Hello all Sheridan Support Staff Workers!

Your contributions and efforts to support our bargaining team have been felt by the employer. On behalf of Local 245, I want to thank everybody who stepped up and said YES, my bargaining is important to me, and I will help in MY employment future.

So, the big question, what is next?

Lots!

You have an amazing bunch of co-workers who have volunteered their time, skills, thoughts and abilities to make the Sheridan bargaining experience something you can be proud of. Did you catch YOUR Local in the media the other day? CHCH TV coverage, Hamilton Spec. and the Brampton Guardian. Great work Fred Oliver, your VP of Communications who wrote an amazing press release which resulted in catching media attention. So make sure you thank Fred!!

That sign 'painting' event was a big hit. A total of about 100 members showed up and made signs. Mary Cator, your 1st VP and Fred did such a great job organizing it!! They organized the pizza, and drinks, had the signs and stuff ready for members to have a party out on the road. I've got such a sunburn! LOL As your President, I'm so proud of how the people who you have elected to be your leaders, LEAD!

Linda Nelson, Steward at Large at Trafalgar made sure you were signed in and got your shirt. Linda as you know, is our master of getting everybody signed up for strike duty, so if you have not checked in with Linda yet, you had better do so now! Linda is so amazing with taking charge and getting the job done, so if you have not signed in, well Linda will give you an ear full! LOL.

We have been successful in agreeing to a Picket Protocol with the college about how our strike will be conducted. The Local has been negotiation for a few weeks with the boss, what might be agreed to. I'm proud to report that Mary Cator and myself were successful in achieving everything our Local was seeking. We have an amazing deal, beyond most others in the province. The key feature is bringing able to handle the incoming traffic off the main roads, well onto the college property, where we can hold groups of vehicles for a period of time as we distribute information to the incoming people. This ability will provide a greater level of safety for our members on the line. We have also negotiated on-sit parking for picketers rather than vehicle parked in places off sit and a distance from our lines. I'm including the actual text of the Protocol, so you can be aware of all the details. (see the attachment) I'm sure you will be very happy with what we have done on your behalf.

Flowing from the Protocol, Linda Nelson will be arranging the delivery of strike trailers and washroom arrangement. Should the strike actually happen those facilities will be on site the first day!
We got the employer to agree to parking on site at the larger campuses due to the numbers of employees. For STC, we felt that off sight parking would work better at the CAW lot, just a few steps away since the drive in and parking at STC tends to look all in one and therefore hard to control.

There have been a number of question about individual employment relationship. Two come to mine.
Part-time workers performing duties that were performed by support staff workers on strike, and support staff workers who also work for the college performing teaching duties.

Part-time workers are defined as persons working up to 24 hours per week performing work consistent with the bargaining unit. They are legally excluded from bargaining. It is the Local's understanding that these workers will continue to perform the work they have traditionally been assigned to perform. The issue would appear to be the employer adjusting these workers assignments in two ways. Assigning their hours of work beyond 24 hours per week, and second, to reassign these workers to perform duties and responsibilities of striking members.

On the first question, the Local would take the position that should the employer direct part-time workers to performing support staff work beyond 24 hours per week, then those workers would also be considered to be on strike as defined by the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act. We would seek immediate redress in the courts if we discover such actions by the college. On the second point, re-assigning part-time workers to perform the duties of bargaining unit members on strike we would consider to be an action of strike breaking and these workers would be considered replacement workers. Should that be discovered, again we would be seeking possible legal action options.

With respect to support staff who have some teaching I offer the following.

If you do some teaching while at the same time work in support staff you need to know you have only one employer, being Sheridan College. Should you be on strike, the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act (CCBA) says no striking employee shall receive wages or benefits while on strike.

It becomes a legal debate if teaching in C/E or other teaching for that matter is considered as part of that the CCBA says.

My experience is most colleges would not want to have striking employees in the buildings.

I guess the decision would be yours if you are going to cross a picket line or not. Most people who I know do not do the teaching since in effect it hurts them in the long run by assisting the college to try keeping a business as usual stance.
I believe the college will be asking individuals who teach what their intentions would be. I suspect this would be in order to find a replacement teacher or cancel the class. I have not heard directly from the employer that they are going to demand support staff cross the lines to do teaching.

September 1, is your day! Labour Day. Please come to Hamilton and walk in the parade, and enjoy a BBQ hosted by OPSEU. We will be meeting at 9:30am at the corner of York and Ray street. The Parade starts at 10:30am The Picnic is at Dundurn Park. See you there!

Yesterday we learned that the bargaining team was successful in negotiating our benefits to continue should a strike happen. OPSEU will be paying the premiums on your behalf. The news blackout is still on so we do not know anything about how the talks are going.

I'm sure I have missed something, so stay tuned!

In solidarity

Jay

sheridan strike protocol