WHAT’S NEXT

Bill 187 put an end to the longest college strike in Ontario history. So what’s next for negotiations between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents the province’s 12,000 college professors, instructors, counsellors and librarians, and the College Employer Council, which represents the province’s 24 community colleges? The Citizen posed some questions to Ministry of Labour spokeswoman Janet Deline.

Q: Under the legislation, what are the colleges and union members obliged to do?

A: Once the act received royal assent (on Sunday), each employer was required to resume its operations; the union and employees were required to terminate the strike. The employer and the union are to agree to a person to be the mediator-arbitrator to deal with all matters remaining in dispute. The legislation gives the parties five days from the date of royal assent to agree on the person to serve as the mediator-arbitrator.

Q: What is the time frame for returning to the bargaining table?

A: The mediator-arbitrator is to begin the mediationarbitration proceeding within 30 days of being appointed. Within 90 days of being appointed, the mediator-arbitrator is to make a final and binding award addressing all the matters to be dealt with in the parties’ new collective agreement. These timelines can be extended upon agreement of the parties.

Q: Does the clock run out at any time? If it does, what will happen then?

A: If the employer and union fail to name a person to be the mediator-arbitrator, the legislation calls for the Minister of Labour to make the appointment.

Q: Is another strike or lockout possible?

A: It would be deemed an unlawful strike for the purposes of the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act 2008, and the aggrieved party could apply to the Ontario Labour Relations Board for a remedy.