College students say get back to the table - enough is enough

College Student Alliance
News Release

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TORONTO - Two weeks are about to pass since the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and the College Employer's Council (the Council) broke off negotiations. Colleges have remained open, but throughout this timeframe the number of students impacted by the strike has continued to rise.

"Both OPSEU and the Council have indicated their willingness to go back to the table, but we have yet to see either party step forward and take initiative towards a resolution," says Brian Costantini, President of the College Student Alliance (CSA). "The longer the strike goes on the greater the impact will be on all students."

The issues experienced by students have not only been in the colleges themselves, but also outside on the picket lines. Some support staff have asked students to join the picket lines over attending class. Likewise, students from various colleges have expressed their discontent with the inability to access needed services at the college, such as IT, childcare and tutoring.

"We are beginning to see a domino effect as the number of issues increases," replies Anthony Boland, Vice-President of the CSA. He adds, "We need both parties to get back to the table as some students' semesters are in now in jeopardy."

The College Student Alliance is an advocacy organization, which has been proudly serving Ontario's college and college-university students since 1975. The CSA currently represents 15 colleges and 23 member councils with over 130,000 full-time student members throughout the province.

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