Following concerted efforts to see movement at the table on Tuesday, we signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to enter mediation-arbitration with the College Employer Counter (CEC) – in the …
This is not the message we had expected to post today, but we are very happy for that and grateful for the hard work of the CAAT-A Bargaining Team in …
Dear colleagues,As we move closer to the Jan. 9th deadline for labour action, it is critical that all members of the local keep close tabs on communications and prepare for the possibility …
Despite half a year of bargaining, College Faculty are entering 2025 without a contract in hand. A new year should invite progress, but the employer’s only offer on the table …
On Friday, College Faculty voted to authorize strike action, if necessary, to reach a fair agreement. Through a historic turnout – 76.1% – 79% of voters delivered a strong mandate …
General Membership Meeting (GMM) Reminder Please join us on Thursday, October 3 at 6:30 p.m. for our virtual general membership meeting (GMM) to help answer any of your remaining questions …
College Faculty Strike Vote A strike vote will be held the week of October 15, 2024 for college faculty members represented by OPSEU/SEFPO starting October 15, 2024. The union …
As you may have heard, bargaining has been proceeding slowly and your CAAT-A bargaining team has asked for a provincial conciliator to step in and stop the stalling from the …
What: Join colleagues across the provicnce for another Bargaining Town Hall, following the release of the historic Workload Task Force report.When: Thursday, September 12, 2024 – 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.Where: Online, register for the Zoom …
Sept. 9th is the Day of Action for college faculty to make sure you’re appreciated and informed about all that is happening with bargaining. Local 354 is hosting a drop-in …
You are invited to attend a virtual Bargaining Town Hall on August 28, 6-7:30pm, on Zoom. Advance registration is required. Here is the link to complete your registration: https://opseu-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-7j8QQfvTpGWrq9JM73E4g Our current …
We are happy to provide you with an exciting update on the long journey toward union certification for part-time and sessional Ontario college faculty. Background: Part-time and sessional faculty voted …
OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick and College leaders sent the following letter today to Premier Doug Ford and the Minister of Colleges and Universities of Ontario, Jill Dunlop, after the unprecedented …
Bargaining Update Highlights In response to feedback from OPSEU/SEFPO College Faculty members, we are providing this summary of the contents of this bargaining update newsletter: Final Demand Set (FDS) complete, …
We are pleased to invite you to our virtual spring General Membership Meeting (GMM) and Local elections on Tuesday, April 30th at 6:30 p.m. The two-year terms for the following …
Announcement of OPSEU Equity Vice-President: Dr. Crystal Garvey We are delighted to announce the selection of our own Dr. Crystal Garvey as the Vice-President-Select of OPSEU’s new equity board seats. Over a decade in the making, delegates …
Our next general membership meeting (GMM), previously set for March 7th, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, April 30th, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. The timing change was chosen to make sure …
The College Faculty Bargaining Team is actively monitoring the potential fallout from the recent federal and provincial restrictions on international student numbers. At the moment, there is no indication that these …
Share your priorities with the CAAT-A Bargaining Team at our next GMM. Dear members,Please Join us for our next general membership meeting (GMM) on Feb. 7th at 6:30 p.m. to discuss …
We have been striving to get a definitive answer from management with regard to mandatory attendance at the upcoming Program Information Nights next week. Unfortunately, despite several emails back and …
We’re excited to share the results of the bargaining team election that took place October 29th at the CAAT-A Pre-Bargaining Conference. This marks the very early stages of bargaining, which …
General Membership Meeting Dec. 7th at 6:30 p.m. Don’t forget to join us Thursday, Dec. 7th at 6:30 p.m. for our next virtual general membership meeting (GMM). To register your attendance, please send …
OPSEU Local 354 is looking for a part-time office administrator to work out of its union office in Oshawa, Ontario.
