In her scramble to leave her house before the sun breached the skyline, forgetting her large coffee on her kitchen counter, Arax Acemyan braced for a day that hopefully would usher in change for all college staff and students.
Working as a full-time support staff member at Centennial College for 16 years in the events department, specializing in international protocols, Acemyan was one of hundreds striking full-time support staff workers beehived at Humber’s North campus on Oct. 2 for the "OPSEU ALL OUT" strike in Region Five, which is Toronto.
With more than 10,000 full-time support staff on strike since Sept. 11, resulting in a gruelling back and forth at the negotiation table that has since fallen short, OPSEU gathered picketers from four colleges across the province, Seneca Polytechnic, George Brown, Centennial and Humber Polytechnic.
They disembarked buses at 7 a.m. on Humber College Boulevard to man the picket line in Premier Doug Ford's riding.
Acemyan was part of just less than two dozen picketers who departed first from Humber Polytechnic’s Lakeshore campus in the early parts of the morning at 6:30 a.m., exacerbated by negotiations seeming to fall flat.
“I'm frustrated by the stalling of the negotiations and the news coming from CEC. It's not accurate, OPSEU is trying to really help us keep our jobs.” Acemyan said.
She said, despite the pressure they’re feeling, their power is sourced from standing united as one.
“There is always strength in numbers and one person makes a difference. So that's why I'm here and we're fighting as a group to be able to achieve our goals,” Acemyan said. “I think today we're going to roar. That's what I hope. Because I do believe in activism and it's our right to strike.”
The power and urge from the picketers is fuelled even more following communications between the CEC to OPSEU members.
“I feel like they're creating this mistrust between the bargaining team and the employer,” said Elizabeth Ha, a bus patrol person who kept track of those departing from Humber’s Lakeshore campus.
She said the uncertainty could have longevity and manifest itself to have ripple effects in the future and beyond.
“The emails, too, we've been seeing intimidation tactics by the employer,” Ha said. “I'm really shocked because I've been a union activist for almost 30 years. And to see that type of communication from their bosses to staff, it was crazy to me.”
“I was really shocked when I saw those emails. How is that even professional?” Ha asked. “If there was a deal and your staff went back to work, how do they feel knowing that you sent them something like that?”
While all Ontario support staff are currently on strike, some colleges have been seen to be hit harder than most.
Tutoring English and math at Seneca York in the learning centre for students with learning disabilities, and part of OPSEU for 37 years, Janice Hagen discussed that the level of layoffs is detrimental to their operations.
“At Seneca, we've had hundreds of layoffs. Full-time support staff, part-time student workers, just we can't even keep track of how many people are devastated, they're afraid,” Hagen said. “On top of the fear of job loss, we have people who don't want to be inside because it's psychologically just really traumatic right now because we can't help the students we know we can help,”
Hagen acknowledged that while the protest is against the CEC, the focus should be diverted to look at funding from the Ontario government.
“There's money in our province to fund proper education. Instead, they're funding private companies, [and] training friends of Doug Ford,” said Hagen.
Picketing every early morning with his coffee in one hand and a sign in the other at Humber’s Lakeshore campus, Ken Clevely has worked with OPSEU for the last 28 years.
Clevely said that while support staff are on strike, their focus is not just on themselves but on the students in every college across Ontario.
“The outcome I want is a push to get them back to a table, and come out with an agreement that's fair, it’ll benefit the support staff, it's gonna benefit the students, it's gonna benefit the colleges.”
“We want to educate people on why we're out here, how important it is for students, because I know it's about us, but it's mostly for students and their futures,” Clevely said.
While all college eyes have been diverted towards the local support staff strike and their negotiations, he said negotiations between adults should be handled as adult conversations.
“I'm not pleased with how things have turned out," Clevely said. "I figured they should all be grown-ups, and they should be able to at least sit at a table and be able to negotiate well.”
Despite the swirl of emotions and attention diverted towards the OPSEU rally, Aceyman said she has faith that a resolution will come, and colleges will soon resume regular operations.
“I'm sending out good vibes so that they come to a resolution and at least try to help us go back to work,” Acemyan said.
