Update:
While the Ontario NDP indicated they will be possibly delaying the back to work legislation by prolonging debate for a few days, Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown is supporting the bill.
“My message to the Premier is this: as her meeting with both sides failed to produce concrete results and a negotiated settlement, we will support back-to-work legislation to get students back in class on Monday. It is the right thing to do for students.” said Brown “We hope there will be support for this across all partisan lines.”
MPP’s will be sitting all weekend at Queen’s Park to get the debate legislation out of the way, and allow for passage, and a return to classes.
Original:
Renewed bargaining talks between OPSEU and the college employer Council didn’t last long. They broke off Thursday afternoon and the Premier will now introduce back to work legislation for teachers in order to get 500-thousand students back to classes next week.
Earlier today, teachers overwhelmingly rejected the latest offer from the College Employer Council.
The union, OPSEU, says the turnout for the on-line vote was 95 per cent.. The Provincial Labour Relations Board forced a full membership vote on the college employer council's offer, and the union had urged its members to reject it.
The strike is in its fifth week, the longest-ever by the province's college faculty.
A union leader at College Boreal in Sudbury had this reaction Thursday.
"What this means is they have to get off their story that this strike was unnecessary and their offer was good from the beginning. They have to get back to the table and bargain an agreement as soon as possible they have kept the students out of class for these five weeks not us. They have to get them back to class now." said David Fasciano of OPSEU.