We would like to inform you of our fall general membership meeting (GMM) to be held virtually on Tues., Sept. 19th at 6:30 p.m. To register your attendance, please send an …
Dear Members, As you know, Bill 124 – which had previously limited our salary increases to 1% – was struck down and declared “void and of no effect” last November by …
(*The following is a message to support staff members from the CAAT-S bargaining team. Our own wage re-opening talks start next month and we are all in this together!) As …
June 27, 2023 – he Local 354 office closes this week for the summer and will only reopen again August 28th. Because the local executive is on summer vacation as …
Listen to this article (Thunder Bay News) An arbitrator has awarded salary increases totalling 6.25 per cent to 45,000 Ontario hospital workers, plus two dollars an hour more for registered …
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO), Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation (OSSTF/FESSO), Canadian Federation of Students …
Durham College has reversed its long-standing opposition to public-private partnerships (PPP) and announced a joint venture with an as yet unnamed private career college in Toronto. This partnership aims to …
Tickets are going fast for our FREE Jays game member social at the Rogers Centre on Sunday, June 25th! If you’re interested in joining us for an afternoon of baseball …
Please join us Thursday, April 27th, at 6:30 p.m. for our special general membership meeting (GMM) to elect an interim president and vice-president. These positions are currently vacant because of …
The Bread and Roses Award recognizes achievements in leadership, innovative thinking and transforming communities as they relate to engaging more women or woman identifying individuals in the labour movement through …
SWF and Spring Memo Work It has come to the attention of the Local that members are being issued both Spring Memos and SWFs. There are duties such as “attend …
Please join us Thursday, March 2nd at 1 p.m. for our next general membership meeting (GMM). The meeting will once again be hosted on Zoom as we discuss the budget, new …
Chief Steward Charlene Di Danieli is hosting a series of SWF information sessions for each faculty in the college during the week of March 6th-9th. If you have questions about …
Local 354 would like to invite you to a virtual meeting with your fellow program coordinators to discuss common issues across the college. Topics up for discussion will include coordinator hours and …
Please join us Thursday, March 2nd at 1 p.m. for our next general membership meeting. The meeting will once again be hosted on Zoom so as many people as possible …
Local 354’s first social event in more than three years was a great success on Sunday, Jan. 22, with more than 100 attendees enjoying bowling and games at NEB’s Funworld …
We hope everyone had a restful break and are successfully gearing up for the start of the winter semester. One of the best parts of the holidays for many is …
After many years of dedication working at Durham College as both an Electrical Professor and Technologist, Stephen Fielding is turning onward to the next chapter in life. Join us as …
This is a historic day. The Ford Conservatives have announced they will repeal Bill 28—the draconian, Charter-busting legislation that imposed a contract on CUPE education workers and stripped away their …
On Sept. 23, Arbitrator William Kaplan issued an award that set out our new Collective Agreement (CA), which will govern our working conditions until September 30, 2024. The award was …
Dear colleagues,We know many of you are keen to find out what improvements will be seen in our new collective agreement (CA) following the arbitration award recently released. To discuss those …
Dear College faculty members, Fifteen months after our Collective Agreement negotiations began, and six months after the parties agreed to conclude the negotiations through a process of interest arbitration, Arbitrator …
Local 354 Equity steward Crystal Garvey is presenting on October 19 at the OPSEU Regional 3 office in Oshawa from 6:30-8:00 on Human Trafficking. The talk is open to all …
OPSEU/SEFPO CAAT Academic and the CEC participated in a mediation/arbitration September 7-9, 2022. Following the mediation part of the proceeding, an arbitration occurred on September 9, 2022. The arbitrator’s award …
September 10, 2022 OSHAWA––Unifor members at GDI Services have won significant wage and benefit gains in a new collective agreement, bringing a 17-day labour dispute at Durham College campuses to …
Dan Blomme, a professor of Addictions and Mental Health in the School of Health and Community Services, is having an album release party at the Biltmore Theatre in downtown Oshawa …
The OPSEU/SEFPO Provincial Young Workers Committee (PYC) invites you to submit your application for the 2022 Young Workers Conference! It will take place from August 12-14 at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown …
Release Hours for Faculty Research As a result of a recent Workload Resolution Arbitrator hearing (WRA hearing) , the union has learned that members involved in research are provided release …
Local 354 is inviting you to a virtual general membership meeting (GMM) on Monday, May 16th, between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The meeting agenda will include:– local elections for …
OPSEU/SEFPO members in good standing are encouraged to apply to join the Rainbow Alliance arc-en-ciel! The committee provides representation and support to TBLGIAPQQ2S (Trans, Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual, …
Dear CAAT-A Members, As the semester winds to a close, we wanted to reach out to keep you posted on the latest developments related to the conclusion of a new …
OPSEU/SEFPO President, JP Hornick (right) and OPSEU/SEFPO First Vice-President/Treasurer, Laurie Nancekivell (left) JP Hornick has been elected as the new President of OPSEU/SEFPO marking the first change in the union’s …
OPSEU/SEFPO is proud to be a member of the Equal Pay Coalition, a group of over 50 trade unions, women’s organizations, worker movements, professional organizations, community organizations and businesses seeking …
