900 million for colleges. Just this week, OPSEU proposed language to prohibit full-time support staff layoffs and campus closures for the life of the collective agreement.

"These demands are not realistic and would devastate the public college system," Lloyd said. "Strike or no strike, these types of demands will never be viable for colleges."

CEC remains committed to bargaining with the intention of reaching a fair collective agreement. CEC asks OPSEU's bargaining committee to avoid unnecessary disruption to students' learning and agree to mediation/arbitration if negotiations fail. 

Mediation/arbitration is commonly used in the college sector as a means for the parties to reach a collective agreement. The parties used this process in June 2025 to conclude a collective agreement for faculty, and there is no reason why it cannot succeed with full-time support staff.

About the CEC

The College Employer Council is the government mandated bargaining agent for the 24 Ontario publicly funded colleges in negotiating collective agreements with unionized staff. In addition, the CEC is the policyholder for group benefits in the sector. It also provides a variety of services for the college system such as advice and guidance on human resources issues, collective agreement administration, administrative compensation, and research.

SOURCE College Employer Council

For further information or media inquiries, contact: Bill Steinburg, Interim Director of Communications, [email protected], 437- 595-9307; Graham Lloyd, CEO, [email protected], 416-902-9543