Niagara College president hopeful 11th hour negotiations avert strike

The news that the two sides on the bargaining table were meeting virtually today (March 17) has Niagara College president Sean Kennedy hopeful that a strike, slated for tomorrow, will be averted.

Ontario’s colleges and the union representing faculty are set to meet virtually ahead of a threatened strike by all professors and other academic staff as March Break ends tomorrow.

“I welcome (March 16’s) announcement that the College Employer Council (CEC) and OPSEU CAAT-A bargaining teams have agreed to return to the bargaining table in an effort to avoid a province-wide strike of college faculty, counsellors and librarians,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy admitted that the last two years – thrown head-over-heels by the pandemic – has made life difficult for both the colleges and its faculty alike.

“The past two years have been incredibly challenging for our entire college community, and I understand how this added element of uncertainty has been stressful for all of us, especially our students who have worked hard in difficult and extraordinary times in pursuit of their educational goals,” Kennedy noted.

Kennedy was selected by the Board of Directors to be Niagara College’s sixth president in January 2020, just two months before the pandemic hit.

He promised that regardless of the results of the negotiations today and potential strike vote tomorrow, the college will not lock out its faculty.

“As discussions resume tomorrow, my deepest hope is that an agreement can be reached at the bargaining table, and a strike averted,” he said.

“I also feel it’s important to state – clearly and unequivocally – that regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s discussions, colleges will not lock out faculty under any circumstances.”