Although a strike has been averted and work-to-rule ended, management at the college is still ramping up workload on members, resulting in a number of immediate concerns and possible grievances …
Does your spring SWF contain new tasks or additional work you have not agreed to? If so, you should immediately sign back your SWF so that it can be examined …
The parties have reached an agreement to enter binding interest arbitration and the strike that was scheduled to commence at 12:01 am on March 18, 2022, is called off. This …
Dear faculty, Today, three months after commencing work-to-rule action, we are setting a strike deadline in an effort to compel the College Employer Council (CEC) and the College Presidents to …
Phase 3 of the work-to-rule campaign began today. If you’ve got questions about what that means and how you can help apply pressure to reach a negotiated settlement, Local 354 …
OPSEU President Smokey Thomas TORONTO – OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is calling on the Ontario government to immediately implement social distancing regulations, capacity limits and other health measures to …
Durham College President Don Lovisa admits the college is “a solid cash position” with a $40 million surplus, despite CEC claims that they can’t accommodate low- or no-cost improvements to …
ATTENTION PROGRAM COORDINATORS at Durham College, there is an important Zoom meeting scheduled for this evening at 6 p.m. to discuss additional demands and concerns that affect you. Sorry fo …
FOR ALL FACULTY Starts 12:01am, December 18, 2021 (if no settlement or no agreement on extension of existing terms and conditions before then) FOCUS The imposition of terms and conditions …
Message from Local 354 President Kevin Griffin Hello Members, This is a very challenging time for members as we are faced with a difficult bargaining process again on the heels …
2021-Nov-25th_GMM-Treasurer-Presentation2Download
Local 354 will be having a General membership meeting (GMM) on November 25, 2021, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. If you want to attend, please RSVP to office@opseu354.ca by Monday, …
Local 354 Chief Steward Charlene De Danieli will be hosting a drop-in session on Tuesday, November 9 from 2-4 pm for anyone with SWF questions or concerns. If members require one-on-one …
Dear Faculty Member, Over the last week, the bargaining landscape has changed dramatically: the communication blackout was lifted, the mediator’s report was released, and the College Employer Council (CEC) has …
IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR PARTIAL LOAD MEMBERS – you only have until Oct. 30th to register your interest in remaining partial load for the next calendar year. In accordance with article …
One of our colleagues on the Divisional Executive reports that their college has informed members that the benefit year for vision and hearing coverage will be changing. According to the …
For those of us returning to campus this fall during the 4th wave, there is a real sense of uncertainty and unease surrounding COVID-19 protocols. The answers below were received …
President Kevin Griffin New President First, I hope everyone is healthy and staying safe as we return to teaching this fall. My name is Kevin Griffin, and I am the OPSEU …
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 …
The sudden announcement that Ontario colleges and universities can go back to classroom teaching this fall without physical restrictions or limits on class sizes has caught many faculty by surprise. …
The teams met on July 7 and 8 this week to discuss ground rules, set the tone for bargaining, and exchange initial proposals. Below, please find the opening statement and …
(from CAAT-A Bargaining Team) Over the past decade, we have seen a gradual move to online learning with this move being further exacerbated by the pandemic. Although there has been …
A faculty member whose maternity leave spanned over the summer holidays has won an important grievance over the college’s attempt to fold her vacation into her leave. The professor, who …
Durham College among the final two holdouts providing needed documentation[ for next steps (from OPSEU.org) It’s been nearly four years since contract faculty at Ontario’s 24 public colleges voted on …
“Our vision is rooted firmly in college faculty’s commitment to transparent and democratic processes that lead to a shared set of demands reflecting our core issues. Our demands are grounded …
You are invited to participate virtually in a special Local 354 General Membership Meeting (GMM) on Thursday, June 17th from 2-4 p.m. This important meeting is for our union members only and will be held via Zoom. …
The Coalition of Racialized Workers (CORW) is working to extend the work of the caucus across OPSEU/SEFPO’s regions. We would like to invite all racialized members in Regions 3 & …
Faculty in some schools were assigned, as part of their spring memo, to proactively create Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) assessments for college courses. Faculty have reported that they …
Our SWFs have now been issued. If you have any questions regarding your SWF and your workload assignment, including the calculation of your type of evaluation/feedback factors, your complementary functions/hours, and …
The union would like to know how you are doing. Last week we launched a survey called StressAssess. Some members have notified the local that the email went to their Spam Folder. …
Colleges across Ontario, including Durham, are eagerly pushing a new model of teaching called HyFlex, which involves in-person instruction that is also streamed to student’s homes and recorded for later …
Are you okay? OPSEU Local 354 cares about the wellbeing of each member. We are excited to announce we have been working with OPSEU Health and Safety and our OPSEU …
The latest bargaining update has been released covering the events of this month’s final demand setting meeting, including an overview of the approved demands and a renewed commitment to increased …
Learn how to calculate your own SWF for compliance with our collective agreement We have set up three information sessions to help you understand your SWF and evaluation factors according …
CAAT-A delegates and their bargaining team will soon gather virtually to set out a list of demands to lay on the bargaining table. The final demand set meeting is nearing …
Attention all members, you are invited to participate in our virtual Local 354 General Membership Meeting (GMM) on Thursday, April 1st from 2-4 p.m. This important meeting is for our union members only and …
Dispute over pay leads to new understanding on how overtime hours are applied to SWFs Recently, a full-time faculty member agreed to accept six hours of overtime in order to …
OPSEU and the College Employer Council have teamed up to send message to the province about why some college faculty and staff should be included in Phase II of the …
Many OPSEU workers, including college faculty, continue to provide essential services in settings which place them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. The union wants to ensure that members exercise …
Dear Members, On February 16th, OPSEU received an offer from the College Employer Council regarding the Collective Agreement negotiations for both our own CAAT-A bargaining unit and the CAAT-Support-Part Time …
Workload Monitoring The college is currently reviewing evaluations factors and meeting with faculty one-on-one to review their upcoming SWFs. The union is concerned that management is taking this opportunity to undervalue …
Every union is only as good as its people and we need more good people to protect the rights of faculty and librarians. If you’d like to join us as …
Tax time is coming and there is more than one way to seek relief for home office expenses incurred as we teach from home. The college recently sent out an …
The pending lockdown in Ontario will result in changes to in-person lab and studios. Here are the rules specifically targeted toward post-secondary institutions: Post secondary institutions open for virtual instruction, …
Masks and social (physical) distancing are sometimes seen as either/or propositions, but that is often not the case. In fact, Ontario’s emergency public health regulations for post-secondary institutions stipulate that …
Local 354 members are invited to watch a free screening in your own home of filmmaker Gerry Potter’s new documentary, In Search of Professor Precarious. In this documentary feature, Potter, …
As you may or may not have heard, it was announced that the Health & Safety Committee has been involved with the return to work plans during this pandemic. THIS …
Being Black in Canada is a constant struggle. I don’t say this from experience. I say this because of the unspeakably brutal images and news reports we’re seeing every day. …
(from Ontario.ca website) The right to refuse work The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) gives a worker the right to refuse work that he or she believes is unsafe to himself/ …
OPSEU COVID-19 question and answer pageOntario Federation of Labour COVID-19 information pageCanadian Labour Congress COVID-19 Resource Centre Mental Health first aid Federal Government news & relief programs Imagine Canada: …
Spring SWFs and memos, fall planning, WebCOT changes, GMM postponed, health and safety, two-month suspension of local levies and more… Dear Colleagues, We know you are all working incredibly hard …
(Article courtesy of Local 560) Full-Time faculty are in the process of receiving their Standard Workload Forms (SWFs) for the summer academic term. The SWFs are being “maximized” for work …
Dear colleagues, We know you are moving mountains to serve your students in these difficult times and we want to ensure you that your union is also working hard behind …
There has been concern expressed by faculty across many colleges about potential abuses of intellectual property (IP) rights in the rush to take classes online during Covid-19 shutdowns. OPSEU leadership …
To Members of Local 354 Faculty As events surrounding COVID-19 continue to rapidly evolve, the college has taken many steps to keep students and employees safe. I understand the events …
All schools at Durham College are marshalling their faculty to begin planning our academic response to the decision to cancel face-to-face classes. Some schools have already met, some are offering …
Dear Colleagues, As we check the communications from the college from last night and read that classes are cancelled I want to share with you updates we receive from the …
Doug Ford’s PC Party is holding a policy conference on Saturday, February 22, in Niagara Falls. The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is gathering working people from all over Ontario …
The following communication was sent out by the OPSEU President’s office. As you have heard, there is a very small number of confirmed cases in Ontario, but OPSEU is taking …
Shine in the spotlight and show your talent at the 2020 OPSEU Convention. OPSEU members, it’s your time to shine. For five years, you’ve seen notices for OPSEU’s Got Talent – delegates’ …
OPSEU is entering the final days of their social mapping census, and the opportunity for you to win great prizes at https://opseu.org/census/. The deadline for submissions is January 26. Your responses will help …
In the midst of this season of giving, precious treasures are being stolen from Ontarians: our public services, hard-won tools that protect our environment, provisions that keep us healthy and …
Local 354 is hosting three workshops on deciphering your SWF and understanding your workload rights. Join us at the local office on either:Tuesday, November 19th 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.Wednesday, …
Please join us on Monday, Dec. 2 from 1-3 p.m. for our annual General Membership Meeting (GMM) in SSB 116. This is your chance to voice any questions you may …
Winter Standard Workload Forms (SWF) should be sliding into your mailboxes by now and with them come a lot of confusion and complaints. Knowing how to read your SWF is …
By Pat Mongeon, OPSEU Local 354 President Welcome back to a new academic year. I wish you all a smooth start-up, and I want to let you know the local stewards and …
